Standard Chartered Women in Tech Cohort 4

The recently concluded Standard Chartered Women in Tech Bootcamp saw over forty start-ups participate in the training, need assessment preparation and pitching for semi-finals and finals shortlisting. The program is a partnership between Standard Chartered Bank and iBizAfrica and is geared towards obtaining the 10 best ideas that will be part of an incubation program, 12 weeks of immersive learning, access to a network of coaching expert, access to networking opportunities and personalised mentorship to address unique business needs.

The start-up scene in Kenya is booming with the highest amount of funding raised in 2020 in comparison to Nigeria and South Africa. Cumulatively, the start-up scene in Africa raised over Million 350$ in the first quarter of 2020 alone. More women and more women led start-ups are gaining traction in the tech industry, with several funding opportunities for female founded or co-founded startups. I would be curious to learn what African women led start-ups have raised cumulatively in 2020. If you have that information, please send it my way.

E-Safiri, a female founded startup is developing charging infrastructure for electric -mobility in Kenya made it to the finals of the event are now part of the program with the potential of winning the 10,000$ after the final pitch. The start-up was also the winner of the 2020 Better Cities Challenge

Mentorship is an important part of scaling a startup to gain sufficient market traction and validation. Programs like the UK-KE Tech Hub, though does not provide funding, provides mentorship and guidance to start-ups still in the ideation concept stage. This kind of support could lead to pitching skills, a network of other start-ups and venture capitalists that could eventually lead to funding.

So, if you are a woman who has identified a solution to a problem in your area of influence, get to work, the world needs you!

For more information on this program please visit: https://womenintech.co.ke

Comments

Women Mobilize Women

The Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) supports women in the transport sector by addressing the need to involve women and empower change-makers in the mobility and transport sector to cater to women needs. The Women mobilize women initiative serves as a network and information hub that strongly influences the international debate on the role and potential of women in the mobility sector. I was humbled to have been selected as one of the fifteen #ElectricWomen working in the field of Electric Mobility for TUMI and Women Mobilize Women’s annual remarkable women publication, 2022. The scope of women selected in this publication ranges from engineers, activists, journalists, and researchers; all serving as role models for future generations of young women entering the transportation sector. Check out the publication to hear about all the Remarkable women within E-Mobility. These are some of their stories from the publication.

The role of Private-Public Partnerships (PPP) and innovative financial models in Sustainable Development

I am part of the Project Appraisal team for PPP electricity transmission projects with the mandate to procure transaction advisory for the new envisioned PPP transmission projects in Kenya. I have noted in my experience working and researching on the best PPP approach that, wholesome solutions to modern day problems cannot be solved by addressing one facet. Instead, governments, private sector, multilateral institutions and donors have to come together in order to make any significant and lasting changes. Leaders and technical experts responsible for policy and regulation in Africa, should be able to easily identify such synergies making progress towards achieving SDGs likely. An example would be an IFC funded private sector renewable energy project in collaboration with the government which provides tapped water and roads (via IDA/WBG funded projects) to supply cheap energy to poor communities, critical to poverty eradication. This can be seen in Rwanda’s energy sector, which has le

How to prepare for registration from GE to PE with the Engineers Board of Kenya

After working for a minimum of three years under the supervision of a registered professional engineer in good standing with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), a graduate engineer is eligible to register as a Professional Engineer (PE) in Kenya. The process can be daunting. Previously, it has been deemed nearly impossible to achieve. However lately, there are various opportunities to obtain mentorship that further supports candidates in preparation of reports required for registration. We shall discuss these mentorship opportunities later. There are two main bodies that govern the registration process in Kenya, EBK and IEK. What is the difference between EBK and IEK? Engineers Board of Kenya ( EBK ) The Engineers Board of Kenya is a statutory body established by the Engineers Act 2011. The Board is responsible for registration of engineers and firms, regulation of engineering professional services, setting of standards, development and general practice of engineering in Kenya

carolofafa

Search This Blog