Women in TECH – Diversity in the African Startup Ecosystem
10.08.2023
Daniela Musial-Lemberg
Event
In the first online event of the TECHimpulse series, we discussed women in the African startup ecosystem on July 24, 2023. Four young female entrepreneurs spoke about their experiences, challenges and best practices.
Women are still underrepresented in the technology-based industry. Yet it is clear that more innovation also requires more diversity. What challenges do women face in the TECH sector? What hurdles do female founders face, and what experiences do female startups have, for example, in finding investors or networking?
Daisy Isaho, co-founderi and CPO of Zuri Health from Kenya described how significant equality is for her medical technology company. “We need to allow diversity and encourage female talent,” the entrepreneur emphasized, saying that this is the only way to achieve economic and sustainable success.
Entrepreneur Farah Emara, co-founder and CEO of Fresh Source in Egypt, shared her experiences in a male-dominated industry – and emphasized that she found such divisions problematic in themselves:
„There is no such thing as a male or female industry, we can both strive in both.”
This was also confirmed by Jaqueline Mukrukundo, co-founder and CMO of Wastezon in Rwanda. She stressed how important it is also to build your own personal brand and network with other women. Finally, Sana Afouaiz, founder and director of the Womenpreneur Initiative based in Brussels, spoke about current problems faced by female founders such as lack of confidence or fighting stereotypes. “At Womenpreneur, we believe in women’s economic empowerment as a tool to achieve equality in society.”
TECHimpulse is a module of the TECH4Transition project dedicated to the strategic partnership with Africa. The next TECHimpulse online event will take place on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 on the topic “Setting the focus right” and is open to all interested parties.
