11 Women-Led Startups Win Major Nigeria Tech Accelerator

Eleven women founders in Nigeria just won a spot in a program that could transform their businesses and communities forever.

The Standard Chartered Foundation, Enterprise Development Centre, and Village Capital announced the finalists for their seventh Women in Tech Accelerator. These entrepreneurs beat out hundreds of applicants to earn 12 weeks of intensive training, mentorship, grant funding, and connections to global investors.

The selected startups tackle real problems across Africa. Jennifer Esiaba built an AI-powered pharmacy platform that delivers verified medications in over 30 local languages without needing internet access. Adejoke Haastrup teaches coding and digital skills to children across the continent through live instruction and mentorship.

Other finalists include Ejiro Enaohwo, who's building credit infrastructure for Africa's booming women-led beauty sector, and Jane Uwagboe, who converts unused spaces into pickup stations for small business logistics. Dorcas Obeahon runs a digital leadership academy helping African women access education and career advancement.

The accelerator exists because women entrepreneurs face massive barriers despite their potential. In Africa alone, women-owned businesses contribute 37 percent to Nigeria's GDP, yet female founders face a $42 billion funding gap across the continent. In the Middle East and North Africa, women-founded startups received just 1.2 percent of total funding in 2024.

Young women entrepreneurs especially struggle to access the training, networks, and mentorship that male founders often take for granted. The steep learning curve in finance, marketing, and operations makes it harder to grow without support.

The Ripple Effect

This program does more than help individual founders succeed. When women entrepreneurs thrive, entire communities benefit from the jobs they create, the problems they solve, and the example they set for the next generation of innovators.

The 11 finalists will spend three months building investment readiness while connecting with peers, investors, and industry leaders across 14 markets. The program has already supported hundreds of women entrepreneurs globally, helping close the gap one founder at a time.

These women are building the future of African tech, one startup at a time.