StanChart Gives Kshs 9 Million To Seven Women-Led Startups

The Standard Chartered Foundation, in partnership with Village Capital and @iBizAfrica – Strathmore University, has awarded KES 9 million in grant funding to seven women-led startups from the Women in Tech Kenya Accelerator programme.

Each of the seven startups will receive KES 1.29 million to support product development, business growth and expansion of their solutions. The winners were announced at the Women in Tech Kenya Cohort 9 Award Ceremony and Graduation held today at Standard Chartered in Nairobi.

The ceremony also marked the graduation of 15 women founders following a 12-week accelerator programme delivered by the Standard Chartered Foundation in partnership with Village Capital and @iBizAfrica at Strathmore University. The programme provides women led, technology-enabled businesses with business development support, mentorship, investment readiness training, networks and access to catalytic funding.

The cohort brought together 15 women-led, tech-enabled startups working across sectors including agriculture, healthcare, financial inclusion, education, renewable energy and accessibility.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Vincent Ogutu, Vice-Chancellor, Strathmore University, said: “Partnership has been central to the success of this programme. What began in Kenya as a collaboration between Strathmore University, Standard Chartered and Village Capital has now expanded to 13 countries. Our goal is to support entrepreneurs to identify real problems, develop exceptional solutions and become excellent at what they do. When they succeed, we put them on a pedestal to inspire the next generation of women entrepreneurs to dream bigger and create even greater impact.”

Birju Sanghrajka, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Coverage, Standard Chartered Kenya, said: “We are proud to celebrate 15 entrepreneurs who have strengthened their businesses over the past 12 weeks. The seven receiving funding are tackling different challenges, united by an ambition to grow and create impact. Women in Tech goes beyond capital by providing the skills, networks and support women entrepreneurs need to build sustainable businesses, create opportunities and strengthen their communities.”

Since its launch in Kenya in 2017, the Women in Tech programme has supported 107 women-led startups, providing more than KES 51.5 million in funding alongside business development support, mentorship and access to networks. Globally, the Women in Tech Accelerator is active in 14 Standard Chartered markets across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the US and has supported more than 4,000 entrepreneurs to date.

The seven winning startups are:

1. Premac Care – A health tech startup connecting families with trained healthcare professionals for maternal and newborn care, post-hospitalisation recovery, elderly care and specialised nursing
2. ChipuRobo – An edtech startup providing inclusive, hands-on AI and robotics education through locally fabricated kits.
3. FishBox Africa – An aquaculture tech company providing AI-powered farm management software and smart feeders that help fish farmers improve yields, reduce feed waste and lower production costs.
4. Uptyke Consulting – An edtech startup providing accessible, AI-powered digital learning for learners with disabilities through sign language, audio and interactive
5. Nakuru Tubers – An agri-tech company connecting smallholder farmers to verified agricultural inputs through digital tools, demand matching and last-mile
6. Trident Analytics – An aquaculture startup using IoT, AI and digital tools to help smallholder aquaculture farmers monitor farms, automate operations and access
7. Seta Farm – A circular agribusiness using organic waste to produce mushrooms while creating income opportunities for women and youth through decentralised production.

The winners were selected through a competitive judging process that assessed their business models, market opportunity, innovation, growth potential, and social or economic impact.

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