17th March 2026, Nairobi, Kenya – The Standard Chartered Foundation, in partnership with @iBizAfrica – Strathmore University and Village Capital, today officially launched Cohort 9 of the Women in Tech Kenya programme under the theme “Inspire Impact.”

Now in its ninth cohort, the Women in Tech programme continues to support women-led, tech-enabled startups by providing structured business training, mentorship, access to networks, and catalytic funding opportunities. The programme is designed to help earlystage entrepreneurs strengthen their business models, scale their ventures, and create meaningful economic and social impact.

The launch marks the opening of applications for Women in Tech Kenya Cohort 9, inviting women-led, tech-enabled startups from across Kenya to apply. Selected entrepreneurs will participate in an intensive accelerator programme that equips founders with the skills and support needed to grow their ventures through business training, mentorship, ecosystem connections, and exposure to investors and industry leaders.

Across Kenya and many emerging economies, women are launching innovative, techenabled businesses that respond to community and market needs. Yet many early-stage entrepreneurs often face ecosystems designed for rapid scale rather than sustainable enterprise building, limiting their ability to develop resilient business models, create quality jobs, and deliver long-term impact.

The Women in Tech Accelerator programme is designed to address that growth gap by providing catalytic grant funding, structured business training, and tailored mentorship to equip entrepreneurs with the tools, networks, and confidence needed to build resilient, revenue-generating enterprises that create jobs and deliver lasting economic and social impact.

Since its inception, the Women in Tech Kenya has collectively:

• Supported 92 Women in Tech Alumni
• Awarded over KES 51.5 million to women-led startups  
• Alumni businesses have generated over KES 12.5 million in revenue

Speaking during the launch, Joyce Kibe, Standard Chartered Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing for Kenya and Africa, emphasised the importance of strengthening opportunities for women entrepreneurs across Africa.

“At Standard Chartered, we believe that empowering women entrepreneurs is critical to building more inclusive and resilient economies. Through our Women in Tech programme and this partnership with Strathmore University and Village Capital, we are investing in the potential of women-led, tech-enabled businesses to solve real challenges, create jobs, and drive sustainable growth. This initiative reflects our continued commitment, through the Standard Chartered Foundation, to scale opportunities for women entrepreneurs and support innovation that delivers lasting social and economic impact in Kenya and across our markets.”

The programme is implemented locally by @iBizAfrica – Strathmore University, which works closely with entrepreneurs to strengthen their business models and connect them to Kenya’s innovation ecosystem. Dr. Joseph Sevilla, Director at @iBizAfrica – Strathmore University, highlighted the importance of supporting founders at critical stages of their entrepreneurial journey.

“At a time when Africa’s digital economy is projected to exceed KES 23.3 trillion ($180 billion) in GDP contribution by 2026, it is critical that women are not only participants, but leaders in shaping that future. Yet, they remain significantly underrepresented, reflecting a persistent gap in access to resources and opportunity. Through this programme, now in its ninth cohort, we continue to address this gap by working directly with entrepreneurs to strengthen their business models, connect them to strategic networks, and prepare them for sustainable growth. At @iBizAfrica, our focus is clear: to transform promising ideas into resilient, investment-ready enterprises that can compete, scale, and deliver meaningful impact.”

Interested founders are encouraged to apply before 25th April 2026. Full application details and eligibility criteria can be found here: www.womenintech.ke.

Notes to Editors:

For more information, please contact:

Standard Chartered

Mercy Kabangi

Head of Communications, Kenya and Africa

Standard Chartered Kenya 

Email: Mercy.Kabangi@sc.com

@iLabAfrica – Strathmore University 

Diana Mutua

Public Relations Officer

Email: dmutua@strathmore.edu 

About Standard Chartered

We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 54 of the world’s most dynamic markets and over 110 years in Kenya. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.

Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges. For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

About @iBizAfrica, Strathmore University

@iBizAfrica is the longest serving business incubator in Kenya at Strathmore University, a leading private University in Kenya. The incubator since 2012 provides a nurturing environment that builds on the potential of the youth to develop innovative solutions and businesses that work for the common good in society. @iBizAfrica over the years has provided over 1600 startup companies with training, advisory, mentorship, coaching, networking opportunities, and access to seed capital and investors.  We prepare startups to be investor-ready and launch into the market through our custom incubation and acceleration programmes.

Learn more at ibizafrica.strathmore.edu  

Follow @iBizAfrica on LinkedIn and X  

About Village Capital

Village Capital is a global leader in impact investing, helping early-stage startups access the type of social and financial capital they need to grow – reshaping the supply and demand sides of capital flows as a result. Since 2009, Village Capital has directly supported more than 2,100 impact startups in 70 countries. Together, these founders have raised over KES 1.24 trillion ($9.6B) across economic mobility, environmental sustainability, and access to essential services. It has made 116 investments through its various affiliated funds, including Vilcap Investments, which has invested in 91 peer-selected companies. Additionally, 26,000 entrepreneurs have used its Abaca web app to take at least one assessment, helping them expand their access to financial capital. Learn more at www.vilcap.com and follow @villagecapital.