What we offer The award recognizes female founders from Africa with unique businesses that have a strong digital component and embrace social impact. We honour, support and celebrate your ambition by offering unique opportunities for visibility and further development of your business. The three winners will win in-kind support worth up to 30,000€ for the first place, up to 15,000€ for the second place, and up to 7,000€ for the third place. This in-kind support can be vouchers and various tailored services to best boost their business, including: Vouchers for special expenses (e.g. online training, software licenses, and other services.) Services: Personalized coaching sessions with local and international experts based on individual needs. For example: marketing, investor relations and pitching to further increase visibility. Facilitation of meaningful connections for your business development and potential scaling vision by providing local ecosystem integration. Trip to Nairobi and access to the AfricArena Summit in September, including flights in economy class, accommodation and tickets. Introduction and involvement to SAIS Female Leader Circle Community where women in leadership roles in the start-up ecosystem benefit from inputs sessions with experts from different areas and peer-to-peer exchange sessions. These monthly meetings serve as a platform for insightful discussions, networking opportunities, and skill development tailored to the unique challenges faced by women in the entrepreneurial realm. SAIS Female Founder Award seal for your website to recognize your business.
Who can apply To be eligible for the SAIS Female Founder Award, you must meet the following conditions: Legal form Your business is registered and operates on the African continent. Your business has an official certificate of registration. Founder You are an African female who (co)founded and runs a start-up / growth stage business. You should have technical experience in your area of operation. Team At least three people who work full-time for the start-up (including yourself as a founder). Digital product/ service Your product/service is digital or has a strong digital component. Your product is offering an impactful solution in the AgTech, FoodTech or ClimateTech sectors in Africa. Market access and traction Your company has been registered at least 2 years before submitting the application. Your start-up must have clear evidence of traction (customer base, revenue). Business model You have a unique value proposition in the market(s) where you operate. Your start-up should have an understandable and convincing business model (clear problem statement and defined customer segment). Impact You promote female visionary leadership, support other female leaders and contribute to women’s economic empowerment. You are fostering a culture that values diversity. Your work has a positive impact on solving an important problem in industry. You contribute to start-up ecosystem development.
Evaluation Our esteemed jury will assess all applications in terms of entrepreneurial vision and resilience, social and economic impact, technical and industry expertise, contribution to empowering female entrepreneurs and the contribution to fostering diversity in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Frequently asked questions What is SAIS? SAIS stands for “Scaling digital Agriculture Innovations through Start-ups” and is a project implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ GmbH) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It is co-funded by the Gates Foundation and the European Union (EU). We are a company development and accelerator programme for tech start-ups in the agriculture, food, and climate sectors. Start-ups and their solutions are a central pathway to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In Africa, we offer annual Investment Readiness Programmes (IRPs) in English, French, and one particular for the livestock sector (in English). You can read more on our website: https://sais-accelerator.com/ Can I apply if I’ve already won a similar award before? Yes, you are welcome to apply! Can I apply if my co-founders are male? Yes. But make sure to describe your contribution in developing the start-up, as we assess and celebrate high vision female founders who have proven to drive their vision into action. We are a team of 2 female co-founders. Can we both apply? Yes. But make sure to describe your contribution in developing the start-up, as we assess the founder individually. Can I apply if I’m an African founder, but my business is based outside Africa? No. Your start-up needs to be registered and operating in Africa. Can I apply if I’m working as a solopreneur? No, you should have a team of at least 3 people that are part of the management team. Is the award equity-based? The award is equity free. We offer you vouchers and various tailored services that best support your start-up’s further growth, integration into the international start-up ecosystem and into the SAIS Female Leaders Circle. Can I apply if my start-up is not from the AgTech, FoodTech or ClimateTech sector? No. Only start-ups operating in these three sectors (AgTech, FoodTech, ClimateTech) are eligible to apply for the SAIS Female Founder Award. What is the SAIS Female Leaders Circle? The SAIS Female Leaders Circle is a community where women in leadership roles in the start-up ecosystem benefit from inputs sessions with experts from different areas and peer-to-peer exchange sessions. These monthly meetings serve as a platform for insightful discussions, networking opportunities, and skill development tailored to the unique challenges faced by women in the entrepreneurial realm. Are the travel costs to the AfricArena Summit in Nairobi covered by GIZ? Yes, the travel costs to Nairobi (accommodation, flights, invitation letter for your visa application and AfricArena ticket) for one person are covered, and the opportunity to gain visibility at the event are part of the award. Can I apply if my start-up is hardware-based? Yes, but your business model should depend on a digital component to be eligible to apply. What does the prize include? For the three winners the prize include: 1st Place: Vouchers: up to 12,000€ Services: up to 18,000€ 2nd Place: Vouchers: up to 5,000€ Services: up to 10,000€ 3rd Place: Vouchers: up to 3,000€ Services: up to 4,000€