Grey Grants $9,500 to Support Four Women Founders in Brazil & Nigeria

• Grey recognizes four women entrepreneurs with $9,500 in UpGreyed Her 2025 awards
• The program broadens its support for women leaders from regional to international levels
• The event backed ventures in cutting-edge sectors like femtech, climatech, and agritech

Global banking platform Grey, has recently revealed the winners of its ‘UpGreyed Her’ 2025 initiative, celebrating women shaping the future of international business. It awarded $9,500 in equity-free grants to four women-led ventures, highlighting its evolution from an Africa-focused program to a global catalyst for female entrepreneurship.

The winners were as follows, top winner ($4,000) Patricia Zanella, EcoCiclo (Brazil) was awarded for efforts in sustainable menstrual care, first runner up ($2,000) Sarah Olagoke, Tersley Foods Ltd (Nigeria) recognized for women’s reproductive health care. Second runner up ($ 2,000) Arinola Okeowo, Ultra Farms Ltd (Nigeria), recognized for combating food wastage and boosting farmer income, third runner up ($1,500) Elizabeth Oladepo, 07 Foods Ltd (Nigeria) awarded for sustainable practices and capacity building in agribusiness.

A dynamic panel of women professionals across Nigeria, India, and Brazil led the evaluation of nearly 2,000 applications. Judges assessed candidate on innovation, scalability, societal value, business model strength, revenue potential, and leadership quality. The panel included Tinu Phillips Odufuye, Sarah Achebe, Natasha Mahtani, Maite Lourenço, and Anmol Bharti, each bringing unique expertise to the selection process.

Patricia Zanella, who previously worked in human rights before founding EcoCiclo, expressed her gratitude: "This grant validates our vision for sustainable menstrual products that create both environmental and social impact. With Grey's support, we'll scale our production and expand to reach more vulnerable communities across Brazil. I’m proud to be part of this global network of women who are building, scaling, and breaking barriers."

Grey plans to reopen the program in March 2026, scaling both financial support and the number of women-led ventures recognized. Tinu Phillips Odufuye during her keynote address emphasized that investing in women is sound economics and elevates them to upgrade the global economy.