The Standard Chartered Foundation has announced the winners of its Women in Tech Accelerator programme in Nigeria, with five finalists receiving a total of $50,000 in grant funding.
The winners emerged from the Standard Chartered Foundation Women in Tech Nigeria Cycle 7 cohort, following a competition in which five of the most promising businesses pitched their growth plans before a panel of judges.
The programme was delivered in partnership with Village Capital and its local implementing partner, Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), Pan-Atlantic University. This year’s cohort comprised 11 ventures.
Joke Adu, Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing at Standard Chartered Nigeria, said the bank believes empowering women entrepreneurs is an effective way to promote inclusive economic growth.
“At Standard Chartered, we believe that empowering women entrepreneurs is one of the most effective ways to drive inclusive economic growth.
“Since launching the Women in Technology Programme in Nigeria in 2019, we have impacted thousands of women across the country, directly trained more than 70 women through our incubator cohorts and provided seed funding to 35 women-led businesses.
“The achievements of our Cohort 7 winners reaffirm the immense potential that exists when women founders are given access to the right skills, networks, mentorship, and capital. We are proud to support their journeys as they scale innovative solutions that create jobs, strengthen communities and contribute to Nigeria’s economic development,” she said.
Speaking on the significance of the accelerator, Dr. Nneka Okekearu, Director of the Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University, said the programme demonstrated the impact of providing women entrepreneurs with the skills, networks, mentorship and opportunities needed to grow.
“The WIT Cycle 7 programme demonstrates the impact that can be achieved when women entrepreneurs are given access to the right skills, networks, mentorship and opportunities to grow.
“Over the course of the programme, we have seen women strengthen their businesses, deepen their use of technology, build valuable connections and gain the confidence to pursue new opportunities.
“This cohort reflects the talent and potential of African women to drive innovation, create jobs and contribute meaningfully to economic growth. We are proud to have supported their growth and remain committed to creating platforms that equip women entrepreneurs with the knowledge, confidence and connections they need to build sustainable businesses and create lasting impact in their communities and beyond,” she said.
The five winning ventures operate across sectors including healthcare, event management, accessibility technology, trade and digital education. Each startup received $10,000 in funding to support business growth.
The winners are:
- Jennifer Esiaba, founder of Mariam Grey Pharmacy, an AI-powered telepharmacy providing access to medication, pharmacist consultations and chronic care support through smartphones, basic phones and USSD across Nigeria.
- Christine Imoukhuede, founder of Ahavaplan, an AI-powered CRM platform designed to help event planners manage clients, events, communications and business operations in one place.
- Toyosi Badejo-Okusanya, founder of Adaptive Atelier, an accessibility technology company helping businesses create inclusive digital experiences through AI-powered solutions, accessibility auditing and a marketplace of disabled professionals.
- Fara Popoola, founder of Proc360, a platform helping African SMEs trade with greater confidence through supplier verification, quality control and secure payments.
- Adejoke Haastrup, founder of Kidsthatcode, an edtech platform equipping children and teenagers across Africa with coding and digital skills through classes, mentorship, hackathons and project-based learning.
The Cycle 7 participants will now join a growing global Women in Tech alumni community that provides ongoing peer-to-peer support. In some countries, alumni also have opportunities to access catalytic funding at rates below commercial levels, helping them establish a credit history and strengthen their ability to access commercial lending in the future.
The Women in Tech Accelerator programme is designed to support women-led, technology-enabled startups to scale and create positive impacts in their communities. Participants receive investment-readiness training, personalised development plans and expert mentorship, while working with advisers and industry leaders to strengthen their business models and access networking opportunities.
The programme has operated in Nigeria through funding from the Standard Chartered Foundation and Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria since 2020. Globally, it operates in 14 Standard Chartered markets across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the United States. To date, the Women in Tech programme has supported more than 4,000 entrepreneurs.
The Standard Chartered Foundation is a charitable organisation established by Standard Chartered in 2019. It focuses on tackling inequality by empowering underserved young people, particularly women and people with disabilities. The foundation sets the strategy for and funds youth employability and entrepreneurship programmes across Standard Chartered’s markets, helping young people gain access to skills, networks and support to secure quality employment and grow their businesses.
About Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered is an international banking group with a presence in 54 of the world’s dynamic markets. Its purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through its diversity, while its heritage and values are expressed through its brand promise, “here for good.” Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges.
About Enterprise Development Centre
Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), Pan-Atlantic University, is an enterprise development and capacity-building centre focused on empowering entrepreneurs and small businesses across Nigeria and Africa.
Established in 2003, EDC provides business education, accelerator programmes, advisory services, research and ecosystem-building initiatives aimed at helping entrepreneurs build sustainable and scalable businesses.
Through partnerships with local and global organisations, EDC has supported hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs, with a focus on youth, women and underserved communities.
About Village Capital
Village Capital supports entrepreneurs developing solutions to emerging environmental, social and economic challenges. Since 2009, the organisation has supported close to 1,800 startups that have raised $7.7 billion in investment capital.
It has made 116 investments through its affiliated funds, including Vilcap Investments, which has invested in 91 peer-selected companies. More than 25,500 members also engage on Abaca, its web application that provides entrepreneurs, enterprise support organisations and capital providers with tools for learning, assessing suitability and expanding access to financial capital. Its Capital Explorer feature helps founders identify suitable funding options for their businesses.
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