The initiative, jointly spearheaded by KSH Foundation, Tomorrow Foundation and EHA Impact Ventures, will select 10 women founders at the early stages of building their businesses and equip them with the skills, mentorship, funding opportunities and networks needed to become investment-ready.
The programme’s intensive training component will be delivered by Founder Institute, described as the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator, with Her Startup covering the participation fees for selected founders.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of a persistent funding gap confronting women entrepreneurs across the continent. Although women account for 58 per cent of Africa’s self-employed population, female founders secured less than one per cent of the more than $2bn raised by African startups in 2025.
Her Startup seeks to address this disparity by combining business development, access to capital and strategic mentorship in a single programme designed to help women-led businesses overcome barriers to growth and investment.
Under the 12-week intensive training programme, participants will receive practical guidance on building sustainable businesses, strengthening their business models and preparing their ventures to attract investors. The selected founders will also receive monthly stipends to enable them to commit fully to the programme.
Beyond training, participants will have the opportunity to pitch their businesses to Her Startup’s Investment Committee for potential funding through convertible revenue-based financing. They will also benefit from 12 months of sector-specific mentorship and access to Founder Institute’s global network.
Applications for the 2026/2027 cohort will close on October 26. Eligibility is open to women founders or chief executive officers aged between 18 and 35 who operate technology-enabled businesses that have been running for at least six months and generate a minimum of $500 in monthly gross revenue. Applications from Francophone African countries are particularly encouraged.
Speaking on the vision behind the initiative, Khalil Halilu, co-founder of Her Startup and founder of KSH Foundation, said the programme was designed to create an environment in which women entrepreneurs could build successful businesses and contribute more significantly to Africa’s technology ecosystem.
“Together, we can create a thriving ecosystem where women entrepreneurs are empowered to lead, innovate and succeed. I look forward to the incredible impact Her Startup will have, not just in Nigeria, but across Africa and around the world,” Halilu said.
Building on the Success of the Pilot Cohort
The second cohort builds on the results of the programme’s pilot phase in 2024/2025, which attracted more than 200 applications from 18 African countries.
Ten founders were selected for training, while three ventures secured funding at the programme’s Pitch Day held in Lagos in April 2025. Since participating, several founders have gone on to win grants and awards, attract investor interest and increase the visibility of their businesses.
The initiative has also attracted international media attention, reflecting growing interest in programmes that seek to expand opportunities for women entrepreneurs across Africa.
One beneficiary, Blessing Aniefiok, chief operating officer of Dynalimb Technologies and a 2024 Her Startup associate, said the programme had contributed to the company’s growing market traction.
“Since Her Startup, we’ve seen a steady rise in customer adoption and product sales, as more amputees experience the comfort and mobility that Dynalimb’s affordable 3D-printed prosthetics provide,” Aniefiok said.
Dynalimb’s experience highlights the potential of targeted business support to help women-led technology ventures strengthen their products, reach more customers and demonstrate their commercial viability.
For Maggie Gu, co-founder of Her Startup and president of Tomorrow Foundation, the initiative also represents a broader opportunity to reshape women's participation in economic and technological development.
She argued that historical barriers, including physical strength and traditional structures of power, had placed women at a disadvantage in influencing economies and societies. However, technological progress is creating new opportunities for women to take leadership roles.
“Human progress and technological development have gradually changed that equation. Today, intelligence, creativity and judgment can be amplified as never before, opening a historic opportunity for women – not merely to participate in the future, but to stand at the forefront and help lead it. That is the deeper purpose of Her Startup,” Gu said.
Financing Designed Around Founders
Evelyn Castle, co-founder of Her Startup and EHA Impact Ventures, said access to funding alone was insufficient to guarantee the success of early-stage businesses, stressing the importance of providing financing structures that respond to founders’ needs.
According to her, the programme's adoption of convertible, revenue-based financing is intended to offer participants a more founder-friendly route to raising capital while supporting their businesses' long-term growth.
“It’s not enough to just give these companies financing. It’s about giving them financing that will truly help them succeed. We chose a convertible, revenue-based loan, an innovative financing mechanism that is just starting to enter the market. It is incredibly founder-friendly, and it will help the women in this programme succeed,” Castle said.
By combining structured training, tailored mentorship, access to international networks and potential investment, Her Startup aims to help close the funding and support gap facing women-led technology businesses in Africa.
With applications now open for its second cohort, the initiative is seeking to identify a new group of ambitious founders whose businesses can benefit from the programme and contribute to a more inclusive and competitive African startup ecosystem.