Women founders running tech businesses in Africa have until Oct. 26, 2026 to apply to the Her Startup accelerator. The second cohort will take just 10 founders through a 12-week training program run by Founder Institute. They get a monthly stipend while they train, then a chance to pitch for funding.
The short version
Her Startup is taking applications for its second cohort until Oct. 26, 2026, and only 10 founders will get a place.
- You must be a woman founder or CEO aged 18 to 35, running a tech-enabled business that has operated for at least six months.
- The business must have earned at least $500 in revenue in each of the last six months, and you will need proof of it.
- Selected founders get 12 weeks of Founder Institute training with fees covered, a monthly stipend and 12 months of mentoring.
- Funding comes as convertible revenue-based financing, which is repaid from revenue, so it is not a grant.
- The pilot drew more than 200 applications for 10 places, and three of the 10 ventures won funding.
The program is run by KSH Foundation, Tomorrow Foundation and EHA Impact Ventures. Her Startup says women founders received just 0.9% of the more than $2 billion raised by African startups in 2025, even though women make up 58% of Africa’s self-employed population. The accelerator was set up to close part of that gap with training, money and mentors in one program.
Who can apply to the Her Startup accelerator
The rules are strict, and the application form rejects anyone who misses one automatically by email after they submit. Before you start, check that all of these are true:
- You are the founder, co-founder or CEO, and you are a woman.
- You are between 18 and 35 years old.
- Your business is tech-enabled and based in Africa.
- It has been operating for at least six months.
- It earned at least $500 in revenue in each of the last six months, not just on average.
- If selected, you can give the program at least 20 hours a week for 12 weeks.
Founders from French-speaking African countries are strongly encouraged to apply, and the form lets you choose to work in English, French or both.
What you get if you are selected
- A 12-week intensive training program with Founder Institute, with the fees paid by Her Startup.
- A monthly stipend, so you can step back from other work while you train.
- A chance to pitch to Her Startup’s investment committee for funding.
- 12 months of mentoring matched to your sector, plus access to Founder Institute’s global network.
What changes for you: if your business already earns steady revenue but you have never been through an accelerator, this is investor-ready training with the fees covered and a stipend while you attend. The real cost is time. Twenty hours a week is half a full-time job.
How the funding works, in plain terms
Her Startup does not hand out grants. It offers convertible revenue-based financing. Revenue-based financing is a loan you repay as a share of what your business earns each month. You pay back more in a good month and less in a slow one, instead of a fixed amount on a fixed date. “Convertible” means the money can later turn into a stake in your company on terms agreed in advance.
“We chose a convertible, revenue-based loan, an innovative financing mechanism that is just starting to enter the market,” said Evelyn Castle, co-founder of Her Startup and co-founder of EHA Impact Ventures.
The downside: the announcement does not say how much each founder can receive or what share of revenue goes to repayment. The program page on Her Startup’s website lists seed financing of up to $5,000 per company. Confirm the current amount and the repayment terms before you count on the money or sign anything. Funding is also not guaranteed for everyone who finishes the training. In the pilot, three of the 10 ventures won funding at Pitch Day in Lagos in April 2025.
Your odds, and how to give yourself a better shot
The pilot attracted more than 200 applications from 18 African countries for 10 places. That is roughly one place for every 20 applicants, so a rushed application is unlikely to make it.
The form has six short sections and takes about 25 minutes, but the documents take longer. Have these ready before you start:
- A passport or national ID.
- Your pitch deck.
- Proof of revenue for the last six months, such as bank statements or sales reports.
- Company registration documents that show your role in the business.
Each upload can be a PDF, JPG or PNG of up to 10 MB. The form saves your answers on the device you use, so finish it on the same phone or laptop you started on.
One practical tip: if the “www” address in the announcement shows a security warning, as it did when we checked on Oct. 14, type her-startup.com instead. Apply through the official application form, and read the full announcement on Her Startup’s site.
Skip if
Your business has not made money yet, you are over 35, or you cannot free up 20 hours a week for 12 weeks. In those cases, keep an eye on Her Startup’s next round instead.
Still deciding how to raise money? Our guide on how investors look at African startups shows the other side of the table, and our piece on what Africa’s digital economy owes its women leaders covers the wider funding gap. Fintech founders should also read the compliance mistake fintech founders keep making before any investor meeting.
