July 31, 2024

Her Startup, an initiative aimed at addressing the challenges faced by female founders in the entrepreneurial landscape, has been launched by KSH Foundation in partnership with Tomorrow Foundation and eha Impact Ventures. This program underscores a collective commitment to empower and support female entrepreneurs across Africa, particularly in Nigeria and neighboring West African countries. The Her Startup is a multifaceted program designed to provide comprehensive support to female entrepreneurs, leveraging resources and expertise from three prominent organizations. KSH Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to leveraging technology to close social gaps in Nigeria, joins forces with Tomorrow Foundation, a Swiss charity foundation focused on improving living conditions in Africa through technology, skills development, and international cooperation, and eha Impact Ventures, a philanthropic impact investing enterprise supporting early-stage, high-impact, female-led businesses in Africa.  At the core of Her Startup is a commitment to providing female entrepreneurs with access to critical resources, mentorship, and financial support. The program will take participants through a recognized accelerator program, the Founder Institute Abuja, a 14-week program renowned for its comprehensive curriculum and expert mentorship. Additionally, Her Startup will cover tuition fees for the accelerator program, provide participants with a stipend during the program, and offer a convertible revenue-based financing of $5000 to graduates of the accelerator program. “We are thrilled to launch Her Startup in collaboration with Tomorrow Foundation and EHA Impact Ventures,” said Khalil Halilu, Founder of KSH Foundation. “This initiative reflects our shared commitment to empowering female entrepreneurs and fostering their success in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. By providing access to resources, mentorship, and financial support, we aim to catalyze the growth of female-led businesses across Africa.” Khalil Halilu is the current CEO and Executive Vice Chancellor of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure in Nigeria, founder of the CANs, the first eco-friendly co-working space and tech hub in Africa, and Shap Shap, an on-demand delivery service. In addition to financial support, participants of Her Startup will benefit from mentorship opportunities and other forms of assistance, including bulk equipment purchase and support with scale-up financing. The program is open to female founders or CEOs of tech-enabled businesses aged 18-35, with a minimum of six months of business operations and a monthly gross revenue of at least $500. While initially launching with the Founder Institute Abuja, and open to applicants mainly from across West African countries, the program aims at covering all African countries. About the initiative, Maggie Gu, Founder of Tomorrow Foundation said: “Successful innovators and leaders create jobs, positively influence policies and investments, and inspire other young people. Women have unique business qualities such as strong collaborative leadership or emotional intelligence. We have to make sure that female talents also have access to proper funding and mentoring”.   “As champions of female-led entrepreneurship, we recognize that for women entrepreneurs, business difficulties are often compounded by gender norms and family responsibilities,” said Evelyn Castle, CEO at eha Impact Ventures. “Hence, the importance of providing tailored support and resources to empower women in business, Her Startup represents that step.” Evelyn Castle is a pioneering health executive and impact investor. She co-founded eHealth Africa, a non-profit organization that designs and implements data-driven solutions to improve health outcomes and access in Africa, and eha Clinic, a comprehensive health care service provider in Nigeria.