Women founders are perpetually busy and fiercely dedicated to their businesses, ambitions and families, and more often than not, to all of the above. This dedication continues to help women founders overcome many unique challenges and by 2020 more than 21% of the continent's investments have been secured by women founded, co-founded and led startups. As an AWS Activate Africa start-up team, we believe in the strategic importance of supporting women-based and driven tech start-ups. In 2021, we will launch the AWS Africa Startup Connect - Women Founded and Led Startups programme to empower and connect Africa's inspiring women founders and provide access to AWS experts and mentors

Application deadline: 18th January 2021

This programme is designed to support start-ups created or run by women in Africa and participants can create a technology hub or technology company that solves real problems and works to implement technological solutions within their existing or new start-ups.

• Be able to commit up to 3 hours every 5 weeks to the AWS Africa Startup Connect sessions.
• Be available to communicate with mentors on the basis of expected opportunities.
• Be prepared to learn and share your own experiences with your peers.
• Complete a 5-slide presentation about the founder and the startup (a template will be provided to all participants)
• Be interested in learning more about new technologies and services such as machine learning and AI to improve your products, services and activities.
• Qualify as a startup that:
  • are founded, co-founded by women or have a woman in a leadership position.
  • are based or have their main businesses and teams in Africa.
  • are technology start-ups or activated.
  • is less than 10 years old.
  • have obtained or intend to raise a pre-priming, priming or Series A placement.

Benefits of joining the AWS Africa Startup Connect - Women Founded and Led Startups programme

• AWS Africa Startup Connect - Women founded and led start-up sessions.
• Women founded and managed office hours (access to account managers and solutions architects).
• Access to AWS start-up support programmes such as Mentorship and AWS Activate.
• Support for the qualification of innovative machine learning and artificial intelligence cases and proof of concepts.
• Presentation of qualifications to accelerators and interested investors.
• Access to relevant AWS events and training.
• Networking with other women founders and leaders of start-ups in Africa.
• Selection for AWS Startup Story reference opportunities.
• Start-up founders or participating executives who already have an operational MVP on the AWS infrastructure, a product deployed on the market on AWS or those who want to migrate an existing project to AWS can benefit from the AWS Migration Assistance Programme and AWS service credits.

Process

• Women created and run - Start-ups are invited to take part by completing the application form by 18 January 2021.
• The AWS Africa startup team will liaise directly with you to complete the integration process.
• An invitation with the date and time of the first AWS Africa Startup Connect - Women Founded and Led Startups session will be shared in early February 2021.
• Regular updates on 2021 events, training and opportunities will be shared with the community.

For more information:

Visit the official AWS Africa Startup Connect 2021