African Women-owned Startups can apply for AWIEF Growth Accelerator
The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) in partnership with Nedbank have announced it is hosting the fourth cohort of its flagship AWIEF Growth Accelerator.
The AWIEF Growth Accelerator is designed to support early-stage and high growth-oriented women-led startups in Africa through growth strategy training, corporate advisory, mentorship, networks, and access to strategic partnerships. The forum also provides capital-raising support for growth, scale, and sustainability.
Since its inception in 2017, AWIEF has builds women’s entrepreneurial leadership capacity, connects them with appropriate sources of capital, and helps them scale, with more than 100 early-growth-stage women founders who have gone through the accelerator program.
The 2021 cohort will see 20 female entrepreneurs selected from sectors including technology, agribusiness, financial services, manufacturing, health, education, tourism & hospitality, creative industries, and renewable energy.
Benefits of the program include:
- Joining the AWIEF Growth Accelerator cohort, participants will be offered:
- Masterclasses with international expert-led sessions covering all scaling fundamentals
- One-on-one tailored mentorship and leadership coaching
- Corporate partners: connection to corporates in your industry for valuable partnership opportunities, and as customers
- Access to investors: get connected to opportunities with Nedbank and active VCs, impact and angel investors looking to invest in African women-led ventures
- Pitch n GrowÔ: selected startups will be allowed to pitch their innovations at the 7th annual AWIEF Conference and Awards (AWIEF2021) scheduled to take place on 2nd and 3rd December 2021
- Free delegate pass to AWIEF2021 conference sessions
- Join the AWIEF Community and alumni growth program: unmatched access to a pan-African and global network and peer connection to other women entrepreneurs, continued online post-program support, e-learning, events, and tailored introductions.
South African female-owned startups in the post-revenue phase operating for not less than three years with scalable and innovative ideas are eligible to apply for the program.
“The AWIEF Growth Accelerator was an incredibly inspiring, safe, and supportive environment, and was particularly useful during our sudden, rapid growth phase.”
Recruitment for the program commences 15 – 30 June 2021, while the program kicks off on Monday, July 12, 2021. Interested startups can click here to apply.