FIVE NIGERIAN WOMEN-LED TECH BUSINESSES WIN $50,000 GRANTS AS WOMEN IN TECH ACCELERATOR GRADUATES 11 ENTREPRENEURS
By Iroyin Yoruba Television
Five Nigerian women-led technology businesses have received a combined $50,000 in grant funding following the graduation of 11 entrepreneurs from the seventh cycle of the Women in Tech Accelerator programme in Nigeria.
The five winners will each receive $10,000 to support the growth and expansion of their businesses after emerging from a final pitch session involving the 11 ventures that participated in the latest cycle.
The programme was delivered by the Standard Chartered Foundation in partnership with Village Capital and the Enterprise Development Centre of Pan-Atlantic University.
The graduation and announcement of the winners were reported on October 2, 2026, marking the completion of an intensive programme focused on technology-enabled entrepreneurship, business development, mentorship, investment readiness and access to networks.
The 11 businesses in the cohort operate across several areas of the technology and digital economy, including healthcare, artificial intelligence, accessibility technology, trade, logistics, education, human-resource management, event management, recruitment and financial services.
The five businesses selected for grant funding were Mariam Grey Pharmacy, founded by Jennifer Esiaba; Ahavaplan, founded by Christine Imoukhuede; Adaptive Atelier, founded by Toyosi Badejo-Okusanya; Proc360, founded by Fara Popoola; and Kidsthatcode, founded by Adejoke Haastrup.
Their selection provides a snapshot of the different ways Nigerian entrepreneurs are applying technology to address problems in healthcare, business, education, accessibility and digital services.
Mariam Grey Pharmacy is developing an AI-powered telepharmacy model designed to provide access to medication, pharmacist consultations and chronic-care support.
The service is designed to work through smartphones as well as basic phones and USSD, an approach intended to make digital healthcare services available to people who may not have access to advanced devices or reliable internet connections.
The business is therefore combining healthcare delivery with digital technology in an attempt to address access challenges.
Telepharmacy services can allow patients to interact with healthcare professionals without having to travel to a physical facility for every consultation.
The model can also potentially connect customers with verified medicines and professional guidance.
However, healthcare technology requires careful attention to patient safety, professional standards, data protection and the quality of medical information provided to users.
The technology itself is only one component of a healthcare service.
The business must also maintain appropriate professional processes to ensure that digital convenience does not compromise the quality of care.
The second winning business, Ahavaplan, uses artificial intelligence to provide customer relationship management tools for event planners.
Event management can involve multiple clients, suppliers, schedules, payments, communications and operational tasks.
Managing those activities manually can become complicated as a business grows.
A digital platform that brings customer and event information into one place can help businesses organise their operations.
The addition of AI can provide opportunities for automation and data analysis, depending on how the platform is designed and used.
For Nigerian entrepreneurs operating small and growing businesses, digital management tools can potentially reduce administrative workloads and allow founders to focus more attention on customers and business development.
The third winner, Adaptive Atelier, focuses on accessibility technology.
The company is developing AI-driven tools and services designed to help businesses improve digital accessibility while also connecting organisations with professionals living with disabilities.
Digital accessibility has become increasingly important as businesses move services online.
Websites, mobile applications and other digital platforms can create barriers for people with different disabilities if they are not designed appropriately.
Accessibility technology can help organisations identify problems and make digital experiences more usable for a wider range of people.
Adaptive Atelier combines this focus with a marketplace of vetted professionals, creating a model that connects accessibility with employment opportunities.
The business illustrates how technology can be used not only to automate existing processes but also to address participation gaps within the digital economy.
The fourth grant recipient, Proc360, is focused on trade infrastructure for small and medium-sized businesses.
The platform combines supplier verification, quality control and secure payments to help SMEs conduct transactions with greater confidence.
Business transactions can involve significant risks when buyers and sellers do not have sufficient information about one another.
A supplier-verification system can help businesses obtain more information before entering commercial relationships.
Quality-control processes can also help buyers reduce the risk associated with receiving products that do not meet agreed standards.
Secure payment systems can provide another layer of protection.
These functions are particularly relevant to SMEs that may not have the resources to maintain large procurement or compliance departments.
By bringing several functions into one platform, Proc360 is seeking to address some of the practical challenges involved in trade.
The fifth winner, Kidsthatcode, focuses on digital education.
The platform provides coding and digital-skills education for children and teenagers through classes, mentorship and hackathons.
The business reflects the growing importance of digital skills to education and employment.
Young people who develop programming, computational and other technology-related skills can potentially access opportunities across Nigeria's expanding digital economy.
Coding education can also encourage young people to move from being consumers of technology to becoming creators of digital products.
The availability of structured training, mentors and practical projects can be particularly useful because technology skills are often strengthened through hands-on experience.
Kidsthatcode's focus on children and teenagers also places digital education earlier in the learning process.
This can help expose students to technology careers before they make decisions about higher education or employment.
The five winners emerged from an 11-member cohort that spent 12 weeks undergoing training and mentorship.
The wider group included entrepreneurs working on a variety of technology-enabled businesses.
Other members of the cohort included PeoplePulse Africa, Ginger Technologies, OnIt Innovations, Locoomo, VampAI and ALI GLOBAL.
PeoplePulse Africa is developing human-resource solutions for African businesses, particularly micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Ginger Technologies is working on trade and credit infrastructure for the beauty sector.
OnIt Innovations operates a managed home-services model involving the training, vetting and deployment of skilled domestic and technical workers.
Locoomo is focused on logistics by using underutilised spaces as pickup stations, mini-warehouses and fulfilment hubs.
VampAI is applying artificial intelligence to recruitment, while ALI GLOBAL is developing a digital leadership academy for African women.
Together, the businesses demonstrate the breadth of Nigeria's technology entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Technology startups are no longer limited to conventional software companies.
Digital tools are increasingly being applied to sectors such as healthcare, education, logistics, recruitment, trade, human resources and professional development.
This diversification is important because some of the largest technology opportunities in Nigeria may emerge from solving problems within traditional sectors rather than simply creating new social-media or entertainment platforms.
The Women in Tech Accelerator is designed to help entrepreneurs develop their businesses beyond the initial technology idea.
Participants received investment-readiness training, business-development support, mentorship and opportunities to build relationships with other entrepreneurs and industry professionals.
These elements address challenges that can prevent technology startups from moving from an early-stage idea to a sustainable business.
Building a technology product is only one part of creating a successful company.
Founders also need to understand customers, pricing, operations, financial management, regulation, marketing and growth strategy.
They need to know how to communicate their business model to potential investors and partners.
They also need systems that allow the business to continue operating as demand increases.
The accelerator's focus on investment readiness is therefore aimed at helping entrepreneurs prepare for the next stage of growth.
Access to capital remains another major challenge.
Technology businesses often require funding to hire employees, develop products, acquire customers and expand into new markets.
Women entrepreneurs can face additional barriers when attempting to secure funding.
The Women in Tech Accelerator seeks to address part of that challenge by combining training with grant funding.
Unlike conventional investment, grants do not require the recipient to give up equity in the business.
The $50,000 awarded through the latest cycle therefore provides the five winners with capital that can be directed toward business growth while allowing the founders to retain ownership of their companies.
Each recipient will have different priorities.
A healthcare technology company may need to invest in technology development, regulatory processes or customer acquisition.
An education platform may require resources for curriculum development, instructors and digital infrastructure.
An accessibility company may invest in product development and market expansion.
A trade platform may require resources to improve verification and payment systems.
The use of the grants will therefore depend on the individual growth plans presented by the winners.
The programme also provides something beyond financial support.
Mentorship can give entrepreneurs access to people who have experience in business development, technology, finance and other areas.
Networks can help founders find customers, partners, employees and potential investors.
For early-stage businesses, those relationships can be important because entrepreneurs often lack the internal resources available to larger companies.
The graduation of the 11 entrepreneurs therefore represents the completion of one structured programme but not necessarily the end of their development.
The businesses now need to translate the knowledge, connections and financial support gained through the accelerator into sustainable operations.
The technology sector in Nigeria has expanded considerably over the past decade, with startups building products for both Nigerian and international markets.
Fintech has historically received substantial attention, but the latest Women in Tech cohort illustrates the emergence of technology applications across a much broader range of industries.
Healthcare technology is addressing access to services.
Edtech is supporting digital-skills development.
Accessibility technology is attempting to make online experiences more inclusive.
Trade technology is working to improve commercial transactions.
AI is being applied to healthcare, event management and recruitment.
Logistics technology is addressing movement and fulfilment.
Human-resource technology is supporting business management.
This range of applications reflects the growing maturity of Nigeria's technology ecosystem.
It also highlights the importance of entrepreneurs who understand the specific problems facing local businesses and communities.
Technology products are more likely to be useful when they are designed around actual user needs.
For example, the decision by Mariam Grey Pharmacy to support basic phones and USSD recognises that smartphone and internet access are not uniform across Nigeria.
A service that requires expensive smartphones and constant high-speed internet may exclude potential users.
Designing for different levels of connectivity can therefore be an important consideration for Nigerian technology companies.
Similarly, digital education programmes need to consider the availability of devices, internet access and qualified instructors.
Technology adoption depends not only on the quality of a product but also on whether the intended users can realistically access it.
The businesses in the accelerator are also operating in an environment where trust is important.
Customers must trust healthcare platforms with sensitive information.
Businesses must trust digital trade platforms with commercial transactions.
Parents must trust education providers working with their children.
Companies using recruitment or HR technology must consider how personal information is handled.
Accessibility platforms must ensure that the people they seek to support are represented appropriately.
These considerations make governance and responsible technology development important components of startup growth.
Artificial intelligence introduces additional responsibilities.
AI can automate processes and support decision-making, but businesses must understand the accuracy and limitations of the systems they use.
For a healthcare application, incorrect information can have serious consequences.
For a recruitment platform, AI-assisted tools need to be used carefully to avoid inappropriate or discriminatory outcomes.
For an event-management system, AI-generated information still needs to be checked when accuracy matters.
Technology entrepreneurs therefore need to combine innovation with appropriate safeguards.
The Women in Tech programme's emphasis on mentorship can help founders address some of these broader business and operational questions.
The programme also contributes to the development of a stronger community of women technology entrepreneurs.
Networking can help founders exchange experiences and identify opportunities for collaboration.
A founder working in healthcare technology may benefit from connections with someone working in digital payments or business management.
Cross-sector relationships can sometimes lead to partnerships that would not emerge within a single industry.
The programme's alumni structure can also provide continuing relationships after graduation.
For Nigerian women seeking to build technology businesses, such networks can provide practical knowledge about funding, hiring, product development and market expansion.
The five grant recipients will now have an opportunity to apply their funding to their individual growth strategies.
Their progress will also provide an indication of how targeted support can help early-stage technology companies develop.
The success of such programmes cannot be measured solely by the number of entrepreneurs trained.
Longer-term outcomes include business survival, revenue growth, job creation, customer adoption, product development and the ability of founders to raise additional capital or expand their operations.
The broader goal is to create businesses capable of generating sustainable economic value.
For Nigeria, supporting technology entrepreneurship is linked to the wider development of the digital economy.
Technology companies can create direct employment for developers, designers, marketers and other professionals.
They can also create indirect opportunities through suppliers, customers and business partners.
Digital products can improve efficiency in traditional industries and make it easier for smaller businesses to participate in formal markets.
However, startup support alone cannot solve all the challenges facing technology businesses.
Companies also require reliable electricity, affordable internet access, appropriate regulation, access to finance, skilled workers and customers willing to adopt digital products.
The broader business environment therefore remains important.
The graduation of the latest Women in Tech cohort highlights one part of that ecosystem: targeted support for founders developing technology-enabled businesses.
The five winners now have additional capital to pursue their plans, while the other six members of the cohort leave the programme with training, mentorship and business networks developed during the accelerator.
For the founders, the next stage will be about execution.
The technology products they have developed will need to solve real problems, attract users and generate sufficient value to sustain the businesses.
The grant funding can provide additional room for experimentation and expansion, but long-term sustainability will depend on how effectively each company uses its resources.
The latest cohort also demonstrates that Nigerian women are participating across multiple areas of the technology economy.
Their businesses are not concentrated in a single sector.
They include healthcare, accessibility, trade, education and business-management solutions.
That diversity reflects the wide range of problems that technology entrepreneurs are attempting to solve in Nigeria.
As digital adoption continues to expand, these businesses will operate in a market where technology is increasingly becoming part of everyday economic activity.
The graduation of 11 women entrepreneurs and the awarding of $50,000 to five businesses therefore marks another development in Nigeria's technology ecosystem.
The immediate financial support is significant for the individual recipients, but the wider programme is also intended to strengthen entrepreneurial capacity, networks and technology-driven problem solving.
The five winners will now move into the next phase of their business journeys with $10,000 each in grant funding, while the full 11-member cohort joins the wider community created through the programme.
Their progress will ultimately depend on how effectively they transform technology ideas into sustainable services and products that customers are willing to use.