Five Women Win Equity Free Grants at Tech FoundHER Africa Finale

• Ten women founders from across Africa took part in the Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge Finale
• Five winners received equity-free grants of over R1,715,560
• This initiative was led by Naspers and Prosus

On November 19 at the JSE in Sandton, ten women founders from across Africa participated in the Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge finale, where five winning startups received equity-free grants totaling over R1, 715,560.

The initiative is being launched by Naspers and Prosus, coinciding with Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Day and aligning with South Africa’s G20 Presidency and the official Business Dialogue Forum for the B20 Summit of the G20.

The response to the challenge was extremely positive; From 1-30 September, 1,163 applications were received from tech founders across the continent, underscoring the amount of undiscovered talent among women involved in the digital economy.

It is forecasted that the total digital market for Africa will be worth R3, 088 billion by 2025. Unfortunately, very little venture funding is allocated to women-owned startups; As a result, this initiative is expected to help to close the R720 billion funding gap, which presents one of the largest barriers to economic growth and job creation in Africa today.

Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO Naspers and Prosus South Africa, stated that they are proud to recognise the winning and finalist companies, which provide an example of the future leaders in the technology space.

Founder of Farmer Lifeline Technologies Esther Kimani placed first for her solar-powered, AI-enabled devices that enable smallholder farmers to detect early signs of crop pests and diseases. Kimani spoke about the larger implications of early detection for small-scale farming.

The runner-up was Folayemi Agusto of Nigerian event-tech platform Tix Africa, which supports organizers across the country.

The third places were jointly taken by Margaret Wanjiku of Kenya’s Pollen Patrollers, developing a platform to protect pollinator health, and Jenny Ambukiyenyi Onya of the DRC’s Neotex, developing AI tools for livestock keepers in underserved regions.

The category winner for AI for Good was Leonora Tim from South Africa's Gender Rights in Tech, who was recognized for using technology for safer access to help and justice for survivors.

All five winners will receive equity-free funding, mentorship from senior Naspers and Prosus leaders, and access to investor networks across African markets.