Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge 2025Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge 2025
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Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge 2025

Win up to $100k equity-free grants plus mentorship & visibility for women tech founders in Africa.

Organizer: Naspers
Deadline: September 30, 2025 (in 19 days)
Categories: Competition, Funding Opportunity
Regions: Rwanda, Burundi, Liberia, Tanzania, Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Sudan, Central African Republic, Djibouti, South Africa, Madagascar, Tunisia, Gambia, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Botswana, Mozambique, Comoros, Mauritius, Morocco, Ghana, Algeria, Chad, Cabo Verde, Namibia, Somalia, Niger, Seychelles, Congo, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Mali, Eritrea, South Sudan, Egypt, Gabon, Malawi, Angola, Eswatini, Uganda, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Sao Tome & Principe, Libya, Zambia, DR Congo
Back to All Opportunities

The Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge is open to women founders and co-founders building technology and tech-enabled businesses across the continent. The initiative is powered by Naspers and Prosus and delivered in partnership with Lionesses of Africa, offering equity-free funding, mentorship, and investor visibility. Applications are currently open with a submission deadline of 30 September 2025, followed by finalist selection and a live pitch event in November.

Program overview

  • Powered by Naspers and Prosus, delivered with Lionesses of Africa. Winners can access up to USD 100,000 in equity-free grants, plus mentorship and investor exposure.
  • Designed to accelerate women-led tech ventures that have market validation and are scaling across Africa.

Key dates

  • Submission period: opens 1 September 2025 at 09:00 CAT and closes 30 September 2025 at 11:59 CAT
  • Finalist selection: 1 to 31 October 2025
  • Live pitch and winner selection: 19 November 2025 at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange

Who can apply

  • Tech or tech-enabled startup with at least one woman founder in a leadership role
  • Stage up to Series B, revenue-generating with proven market validation
  • Registered company in an African country, in good standing, compliant with relevant regulations, applicants aged 18 or older
  • Employees, associates, agents, consultants, and immediate family of the promoters and affiliates are ineligible

Sectors of interest

  • Financial services and business tools: fintech, insurtech, legaltech, regtech, martech, adtech, HR tech or future of work
  • Health, life sciences, and social impact: healthtech, medtech, biotech, foodtech, charity or social-impact tech
  • Climate, environment, and sustainability: cleantech, agritech, smart-city solutions
  • Consumer, lifestyle, and creative industries: consumer tech, fashion tech, entertainment tech, gaming or e-sports, media tech, retail tech
  • Infrastructure, mobility, and industry: IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, govtech, proptech, mobility, logistics or supply chain tech
  • Emerging technologies: artificial intelligence and machine learning

Awards and support

  • Equity-free grants totaling up to USD 100,000, allocation and number of awardees at the promoters’ discretion after verification. No minimum per winner is guaranteed
  • Mentorship from experienced operators, investor and customer visibility, and brand exposure for winners

How to apply

  • Complete the online application via the official challenge link during the submission period
  • Only fully completed applications submitted through the official channel will be considered

Selection and judging

  • An evaluation committee shortlists candidates, then a panel of executives, investors, and entrepreneurs selects finalists and winners
  • Criteria include innovation and validity of the model, market opportunity and growth potential, strategic direction and vision, impact achieved or projected, and strength of pitch
  • Judges’ decisions are final

Verification, usage rights, and other terms

  • Winners are notified by email and must pass identity, company, and compliance checks before awards. Grants are arranged by the promoters, with taxes and banking charges borne by the recipient company
  • Winners agree that names, likeness, and business details may be used for promotional purposes without additional compensation, with challenge-related IP vesting in the promoters
  • The promoters may amend or cancel the challenge, with updates posted on the challenge website. Applications may be invalidated if incomplete, inaccurate, late, ineligible, or associated with irregularities
  • Data is processed solely to administer the challenge, may be shared with judges or evaluators, retained up to 12 months, and governed by South African law. Contact: admin@lionessesofafrica.com

The Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge aims to surface and support high-potential women tech founders building for African markets. Interested teams should review the full rules, confirm eligibility, and submit on time to be considered for the November pitch event in Johannesburg. This listing is informational, and applicants should refer to the official challenge pages and documents for the most current details.