Her Startup, an accelerator for women-led technology startups in Africa, has opened applications for its second cohort. The collaborative initiative spearheaded by KSH Foundation, Tomorrow Foundation and EHA Impact Ventures, will equip 10 women founders in early-stage to build investment-ready tech businesses. This training programme will be delivered by the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator, Founder Institute.
Despite accounting for 58 per cent of Africa’s self-employed population, women founders secured less than one per cent of the more than $2bn raised by African startups in 2025. Her Startup was created to help change this reality, providing women entrepreneurs with the training, capital, and networks they need to build and grow successful businesses through a single, integrated programme.
Founders will receive a 12-week intensive training programme with Founder Institute, the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator, with fees covered by Her Startup.
They will also get monthly stipend so founders can commit fully to the programme, including an opportunity to pitch to Her Startup’s Investment Committee for funding through convertible revenue-based financing.
Founders will equally receive 12 months of mentoring matched to the business sector, plus access to Founder Institute’s global network.
Applications, which close on 26 October, are open to women founders or CEOs aged between 18 and 35, run a tech-enabled business, have been operating for at least six months and generate at least $500 in monthly gross revenue. Founders from Francophone
Africa are strongly encouraged to apply for the 2026/2027 cohort.
Speaking on the initiative’s promise, Co-founder of Her Startup and Founder of KSH Foundation, Khalil Halilu, said: “Together, we can create a thriving ecosystem where women entrepreneurs are empowered to lead, innovate and succeed. I look forward to the incredible impact Her Startup will have, not just in Nigeria, but across Africa and around the world.”
The second cohort builds on the success of the pilot programme in 2024/2025, which attracted over 200 applications from 18 African countries. Ten founders were selected for training, and three ventures won funding at the programme’s Pitch Day in Lagos in April 2025. Participating founders have since won grants and awards, attracted investor interest, and gained wider visibility for their businesses.
The programme itself was featured in international press, highlighting its growing role in supporting African women entrepreneurs.
“Since Her Startup, we’ve seen a steady rise in customer adoption and product sales, as more amputees experience the comfort and mobility that Dynalimb’s affordable 3D-printed prosthetics provide,” said COO of Dynalimb Technologies and 2024 Her Startup Associate, Blessing Aniefiok.
According to Co-founder of Her Startup and President of Tomorrow Foundation, Maggie Gu, physical strength and traditional structures of power placed women at a disadvantage in shaping economies and societies for years.
“Human progress and technological development have gradually changed that equation. Today, intelligence, creativity and judgment can be amplified as never before, opening a historic opportunity for women – not merely to participate in the future, but to stand at the forefront and help lead it. That is the deeper purpose of Her Startup,”
Her Startup and Co-founder of EHA Impact Ventures, Evelyn Castle, said: “It’s not enough to just give these companies financing. It’s about giving them financing that will truly help them succeed. We chose a convertible, revenue-based loan, an innovative financing mechanism that is just starting to enter the market. It is incredibly founder-friendly, and it will help the women in this programme succeed.”