Two Egyptian startups have been selected to take part in the third edition of the Womentum Accelerator, which provides female-led tech startups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with support and the chance to secure funding.
Run by womena in partnership with Standard Chartered’s Women in Tech initiative, the Womentum Accelerator is a three-month acceleration programme geared toward empowering founders to confront the challenges of uncertain times as they grow their impact-driven businesses.
Womentum has adapted its curriculum to give startups the tools they need to navigate uncertain times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, while Standard Chartered will award the three top-performing startups a total of US$30,000 in equity-free prize money at the end of the programme.
Founders will also have access to womena’s wider network of ecosystem partners, and each startup will receive more than US$20,000 worth of tech, legal and consulting services.
The five selected companies include two from Egypt, namely Explore Agora, an ed-tech startup connecting education to the real world through gamified learning experiences, and The Hair Addict, an online store for natural hair products and tools.
Also selected are podcast network Finyal Media (UAE), e-commerce company Mint Basil Market (Lebanon), and learning platform Shadana Yoga (Palestine).
“We’re determined to continue with our Womentum Accelerator in 2020 having amended its structure, content, as well as the eligibility of the cohort to incorporate the massive changes, brought about by the COVID-19 crisis,” said women founder and managing director Elissa Freiha.
“We want to show that working towards inclusion should never stop, and that true innovation comes from perseverance and diversity in thought to address needs in a time of crisis.”
