She Leads Africa calls public to vote for favourite female entrepreneur

Social enterprise dedicated to supporting high-growth female entrepreneurs, She Leads Africa, is enabling the public to vote for their favourite African entrepreneur.

The People’s Choice Award will see one of 12 semi-finalists go through to the final round of She Leads Africa’s annual Entrepreneur Showcase event. The chosen entrepreneur will then compete for US$15 000 in cash prizes, international media coverage, as well as exclusive meetings with top investors.

The 12 semi-finalists were picked from nearly 300 applicants from 30 countries, and narrowed down through a review committee of professionals related to venture capital, finance, consulting and business development. The judging criteria consisted of the teams’ strengths and clarity around their business plans.

Yasmin Belo-Osagie, the co-founder of She Leads Africa, explains in a recent media release that public voting will help the organisation gauge what people really want:

Our community is made up of Africa’s growing and savvy consumer base, so asking for their help in selecting the finalists is a no-brainer. With their votes they’ll be able to show us the products and services they’d like to see in the market.

Read more: She Leads Africa announces 5 female entrepreneurs for China Innovation Visit

The She Leads Africa semi-finalists are as follows:

• Aqua Clean — a Kenyan-based company focusing on low-cost water filters.
• Beauty Rev NG — an African commerce and online community for makeup artists and beauty bloggers.
• Bhala Africa — writes and publishes of African children’s book series.
• Chika’s — a food company producing West African tastes in a range of products.
• Closet49 — affordable clothing company focusing on confidence and style.
• Heat Free Hair Movement — manufacturer of virgin hair for African textured, kinky, and curly hair.
• Heels in the Kitchen — cooking show integrated with fashion and style edge.
• Instahealth — mobile phone connection system for connecting doctors, patients, and healthcare information.
• Kamokini —  a swimwear and accessory company catering to average body-conscious yet stylish consumers.
• Nuekie – health and beauty company.
• Pauline’s Cosmetics — a makeup company promoting products infused with shea butter and vitamins A & E.
• Omo Alata Foods — food production company focusing on locally packaged Nigerian soups, spices and peppers.

The voting for the People’s Choice Award opened up 28 July and closes 4 August. The public can vote through the She Leads Africa website.