BY TOM JACKSON
Five female-founded Kenyan startups have each been awarded KES1 million (US$9,400) to help grow their businesses by Standard Chartered and @iBizAfrica.
Each year, @iBizAfrica – the business incubator at Strathmore University – and Standard Chartered Bank run the Women in Tech programme, which helps more than 40 small and medium sized businesses through mentorship, advisory, coaching and networking opportunities.
This year, 380 companies applied for support, with a number of them taking part in the programme. Winners were then selected via virtual pitches due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The winners were “virtual restaurant” platform Soul Food, food seasoning company Taste Afrique, home nursing services startup BenaCare, health and wellness information platform Nature’s Touch, and agri-tech company Arbes Biotech.
“We as Standard Chartered want to continue to give women in Kenya access to business opportunities, credit, tutoring and mentoring, which will make a fundamental difference in their business outlook. We are also looking to offer more opportunities to women-led businesses which will further grow and transform their business,” said Standard Chartered Bank chief executive officer (CEO) Kariuki Ngari.
