The Public Relations and Communications Program is Dedicated Exclusively to
African Female Tech Founders
C. Moore Media, International Public Relations (CMM), a New York-headquartered PR agency focusing on the US, UK, and African markets, announces a partnership with Africa Communications Week (AfricaCommsWeek) and the second edition of The Future is Female Mentorship Program. AfricaCommsWeek is a global platform that builds bridges between communications professionals focused on Africa’s transformation. The Future is Female Mentorship Program is CMM’s flagship PR and communications program dedicated exclusively to African female tech founders. The program is the first of its kind dedicated to African women in tech.
Partnership Details
Partnering with AfricaCommsWeek enables The Future is Female Mentorship Program to bring further world class and Pan-African PR expertise from additional leading experts, complementing the award-winning global and Africa regional PR expertise at CMM. Founded and led by Annie Mutamba and Eniola Harrison, AfricaCommsWeek will also provide additional perspectives, tools, and insights for the selected female founders. In addition, the partnership brings expanded Pan-African, multi-market PR expertise, a key component for many female founders whose startups cover multiple African countries.
The virtual program includes two masterclasses and sessions customized to the specific needs of their startup sector and business. Mutamba and Harrison will lead group masterclass sessions for the selected mentees and participate in Q and A sessions. They will also support CMM in creating content for customized sessions.
The Program
The second edition of The Future is Female Mentorship Program will provide 25 African female tech founders of early-stage startups with the PR and communications insights, knowledge, and skills needed to gain visibility, grow their business, and learn how to build relationships with key media. It is aimed at African women based on the continent or in the diaspora, launching or growing a tech business for African markets or serving Africans in the diaspora.
The inaugural edition of the program was launched on Africa Day in 2020 when businesses worldwide were reeling from the effects of the global pandemic. CMM’s vision was to create a complimentary program to support the most vulnerable businesses, such as early-stage startups led by African female tech founders. Twelve female-led startups, including Chil AI Lab Easy Matatu, RPA nuggets, were selected from a pool of just under 140 applications from 18 African countries to participate in the three-month virtual program.
In a recent update after going through the program, one of the mentees – Shamim Kaliisa, founder of Chil AI Lab, was spotted and listed on the inaugural Bloomberg New Economy Catalysts class of 2021. This is a new global community launched by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to highlight the world’s brightest innovators at the leading edge of technology, solving problems in emerging economies. Other notable African startups on the list include GroIntel, 54 Gene, and Farmerline.
Application Update
The application portal for the second edition of The Future is Female Mentorship program has now closed. Early results show a 30% increase in the number of applications and an expansion from 18 to 26 African countries compared to the inaugural edition. The successful female founders will be announced on Monday, July 26. Visit the program’s new website www.thefutureisfemalementorshipprogram.com for more details and follow #CMMtheFutureIsFemale on social media for updates on the program. You can also follow @CMooreMedia on Twitter and Instagram for announcements and follow CMM’s MD/Founder @ClaudineMoore on Twitter.
