Grey, the Y Combinator-backed global cross-border payment company, has announced the winners of the 2026 edition of UpGreyed Her, its platform for advancing women-led businesses.
The 2026 edition awarded $10,000 in equity-free growth capital to three founders building technology-led companies across manufacturing, food distribution, and nutrition-focused agriculture.
Ghanaian entrepreneur Violet Awo Amaobeng, founder of Skin Gourmet Limited, received the $5,000 grand prize. Ozioma Onwordi, founder of Eden-Acres Integrated Organic Farm, received $3,000 as first runner-up, while Uchechukwu Okoli, founder of Lutam Farm Nigeria, received $2,000 as second runner-up.
UpGreyed Her has grown from a regional initiative into a global platform for women entrepreneurs building commercially viable businesses with measurable social and economic impact.
Since its launch in 2024, Grey has deployed $27,500 in equity-free funding, supported 10 women founders, and expanded the programme’s reach across multiple regions and sectors, including artificial intelligence, IT, renewable and non-renewable energy.
The 2026 edition received applications from women entrepreneurs across 20 countries, including first-time applications from Chile, Uruguay, India, and Canada.
This year’s geographic reach builds on the programme’s global expansion in 2025 and reflects the growing demand for capital, visibility, and ecosystem support among women founders building businesses that respond to real market needs.
Women-led businesses remain central to global economic development, yet many continue to face structural barriers to finance, market access, financial infrastructure, and growth networks.
UpGreyed Her was created to help address this gap by backing women founders as business leaders, innovators, employers, and contributors to the global economy.
The initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5: Gender Equality, by supporting women’s full participation in economic life; SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, by enabling entrepreneurship, job creation, and business expansion; and SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, by supporting founders using technology to strengthen supply chains, distribution systems, and access to essential products and services.
Through the work of its 2026 winners in AI-enabled manufacturing, agri-tech, and nutrition, the programme also contributes to broader goals around food security, health, and inclusive economic development.
“Each edition of UpGreyed Her has shown us that women entrepreneurs are not waiting for permission to build. They are already creating products, solving market problems, employing people, and expanding possibilities in their communities,” said Iheakachi Nwabueze, Vice President, Global Marketing and Growth at Grey. “Our role is to provide the kind of support that matches their ambition. Moving UpGreyed Her beyond a single moment on the calendar reflects our belief that women founders need consistent access to capital, visibility, and infrastructure, not just annual recognition.”
The 2026 edition marks a new phase for UpGreyed Her. Unlike earlier editions that were connected to the International Women’s Day period, the programme is now evolving into a year-round platform designed to identify, fund, and amplify women founders across global markets.
This shows Grey’s broader commitment to financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, and economic mobility.
The 2026 winners represent this next chapter. Violet Awo Amaobeng, founder of Skin Gourmet Limited, is building a Ghanaian AI-enabled manufacturing company rooted in wildcrafted, edible skincare made from natural local ingredients.
By combining local sourcing with an AI-powered supply chain, Skin Gourmet is strengthening traceability, improving production efficiency, and creating a scalable model for African beauty innovation in the global wellness market.
Ozioma Onwordi, founder of Eden-Acres Integrated Organic Farm, is building a tech-powered food distribution platform that connects smallholder farmers to urban consumers and hospitality businesses
. The company addresses inefficiencies in food access and distribution by creating more reliable routes to market for farmers while improving access to fresh produce for households and businesses.
Uchechukwu Okoli, founder of Lutam Farm Nigeria, is leading an agri-tech social enterprise focused on combating malnutrition through affordable, nutrient-dense foods for low-income households. Lutam Farm operates at the intersection of agriculture, nutrition, and inclusive food access, with the potential to improve household wellbeing while strengthening local agricultural value chains.
The winners were selected following a rigorous evaluation process focused on business viability, innovation, impact, scalability, and founder readiness.
The judging panel included Kanyinsola Onalaja, founder of contemporary womenswear brand Onalaja; Iheakachi Nwabueze, Vice President, Global Marketing and Growth at Grey; and Anshu Vajpeye, Anti-Money Laundering Analyst at Grey.
“Building a business from scratch teaches you to recognise conviction in others. This year’s applicants weren’t short on ideas, what they needed was capital to match their ambition, and that’s exactly what UpGreyedHer provides. What stood out to me, going through this year’s cohort, was how many founders had already proven their model works on a small scale and simply needed the resources to take it further. That’s a different kind of risk to back, and a far more exciting one. It tells you the work has already been done; what’s left is the opportunity to scale it.” said Kanyinsola Onalaja, Founder, Onalaja.
For Grey, UpGreyed Her is closely connected to its wider mission of expanding access to the global economy. By supporting women-led businesses, Grey is investing in companies that can create jobs, improve access to goods and services, strengthen local and international value chains, and expand economic participation.
UpGreyed Her reflects the company’s belief that financial inclusion is not only about access to accounts and payments, but also about enabling people to build, trade, scale, and compete globally.
With the expansion of UpGreyed, Grey plans to continue building the programme as a global platform for capital access, visibility, and ecosystem support for women-led businesses.
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