Standard Chartered Foundation, the charitable arm of Standard Chartered Plc, has awarded 9 million Kenyan shillings, approximately US$70,000, to seven women-led technology startups. The grants were announced on Tuesday in Nairobi as part of a program designed to close the funding gap for female founders in East Africa's largest startup market. The initiative highlights the growing role of targeted accelerator support in strengthening Kenya's technology ecosystem.
Grant Details and Program Structure
Each selected startup will receive 1.29 million Kenyan shillings to fund product development and market expansion. The winners were chosen from 15 ventures that completed the 12-week Women in Tech Kenya Accelerator, which is now in its ninth cohort. This competitive process reflects the program's maturity and its focus on practical business growth.
The program is delivered jointly by Village Capital and Strathmore University's @iBizAfrica incubator. Since its launch in 2017, the initiative has backed 107 Kenyan startups and disbursed more than 51.5 million Kenyan shillings. Globally, the accelerator operates across 14 Standard Chartered markets and has supported more than 4,000 entrepreneurs, the bank said.
Winning Companies and Their Solutions
Premac Care connects families with trained health care workers for maternal, newborn, and elderly care, while ChipuRobo sells locally made kits for artificial intelligence and robotics education. FishBox Africa provides AI-powered farm software and smart feeders for fish farmers. Uptyke Consulting develops AI-powered digital learning tools for students with disabilities through sign language and audio.
Several winners are focused on agriculture and food systems. Nakuru Tubers links smallholder farmers to verified farm inputs and last-mile distribution, while Trident Analytics offers IoT and AI tools for small-scale aquaculture farmers. Seta Farm grows mushrooms from organic waste and creates income opportunities for women and youth.
Selection Criteria and Stakeholder Support
Judges assessed applicants on business model strength, market opportunity, innovation, growth potential, and social or economic impact. The winning companies operate across agriculture, health care, and education, sectors that continue to attract investor attention within Kenya's technology landscape. This combination of commercial viability and measurable impact shaped the final selection from the accelerator cohort.
Birju Sanghrajka, chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Kenya, said the Women in Tech initiative goes beyond capital by offering the skills, networks, and support that women entrepreneurs need to build sustainable businesses. Strathmore Vice Chancellor Vincent Ogutu noted that the effort has grown from a three-way partnership in Kenya into a program spanning 13 countries. Their comments reflect the institutional commitment behind the accelerator.
Regional Context and Long-Term Vision
The accelerator forms part of Standard Chartered's broader effort to support women-led entrepreneurship across its global footprint. Local delivery partners bring academic, technical, and investment expertise that helps founders refine their business models and prepare for future funding rounds. This structured support is designed to turn early-stage ventures into sustainable small and growing businesses.
Although the individual grants are modest by venture capital standards, they arrive at a moment when early-stage funding for women-led companies in Africa remains scarce. The program offers more than money by combining mentorship, networks, and technical support for founders who often face structural barriers to growth. By channeling resources into high-potential women-led startups, Standard Chartered and its partners are helping to build a more inclusive technology economy in Kenya and beyond.