She Leads Africa continues to uncover extremely talented female entrepreneurs and provides them with the resources needed to succeed. These empowered women entrepreneurs will go on to create the inventions that transform the way we live, build the businesses that employ thousands, and lead our economies to greater prosperity. This is the vision that we are investing in and we believe young women will take us there.
The Entrepreneur Showcase is a flagship program of She Leads Africa and shines a spotlight on women who are driving Africa’s growth through leadership, commerce and innovation. This event is the premier platform for young female entrepreneurs looking to grow and scale their businesses across Africa. Participants compete for $15,000 in cash prizes, media features in international news outlets, and exclusive meetings with top investors.
Businesses from any industry are eligible to apply as long as there is one woman on the founding team between 18-35 years old. Companies must have launched their product or service, been in operation for less than 3 years and received less than $50,000 USD in funding.
Learn What Matters to Investors: when engaging with investors all startups need to have a basic understanding of key operation and financial concepts such as lifetime customer value, cash flow, and ROI. This business literacy will make you more appealing to investors. Investors are looking for opportunities to invest their capital – that is their job but many of the companies floating around the continent are interesting ideas or cool products instead of businesses with an understanding of customer needs, plan to reach the market, and operational structure to achieve scale over time. Understanding how investors are evaluating your business will help entrepreneurs focus on the right metrics to judge performance and drive their business.
Winners are:
First place: Kasope Ladipo – Ajayi
Second prize: Kamokini
Third prize: HeatFree Hair