The Standard Chartered Women in Technology Incubator is Africa’s leading incubator program for female-led and founded businesses. It aligns with calls for more diversity in technology, and entrepreneurship and for more opportunities for women to develop entrepreneurial and leadership excellence. This speaks to the bank’s Sustainability and Community Engagement strategy and focuses on supporting innovation, infrastructure, and technology.
This program is an initiative of Standard Chartered Bank Zambia in partnership with BongoHive, following the successful implementation of the Women in Tech program in Kenya, Nigeria, and Bahrain to mention a few.
Eligibility
They are seeking to recruit the best entrepreneurial minds of women-led startup teams using digital technology as a key driver of innovation in business.
- The business owner must be a Zambian female founder or co-founder over 18 years of age and with an equal or majority stake.
- The business must be based and operating in Zambia.
- The business must already be using digital technology, or have a clear need to incorporate digital technology to enable their business to grow.
- The business owner must be of Zambian nationality.
- The business must have been registered with PACRA for at least 3 months.
- The business owner may be seeking support for customer, product, and/or business model development.
- Key persons of the business (preferably 2 founders) must be available to undertake the 3-month virtual incubation program from March to May 2024.
- The top 6 winners of the incubation program must be able to attend a 6-month acceleration program from June 3, 2024 to December 3, 2024.
- The prize fund is primarily for building the digital technology and any balance to be used in the business.
Benefits
- Business Incubation: Three (3) months of learning experience in business management and operations in-person
- Personalized Mentorship: Personalised mentorship for all participants & their business needs
- Planning and Support: Access to legal, accounting, financial planning & tech support
- Networking & Expert help: Access to networking opportunities with fellow successful applicants and industry experts
- Alumni Opportunity: An opportunity to join BongoHive’s supportive Alumni Network
- Funding Opportunities: $10,000 equity-free grant seed funding for the top six (6) finalists from the incubation programme to assist with the implementation of technology in their businesses.
- Continued Support: Six (6) months ongoing support from Standard Chartered, BongoHive & a network of coaches and mentors to assist with go-to-market strategies and scaling-up for the top six (6) finalists.