WWBA announces open call for women founders, investors

Women Who Build Africa (WWBA), a vibrant community that caters to the needs and growth of women in technology across the African continent, has put out an open invitation for female founders, investors, and ecosystem partners to participate in their inaugural annual assembly, slated for 13 and 14 September in Nairobi.

The initiative comes with the promise of an all-expense-paid trip to Nairobi for ten selected founders, courtesy of a diverse selection committee. This unique opportunity will grant participants the chance to attend the assembly, network with influential ecosystem partners, and pitch their startups to some of the region’s top investors.

The Assembly, backed by numerous partners and sponsors including Founders Factory Africa, Enza Capital, Open Capital, NEXT176, One Day Yes, Untapped Global, A&A Collective, WomHub, and Amazon Web Services among others, will feature a variety of engaging panels, discussions, workshops, and talks, providing the attendees with a rich educational and networking environment.

“We’re honoured and excited to make this event a reality, bringing together women building for the next generation of African growth,” said WWBA co-founder, Gwera Kiwana. “Thea [Sokolowski] and I launched WWBA after seeing a real need for more opportunities for underrepresented builders in this space to meet and connect, as well as for tailored programming and support designed specifically for women in tech across stages on the continent.”

In addition to the programming, the two-day event will wrap each day with social events to further nurture networking in a relaxed atmosphere. Start-ups chosen for the pitch event will be decided by a diverse panel of investor partners, and the selected founders will be paired with mentors from the WWBA community in preparation for their pitches.

Kiwana further noted, “We see this event as a foundation for what’s possible in the future, and we’re grateful to our partners for working with us to make this happen. We welcome founders, investors and ecosystem partners who share our mission of supporting women builders to show meaningful support in driving inclusive growth.”

The agenda will feature, among other items, discussions centred around women in venture capital, facilitated by A&A Collective and Dream VC, and a full day of workshops, talks, and panel discussions spearheaded by the partners.

The invitation to express interest in attending is open until 14 August 2023. To qualify for the pitch event, start-ups must have at least one active woman or non-binary founder and must be pre-Series A. Applications can be made here.

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