Afrigather The Future is Feminine Mentorship Programme, organised by media communications firm, Allison, has introduced purposes for the fifth version of its flagship program. Purposes to the programme shut on July 31, 2024.
Launched on the peak of COVID in 2020, The Future is Feminine Mentorship Programme has skilled over 100 African feminine tech founders in media, public relations, and communications. This yr, Salesforce Ventures Impression Fund joins longtime companions of this system, together with Africa-focused tech publication TechCabal, Africa Communications Week, a worldwide platform that connects Africa’s communications professionals, and startups database firm, F6S.
Claudine Moore, Allison’s Africa managing director and the initiative’s founder, expressed her pleasure because the programme reached this milestone. “I’m delighted to have fun The Future is Feminine Mentorship Programme’s fifth anniversary and its unimaginable journey supporting African feminine tech founders. This milestone reveals our dedication to empowering underserved African ladies in tech.”
Feminine founders and all-female founding groups raised solely 2.3% of the full funding in Africa final yr. Whereas discussions to enhance feminine participation in tech entrepreneurship have been ongoing, the truth stays difficult. There’s hope this can change as extra ladies be a part of the tech startup scene and enterprise capitalists (VCs) actively create alternatives to put money into their companies. Nonetheless, a vital challenge persists: the shortage of storytelling abilities amongst founders.
For feminine founders, media, communications, and public relations coaching are essential to pitching their startup’s model tales to potential buyers to safe funding and scaling their companies. It’s equally as vital for founders, as the general public face of their firms, to have the abilities wanted to make media appearances and deal with media crises after they come up. That is the place The Future is Feminine Mentorship Programme makes a big influence.
The programme is rising in recognition amongst African feminine tech founders. Purposes have greater than doubled, seeing a 253% improve from 2020 when it began. Final yr, it acquired near 500 purposes, with 20 feminine founders rising as finalists.
Just like the earlier editions, the chosen mentees on the fifth version will take part in 4 non-public masterclasses. Claudine Moore will lead the primary masterclass, joined by Africa Communications Week co-founders, Annie Mutumba and Eniola Harrison. TechCabal will host the second and third masterclass periods. Whereas Salesforce Ventures Impression Fund will train about enterprise capital funding within the ultimate masterclass.
Feminine tech founders in Africa that present traction working early-stage startups specializing in well being, training, finance, agriculture, and sustainability are inspired to use right here.
Salesforce Ventures Impression Fund has traditionally invested in female-led startups throughout its portfolio and was desperate to assist this system for the second consecutive yr. Forward of the launch, Lauryn Poyser, an investor at Salesforce Ventures Impression Fund mentioned, “Salesforce Ventures Impression Fund stays dedicated to fostering a extra inclusive enterprise capital ecosystem and supporting underrepresented founders.”
* A earlier model of this text incorrectly listed Google for Startups Accelerator: Girls Founders Africa Programme as a associate for this yr’s version.
