Application Deadline: May 12, 2025
Applications are now open for the 2025 Scaling digital Agriculture Innovations through Start-ups” (SAIS) Female Founder Award. The SAIS Female Founder Award is an initiative by “Scaling digital Agriculture Innovations through Start-ups” (SAIS), a project implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Requirements
To be eligible for the SAIS Female Founder Award, you must meet the following conditions:
Legal form
- Your business is registered and operates on the African continent.
- Your business has an official certificate of registration.
Founder
- You are an African female who (co)founded and runs a start-up / growth stage business.
- You should have technical experience in your area of operation.
Team
- At least three people who work full-time for the start-up (including yourself as a founder).
Digital product/ service
- Your product/service is digital or has a strong digital component.
- Your product is offering an impactful solution in the AgTech, FoodTech or ClimateTech sectors in Africa.
Market access and traction
- Your company has been registered at least 2 years before submitting the application.
- Your start-up must have clear evidence of traction (customer base, revenue).
Business model
- You have a unique value proposition in the market(s) where you operate.
- Your start-up should have an understandable and convincing business model (clear problem statement and defined customer segment).
Benefits
The award recognizes female founders from Africa with unique businesses that have a strong digital component and embrace social impact. We honour, support and celebrate your ambition by offering unique opportunities for visibility and further development of your business.
The three winners will win in-kind support worth up to 30,000€ for the first place, up to 15,000€ for the second place, and up to 7,000€ for the third place. This in-kind support can be vouchers and various tailored services to best boost their business, including:
- Vouchers for special expenses (e.g. online training, software licenses, and other services.)
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