Her Startup, an accelerator for women-led technology startups in Africa, has opened applications for the second cohort of its programme.
The Her Startup initiative, a partnership between the KSH Foundation, Tomorrow Foundation and EHA Impact Ventures, will select 10 early-stage women founders and help them build investment-ready tech businesses. The training component will be delivered by Founder Institute, which bills itself as the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator.
Women-founded startups continue to struggle for funding in Africa. According to Disrupt Africa’s latest Diversity Dividend report, only 9.6 per cent of ventures funded in 2025 were led by a female CEO.
Her Startup was set up to tackle that gap by giving women entrepreneurs training, capital and networks through a single, integrated programme.
Selected founders will take part in a 12-week intensive training programme with Founder Institute, with fees covered by Her Startup, and will receive a monthly stipend so they can commit to the programme full-time.
They will also get the chance to pitch to Her Startup’s investment committee for funding through convertible revenue-based financing, as well as 12 months of sector-matched mentoring and access to Founder Institute’s global network.
The programme is open to women founders or CEOs aged between 18 and 35 who run a tech-enabled business that has been operating for at least six months and generates at least US$500 in monthly gross revenue. Founders from Francophone Africa are strongly encouraged to apply for the 2026/2027 cohort.
The second cohort follows a 2024/2025 pilot that drew more than 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. Alumni have since gone on to win grants and awards and attract investor interest.
One of them is Nigerian healthtech startup Dynalimb Technologies, which makes affordable 3D-printed prosthetics.
“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 Blessing Aniefiok, the startup’s COO.
Her Startup’s funding model sets it apart, with repayments on its convertible, revenue-based financing linked to each company’s revenue.
“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,” said Evelyn Castle, co-founder of Her Startup and co-founder of EHA Impact Ventures.
Applications are open here until October 26.
The post Her Startup opens applications for 2nd cohort of African women-led tech startups appeared first on Disrupt Africa.