FSDH Women in Business Initiative is our value-added initiative for women in business in Nigeria. The initiative was created to enable and empower women-led businesses to thrive through access to the right information, opportunities, and networks.  

We are excited to welcome applications for the Female Founders Growth Programme; an initiative specially designed in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and WEAV Capital designed to support female-led tech start-ups in Nigeria. The selected startups will partake in a world-class Investment Readiness Programme designed to support high-potential female-led tech companies to raise capital. The program will be delivered jointly by the IFC and WEAV Capital.   

Selected startups will benefit from tailored-made and immersive sessions focused on improving their business model, developing their fundraising strategy, and preparing their data room for investors. Selected start-ups will also benefit from rigorous training in financial management, cash flow optimization, and investment readiness for both equity and debt funding.  

Each participant will also benefit from: 

• Matching with a business coach from leading global institutions to work with their business
• Expert office hours with seasoned subject matter experts across various fields 
• Networking with leading investors in venture capital and venture debt.

The 6-week virtual programme will commence in mid-October and end in November culminating with a Demo-day showcase, where founders will have the opportunity to pitch to a pool of investors, accelerators, and business leaders. The top pitch will win non-equity funding of $10,000. All selected start-ups will have the potential to receive funding from participating investors in the programme.  

To be eligible for the programme, companies need to meet the following criteria:

• Have a female founder or co-founder (at least one female needs to be on the founding team)
• Have at least a minimum viable product and some users. 
• Achieved annual revenue of at least $50,000.
• Received less than $500,000 in funding. 
• Been in operation for more than a year, but less than 5 years. 
• Be a technology or technology-enabled business in any sector 
• Be an early-stage (pre-seed or seed) company seeking to raise an institutional round of funding to develop their product to the next stage of growth. 

DURATION 

The 6-week virtual programme will commence in mid-October and end in November.  The time commitment required for the program is approximately 5 hours a week.  

PROGRAMME DESIGN 
The Female Founders’ Growth Programme will be held for a total period of 6 weeks and will consist of Mentorship sessions, Masterclasses, and an Investor Pitch Day. 

The Growth Programme will provide participants access to the following: 

• Access to qualified, experienced faculty via the Masterclasses and Mentoring Sessions. 
• Access to IFC’s Financial Management Training Programme 
• Non-equity grant of $10,000 
• Access to Community and Support from Peer Founders. 
• Access to a Community of leading entrepreneurs. 
• Access to Funding and Investment opportunities. 

APPLICATION DEADLINE 
Applications closes on the October 6th, 2023 by 11:59 PM WAT 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and applicants are encouraged to submit their applications early.