Seven Kenyan Women-Led Startups Win KES 9 Million in Grants

Seven Kenyan women-led startups have secured KES 9 million in grant funding after completing a 12-week technology accelerator, TechTrends Kenya reported. Each startup will receive KES 1.29 million to support product development, business growth and expansion.

The funding came through the Women in Tech Kenya Accelerator, delivered by the Standard Chartered Foundation in partnership with Village Capital and iBizAfrica at Strathmore University. It was announced at the Women in Tech Kenya Cohort 9 Award Ceremony and Graduation at Standard Chartered in Nairobi, where 15 women founders graduated.

How the KES 9 Million Will Be Used

The Women in Tech Kenya Accelerator combines business development support, mentorship, investment readiness training, networks and access to catalytic funding. The aim is to support founders beyond the first stage of building a business, including helping them strengthen operations and prepare for investment.

The seven funded women-led startups work across healthcare, education, agriculture, aquaculture and circular agribusiness. The women-led startups were selected through a competitive judging process that weighed business models, market opportunities, innovation, growth potential and social or economic impact.

The Seven Women-Led Startups

• Premac Care, a health technology startup, connects families with trained healthcare professionals for maternal and newborn care, post-hospitalization recovery, elderly care and specialized nursing.
• ChipuRobo provides hands-on AI and robotics education through locally fabricated kits.
• FishBox Africa uses AI-powered farm management software and smart feeders to help fish farmers improve yields, reduce feed waste and lower costs.
• Uptyke Consulting is developing AI-powered digital learning tools for learners with disabilities, using sign language, audio and interactive content.
• Nakuru Tubers uses digital tools to connect smallholder farmers with verified agricultural inputs, demand matching and last-mile distribution.
• Trident Analytics applies IoT, AI and digital tools to help smallholder aquaculture farmers monitor farms, automate operations and reach markets.
• Seta Farm uses organic waste to grow mushrooms through a decentralized production network that creates income for women and youth.

Accelerators that pair funding with support have grown in other markets too, including a partnership giving women entrepreneurs capital and mentorship in Nigeria.

What Programme Leaders Said

Dr Vincent Ogutu, Vice-Chancellor of Strathmore University, said partnership has driven the programme’s growth. “Partnership has been central to the success of this programme,” he said. “What began in Kenya as a collaboration between Strathmore University, Standard Chartered and Village Capital has now expanded to 13 countries.”

“Our goal is to support entrepreneurs to identify real problems, develop exceptional solutions and become excellent at what they do,” Ogutu added. “When they succeed, we put them on a pedestal to inspire the next generation of women entrepreneurs to dream bigger and create even greater impact.”

Birju Sanghrajka, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Coverage at Standard Chartered Kenya, said the seven women-led startups are tackling different challenges but share an ambition to grow. “We are proud to celebrate 15 entrepreneurs who have strengthened their businesses over the past 12 weeks,” Sanghrajka said. “Women in Tech goes beyond capital by providing the skills, networks and support women entrepreneurs need to build sustainable businesses, create opportunities and strengthen their communities,” Sanghrajka said.

That emphasis on networks echoes a wider argument that women entrepreneurs need networks alongside credit, and that founders should build networks alongside digital skills.

Nine Years of Backing Women-Led Startups in Kenya

Since launching in Kenya in 2017, the Women in Tech programme has supported 107 women-led startups and provided more than KES 51.5 million in funding, along with mentorship, business development support and access to networks.

The latest grants to women-led startups extend that track record, linking investment readiness training with capital for founders who have completed the 12-week accelerator.