Seedstars Enhancing Women Entrepreneurship in Africa (EWEA) Program

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Seedstars is calling for applications for the 3rd Cohort of the Enhancing Women Entrepreneurship in Africa (EWEA) Programme. The objective of the Project is to address gender inequality and inclusive economic empowerment for African women. Specifically, the Project aims at increasing the capacity and sustainability of enablers supporting Women-led Small and Medium Enterprises (WSMEs), as well as increase access to mentorship, funding and visibility for WSMEs.

Over the past years, many promising entrepreneurship support programs (ESOs) such as incubators, accelerators, university-based innovation hubs, maker spaces, technology parks, and co-working spaces, have been launched across the continent to help build more sustainable and successful startups that are relevant in Africa’s economy. However, these enablers are often limited in the support they are able to provide WSMEs due to lack of funding and network access, and lack of well-positioned services.

Eligibility Criteria for Enhancing Women Entrepreneurship in Africa Programme

They are looking for WSME’s and Enablers that are operating in at least one of the following countries:

Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Angola, Mali, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Gambia, Namibia, Cape Verde, Mauritius and Nigeria.

WSME’s should apply if they are:

Between Seed and Growth Stage
Based in one of the above countries
Have at least one woman on the founding team
Have a digital element in their product (example: Mobile application, Online Shop, SAAS product, etc.)

Enablers should register if they are:

Based in one of the above countries
Enhancing the viability and sustainability of WSMEs,
Providing innovative approaches to ecosystem support designed to close the financing gap for WSMEs,
Introducing innovative ways to provide capacity building for WSMEs,
Providing digital presence and visibility to WSMEs,
And enhancing access to mentorship for WSMEs.