With less than 5 days to International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022, raising money from investors is difficult enough for every business founder, but it’s considerably more difficult for women entrepreneurs.
On the African continent, where women used to undertake business out of need, more and more women entrepreneurs are launching firms out of proper motivation, integrating modernity with tradition.
Women, who have long been marginalized or restricted to the very “traditional” role of wives dedicated to motherhood, are suddenly taking the lead. Some of them have succeeded in establishing their leadership in order to create and manage a profitable business.
However, there are currently more female entrepreneurs in Africa than anywhere else in the globe, and women are seen leading agricultural and craft-related businesses or working as market traders, or leading big tech companies. It is apparent that African women cannot be reduced to the position of product merchants at these markets’ stations.
Here is a list of funds dedicated to female entrepreneurs on the African continent:
FirstCheck Africa
At a relatively initial point, FirstCheck Africa writes first checks for brave women innovators with big concepts.
They correctly assert that “women in African technology are over-coached and inadequately funded.” They are investing $15,000 to $25,000 in women in African tech who match their criterion of being clever women with ambitious, scalable, for-profit plans to fix serious challenges in exchange for modest equity.
They also offer 12-month on-the-ground assistance in securing pre-seed finance and establishing peer and investor networks in and outside of Africa.
In order to meet this objective, the FirstCheck Africa Investor Collective, which will provide workshops and events
ShEquity
ShEquity helps African women on the journey make smart, long-term investments. This is a seed capital, business development, and operational support fund that connects de-risked investment-ready enterprises managed by African women with a great network of investors.
Financial management, go-to-market plan, marketing and advertising, governance model, HR/team management, capacity building, networking potential, founders’ personal growth, and soft-skills development are all covered in its company development program.
ShEquity is a financial, environmental, and social impact investment alternative for investors wanting to attain the triple bottom line in Africa.
Rising Tide Africa (RTA)
This is an African women’s investing network. It concentrates on investing in early growth tech companies that are largely female-owned, female-led, or with a gender-diverse leadership and management team, as well as training women to become educated angel investors. RTA members are obliged to invest a minimum of five million Naira (about $12,000) per year.
RTA also hosts masterclasses for business owners on handling entrepreneurship and acquiring money, as well as a bi-annual pitch day for investment-ready companies to engage with their investor network.
Mama Moni
Mama Moni is a Nigerian fintech social venture that enables limited-income women in remote and urban ghetto communities who are unable to obtain cash for their enterprises due to a lack of credit history and collateral.
They offer loans from individuals all over the globe who want to act as a peer-lending and donation platform. They also equip recipients with business toolkits and vocational training abilities for a larger group of women.
Africa Trust Group
Located in South Africa, this initial fund syndicate is dedicated to investing in African women. It addresses the financing needs for women via a three-pronged strategy of early-stage capital, entrepreneur development, and business research and advising, with an emphasis on industries such as social-impact technology, infrastructure development, manufacturing, and media and communications.
Bottomline
In fact, every woman can become an entrepreneur, but not everyone is prepared to do so. Business success necessitates a variety of attributes and skills, not all of which can be learned in school.
Female African entrepreneurs are typical examples of this, exhibiting a great personality that aids them in overcoming the different hurdles and issues they confront on a daily basis.
Women entrepreneurs may create significant economic improvements in Africa and the rest of the world with these monies and the skills that come with them.
As more women delve into business, we hope for more funds to encourage women entrepreneurs who are breaking the mold on the continent.
Don’t miss important articles during the week. Subscribe to techbuild.africa weekly digest for updates