This edition of the program has been supported by Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders Africa Program
and Salesforce Ventures Impact Fund
Twenty African female-founded tech startups have been selected for the fourth edition of The Future is Female Mentorship Program, a PR and communications mentorship program dedicated exclusively to African female tech founders. Launched on Africa Day in 2020, by the Africa tech focused PR agency C. Moore Media International PR, which was acquired by global agency Allison+Partners, The Future is Female Mentorship Program is the first and only PR and communications program dedicated exclusively to African women in tech. The 2023 edition has been supported by Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders Africa Program, Salesforce Ventures Impact Fund and F6S expanding the scale and reach of the initiative.
In this fourth edition, 490 applications were received from 37 countries across Africa, a 42% increase in applications from the 2022 edition. The mentorship program is complementary and supports the underserved market of African women and is one of the Continent’s fastest growing community of African female tech founders.
The program continues to gain international recognition and the 20 finalists for the fourth edition have been exclusively announced in international business magazine, Forbes. This press coverage immediately provides these African female tech founders with international visibility to the global business community. The 2022 and 2021 finalists were exclusively announced in Pan-African tech publication, TechCabal and leading international business magazine, Forbes respectively.
THE 2023 FINALISTS
During the selection process led by judges; Salesforce’s investor, Enki Toto, Femi Agboola, Program Lead- Citi Productivity, Citi group and Real Estate Investor Michelle Agbodohu, special consideration was given to startups focusing on health, education, finance, agriculture, and sustainability. Startups that provide solutions and/or address African women’s and girls’ needs also received special consideration. The 20 selected finalists for 2023 come from North, South, East and West African regions and will become mentees of the Program, making up the #Classof2023.
Below we are delighted to present the 2023 African female tech founders selected from across the Continent…
The 2023 Selected Mentees
EGYPT
- Mai Shakweer, Founder of AutoMechanic, which connects car owners in Cairo with local mechanic services and workshops.
KENYA
- Celeste Tchetgen Vogel, Founder of e-Waka Mobility, a full-service platform for businesses to make cheaper, eco-friendly deliveries with tried and tested electric bikes.
- Juliet (Shiro) Njoroge, Founder of Mosmos Africa, a Save Now Buy Later (SNBL) platform, enabling Kenyans to save-to-buy conveniently with the Mosmos app.
- Natasha Makindu, Founder of Paydel, a social commerce fulfillment platform that aggregates logistics services on demand.
- Fridah Karani, Founder of Hela Money , a next-generation trade platform bridging traditional and digital finance enabling business to build for the future.
- Jackie Kamau, Founder of The Laundry Lady , an on-demand laundry, dry cleaning service offering convenient pick-up, wash and delivery, with a focus on high quality service at affordable rates.
- Elizabeth Nduta, Founder of Gwiji, which empowers low-income Kenyan women with training and flexible employment.
NIGERIA
- Al Hassan Keita, Founder of EtioneraPay , an escrow payment gateway built for online and e-commerce user, processing payment and enabling payment for users.
- Jennifer Echenim, Founder of Bloccpay, a crypto-powered payroll solution for global businesses and talents.
- Gold Sylvester, Founder of Traddify, a global remittance platform that allows individuals and businesses to make cross-border payments seamlessly and instantly.
- Ngozi Nwabueze, Founder of PocketLawyers , a Nigerian legal tech startup that offers access to affordable premium legal services and solutions to SMEs and startups.
- Sarah Odiavbara, Founder of Craftmerce , a B2B e-commerce marketplace for African handcrafted enterprises.
- Olawunmi Akalusi, Founder of Rísé NG, a digital platform that seamlessly connect artisans and vendors with consumers.
- Bibi Ikuemonisan, Founder of FarmCorps, an agritech platform providing smallholder farmers in Nigeria with end-to-end market access, loans and more.
- Joy Akparobore, Founder of VAMUZ, a Nigerian e-commerce and logistics platform aimed at the local market.
- Kemi Ogunkoya, Founder of LeaderX , an innovative mobile application enabling African professional networks to bridge talent shortages, leadership gaps and more.
SOUTH AFRICA
- Jacqui Rogers, Founder of My Pregnancy Journey, an app which aims to guide and empower South African/African women with information and expertise on pregnancy, health and parenting.
TANZANIA
- Sophia Abeid, Founder of Vide, a Tanzanian educational video sharing technology for content creators.
TUNISIA
- Rym Bourguiba, Founder of WildyNess, an online platform that offers travelers authentic experiences in Tunisia creating social impact in rural regions
ZAMBIA
- Vwanganji Amatende-Bowa, Founder of Mightyfinance, an SME finance partner building thriving enterprises, that aim to transform lives through the provision of flexible, easy and affordable loans.
PROGRAM DETAILS
The Future is Female Mentorship Program is the first and only PR and communications mentorship program dedicated exclusively to African female tech founders. The Program is complementary to ensure no barriers to entry.
Once the 20 finalists have completed the Future is Female Mentorship program; they will own insights into the fundamentals of PR and communications for early-stage tech startups; they will also learn how to create a communications plan, storytelling best practices, strategic business communications with multiple stakeholders, how to position their startups for investment opportunities and more. The program is delivered virtually, and the mentees are invited to participate in masterclasses and sessions customized to the specific needs of their sector and business.
For the fourth edition and for the first time, Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders Africa Program, Salesforce Ventures Impact Fund and F6S collaborated with The Future Is Female Mentorship Program, joining TechCabal and, Africa Communications Week, long-term partners of the initiative. The program is now powered by Allison+Partners, one of the international PR industry’s fastest-growing and innovative global agencies.
As part of the collaboration, Salesforce Ventures Impact Fund, which has invested in some of Africa’s top tech startups including Flutterwave and Andela, will be hosting a masterclass on VC funding for the selected mentees of the program. The partnerships enable the Program to provide additional perspectives, tools, and insights for the selected female founders and brings world-class and Pan-African PR insights from additional leading experts, complementing A+P’s global and African regional PR expertise.
As part of the partnership, selected TechCabal team members will lead a masterclass providing the 20 finalists with insights on working with tech media and understanding how to position their startups to gain the attention of the tech press. The partnership with AfricaCommsWeek will give the founders expanded Pan-African and multi-market PR expertise, a key component for many female founders whose startups cover multiple African countries.
MASTERCLASSES AND MENTORSHIP SESSIONS
In August and September, the selected mentees will participate in masterclasses hosted by TechCabal, Salesforces and Africa Communications Week, in collaboration with the program’s mentors. The program mentors are the founding team, Claudine Moore, Managing Director, Africa, Allison+Partners, David Idagu, Africa Regional Consultant, Allison+Partners and Tope Adubi, Digital Marketing Consultant, Allison+Partners.
From October to December, the mentors will host customized one-on-one sessions with the mentees focusing on sharing insights into PR and communications fundamentals for early-stage tech startups, such as corporate storytelling and communications, media relations, digital marketing, and more.
For more information on the finalists and details of the Program, visit www.thefutureisfemalementorshipprogram.com or follow @CMooreMedia, or Allison+Partners on Twitter and LinkedIn.