Standard Chartered Botswana announces the launch of the Women in Tech (WiT) Accelerator Programme; a transformative initiative designed to empower and support female entrepreneurs in the technology and innovation space. The WiT Programme aims to address gender disparities in technology by providing female-led businesses with the tools, resources and mentorship needed to scale their business. A total of 20 selected participants will benefit from a comprehensive support system that includes:
- Mentorship & Training: Participants will receive expert guidance from industry leaders and successful entrepreneurs, covering key areas such as (but not limited to) business strategy, technology innovation, and financial management.
- Networking Opportunities: Participants will be connected with a network of like-minded entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts, fostering collaboration and partnership opportunities.
- Business Development Support: Tailored support will be provided to help participants refine their business models, expand their market reach, and enhance their technological capabilities.
- Access to Funding: The programme will culminate with a pitch session that will give selected participants their share of $50,000 of equity-free seed funding.
“We are thrilled to introduce the Botswana chapter of the Women in Tech Accelerator Programme. This project is an extension of our Futuremakers Programme that was launched in 2019 with a focus on tackling youth unemployment and building capacity amongst young women and people living with visual impairments. This next level allows us to focus in more on promoting diversity and inclusion within the entrepreneurship space, particularly in the technology and innovation sector where women are often underrepresented. We call on female-led businesses and cooperatives that are both technology enabled and innovation-driven to apply to this programme that has been designed to drive greater commercialization in Botswana.” Said Standard Chartered Bank Chief Executive Officer, Mpho Masupe.
WiT Botswana will be implemented by Dream Factory Foundation Botswana; an organization with an in-depth understanding of the women-led business ecosystem in Southern Africa and a proven track record of designing and running incubation programmes aimed at developing high-quality, sustainable entrepreneurs. Women in Tech is open to businesses that are at growth stage, are registered in Botswana, at least 50% women-led and owned and have an annual revenue of P1 million or less. It is open to women aged between 18 and 40 years old.
To apply, businesses and cooperatives can fill out their details at academy.dreamfactory.africa/wit. Applications are open from the 20 August until 7 September.
