Grey, a cross-border financial platform, has selected three women entrepreneurs for the 2026 edition of its UpGreyed Her initiative, distributing $10,000 in equity-free grants. The program recognized founders operating technology-led businesses in manufacturing, food distribution, and nutrition-focused agriculture. The latest awards bring the initiative’s cumulative funding to $27,500 across three editions since 2024, supporting 10 women founders across global markets.
Funding Distribution
Violet Awo Amaobeng, founder of Ghana-based Skin Gourmet Limited, received the $5,000 grand prize. Ozioma Onwordi, founder of Eden-Acres Integrated Organic Farm, was named first runner-up and received $3,000, while Uchechukwu Okoli, founder of Lutam Farm Nigeria, received $2,000 as second runner-up. The grants do not require recipients to surrender ownership, positioning the program as a source of non-dilutive growth capital for established women-led ventures.
Program Expansion
UpGreyed Her began as a regional initiative and has subsequently widened its reach to women founders building commercially viable businesses across multiple regions and sectors. The 2026 cycle drew applicants from 20 countries, including first-time applications from Chile, Uruguay, India, and Canada. Grey said the expanded pool underlines demand for finance, visibility, and business-support networks among women entrepreneurs whose companies address practical market needs.
Winning Ventures
Skin Gourmet combines locally sourced ingredients with an AI-powered supply chain to produce wildcrafted, edible skincare products, aiming to improve traceability and production efficiency while building an African wellness brand. Eden-Acres Integrated Organic Farm operates a technology-enabled food-distribution platform that links smallholder farmers with urban consumers and hospitality businesses, seeking to create more reliable market routes and access to fresh produce. Lutam Farm Nigeria focuses on affordable nutrient-dense food for lower-income households, applying an agriculture and nutrition model intended to help address malnutrition while strengthening local value chains.
Selection Process
The finalists were assessed on business viability, innovation, impact, scalability, and founder readiness. The judging panel included Onalaja founder and creative director Kanyinsola Onalaja, Grey Vice President of Global Marketing and Growth Iheakachi Nwabueze, and Grey Anti-Money Laundering Analyst Anshu Vajpeye. Grey said the selected founders demonstrated functioning models and the potential to use additional resources to expand their operations.
A Year-Round Platform
The 2026 edition also represents a change in how Grey intends to operate the initiative. Rather than remaining tied only to the International Women’s Day period, UpGreyed Her is being developed as a year-round platform to identify, fund, and raise the profile of women founders. Grey connects the approach to its broader financial-inclusion agenda, arguing that broader economic participation depends not only on access to payment accounts but also on the ability to build, trade, scale, and compete.
By supporting companies working across beauty manufacturing, farm-to-market distribution, and affordable nutrition, the latest cohort reflects the program’s emphasis on businesses that combine commercial potential with social and economic relevance. Grey has positioned UpGreyed Her as a way to help women-led firms access capital, visibility, and infrastructure while strengthening supply chains, local employment, and access to essential products. As the initiative develops beyond an annual campaign, its future impact will depend on whether it can continue converting early-stage grant support into sustained growth opportunities for a broader pool of women entrepreneurs.