Last week, Eunice Ajim of Ajim Capital announced that the firm will host the first-ever AWS Startups Women’s Demo Day in Lagos, Nigeria on November 8, 2023. The event in Lagos will take place at the Zone Tech Park on the 8th of November 2023.
Keynote speakers, female founder demos, and networking opportunities with investors and industry professionals will all be part of the event. The major objective is to establish a welcoming and powerful environment where participants may learn, connect, and find inspiration.
Female-led companies still find it difficult to raise as much money as their male competitors, despite efforts to address this issue. This pattern is prevalent throughout the world, not just in Africa, where male-led startups received a disproportionate 96% of funding overall, leaving only 4% for female-led businesses. Women-founded firms in the MENA area only received 1.3% of all investment in 2022.
According to data from DealStreetAsia, just 12.6% of the private capital raised in 2022 in Southeast Asia was led by women. The AWS Startups Women’s Demo Day in Lagos points to the growing need to promote more diverse venture capital firms as AWS recognizes the value of investing in women-led businesses.
Ajim expressed satisfaction with the event as she noted that it would empower incredible women-led startups in Africa.
“The numbers don’t lie – the funding gap has been widening, and we’re determined to change that narrative. Our goal is to connect these inspiring women founders with the support they deserve – investors, partners, and customers.
“Together, we’ll be part of a movement that unlocks access to capital and ignites innovation within the African tech ecosystem.
Attendees will also have access to exclusive benefits designed specifically for founders. These include:
$1k AWS Activate Credit Package: Founders who attend the event, and are tech-enabled, will receive $1k in AWS Activate Credits
AWS Reach: AWS Reach is an exclusive global community for startup founders from underserved backgrounds. As a member, founders will have access to special networking events, $5,000 in AWS Activate Credits (for eligible members only), training resources, webinars, technical support, marketing opportunities, and connections to investors and industry leaders.
Program through the AWS Fundraising Lab: In partnership with Graham Walker, AWS is bringing back the Fundraising Lab, a 4-week program to prepare underrepresented startup founders to raise venture capital. The cohort of women founders will learn how to create a fundraising strategy in four 90-minute weekly sessions covering a range of themes important to raising a seed or series A round, including how to combat unconscious bias and navigate term sheets.
The application is open until October 30, 2023. Interested participants and attendees can click here to register for the event.
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