She’s Next: Shattering Tech Start-Up Glass Ceilings

By all accounts, entrepreneurship, more so in the tech start-up space, can be said to be a man’s world. It is Odunayo Eweniyi who told a UN e-zine article titled Women-Led Tech Start-Ups On The Rise In Africa: Daunting Obstacles Remain In The Tech Industry that “There is no single explanation for the limited number of women in tech start-ups.” The Co-Founder and COO of PiggyVest, a Nigerian tech start-up, identifies one major factor – culture.

“The premise of a start-up is to venture into something that is unsafe, risky and more difficult than usual. From a young age, culturally, women are groomed to believe that the kind of behaviour, work or endeavours that fit these descriptions are bad for them. Many times, women are not allowed to aspire ‘too high.’ As a result, they tend to participate in the least risky ventures.”

It is with great relief that I announce the five finalists for She’s Next, a Visa-powered grant competition, didn’t receive that memo. As women-led businesses, they went on right ahead and found ways to incorporate technology into the core of their businesses. Not only that, they might just prove to be role models. The Visa beneficiaries left with something, making a dent, however small, in the funding of women-led start-ups.

Busu Naturals, an SME that manufactures local emollients which cater to sensitive (read eczema-prone) African skin, was named the winner of the She’s Next, a programme whose existence is to support the creation of a world where women business owners flourish through funding, training, and mentorship. Founded and owned by Emma Omany, a marketer and digital strategist who gleans data to grow her distinct client base, Omany will spend the prize money on expansion beyond her e-commerce site, reaching into the pockets of anyone who wants soft, glowing skin. The Atopic Dermatitis aka eczema niche was valued at $9.1 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach a market size of $18.6 billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 8.3 per cent.

Timao Group‘s Jean James turns ‘good’ plastic into crushable pellets that transform into building bricks. The plastic collector turned visionary ventures into a marker ridden with cartels. So what did she do? She partnered with women-strong CBOs. Not only do they collect and curate the plastic, they make a living while at it. “I made sure that I worked with CBOs on the ground, and built my cartel while at it.” According to Statista, “In 2021, global plastic recycling was estimated at roughly $40 billion. This market was forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of seven per cent between 2022 and 2031, to reach some $78 billion in the latter year.”

Code With Kids emerged third. Founder Renice Owino believes in the future, having “… bridged the digital divide because both boys and girls will have grown up coding next to each other.” Having loved coding since she was a child, Owino saw an opportunity to reach across the threshold in Kibera to Lodwar where she cultivated networks to leverage.

“We are delighted to announce the winners of the inaugural She’s Next Kenya grant competition. We are proud to recognise these SMEs who have exhibited remarkable innovation, resilience and vision, which will serve them well as they seek to positively contribute to the Kenyan economy. We are excited about walking this journey with them to see them hit new heights using the skills and strategies the She’s Next programme will equip them with,” said Eva Ngigi-Sarwari, Visa Kenya Country Manager.

Over 2,300 local SMEs applied for the competition, each with innovative sectoral solutions.

Omany, speaking on her win said, “This win means a lot to us because it gives us confidence and affirms that we are on the right track. It is a testament to the fact that small steps matter and that everything we have done thus far is aiding our mission. The support we will get through this grant and training, will help us grow our capacity and expand our market reach. It shall also go a long way in generating impact for us since we are focused on creating more opportunities for the women and youth in our value chain.”

The other two each got awarded for their participation. Crafts With Meaning, founded by their CEO Caroline Ng’ang’a, is an award-winning social enterprise. It collaborates with artisans across Kenya and Uganda to create home decor goods, lifestyle accessories, bags, and corporate merchandise inspired by Africa’s heritage. Cladfy operates in the wildly popular albeit increasingly crowded digital lending space by addressing the credit gap in Sub-Saharan Africa’s informal sector. Their CEO & Founder Ebby Gatamu‘s vision is to enable micro-lenders to provide working capital loans to micro-businesses such as smallholder farmers, fish vendors, and motorcycle riders.