For Kikelomo Owoyale, founder of SheFoundry, governance and financial discipline are not administrative afterthoughts; they are foundational to survival.

In her view, many startups don’t fail because their products are weak; they fail because their internal systems cannot sustain growth or withstand pressure.

The Silent Killer: Poor Structure

Owoyale points to a recurring pattern across early-stage ventures: founders prioritizing visibility and funding over structure.

The consequences are often severe as founders lose control of their companies; internal conflicts emerge among stakeholders; investors lose confidence during due diligence, and growth becomes chaotic and unsustainable

At the center of this problem is a misunderstanding of governance. Many founders see it as something to fix later, once the company scales. But by then, the damage is often already done.

Governance, she argues, is not bureaucracy, it is clarity: clarity of ownership, decision-making, accountability, and long-term direction.

The Hidden Risks Founders Overlook

Owoyale identifies several critical mistakes that continue to undermine startups, even those with strong products:

1. Messy Cap Tables and Weak Agreements

Unclear shareholder structures and poorly defined agreements can create long-term instability. Founders may unknowingly give away significant equity or create conflicting ownership rights that become difficult to resolve later.

2. Poor Financial Record-Keeping

One of the most alarming issues she highlights is startups raising significant funding without being able to account for how it was spent.

“This is more than a red flag; it is often a deal breaker”, she said.

Without proper financial records, startups lose credibility, making it nearly impossible to secure follow-on funding or strategic partnerships.

3. Confusing Revenue with Profit

Generating revenue does not necessarily mean a business is profitable, or even sustainable. Owoyale stresses the importance of understanding cash flow dynamics; cost structures and profit margins. Without this clarity, founders may make decisions that appear growth-oriented but are financially destructive.

4. Mixing Personal and Business Finances

This is one of the most common, and most damaging, practices among early-stage founders.

Using personal accounts for business transactions blurs financial boundaries, creates accountability issues, and signals a lack of professionalism to investors.

It also increases the risk of mismanagement, even when unintentional.

5. Underpricing for Market Entry

While competitive pricing can help attract users, chronic underpricing can erode value and make long-term sustainability impossible.

Startups must strike a balance between accessibility and viability, ensuring that pricing reflects both market realities and business needs.

Understanding the Power of Financial Literacy

At the core of Owoyale’s message is a call for founder-level financial literacy.

“If you don’t understand your numbers, someone else will use them against you.”

This is not just about hiring accountants or financial analysts. Founders themselves must understand the basics:

• How money flows through the business
• What drives costs and profitability
• How equity and ownership structures work

Without this knowledge, founders enter negotiations, from funding rounds to partnerships, at a disadvantage.

The Gender Dimension: Navigating Bias in Funding

Owoyale also draws attention to an important but often under-discussed issue: the unique challenges faced by female founders.

She notes that women are more likely to encounter:

• Aggressive or unfavorable investment terms
• Pressure to accept disproportionate equity dilution
• Subtle biases that undermine negotiation power

Her advice is unequivocal: stand firm and negotiate from a position of knowledge.

For female founders, governance and financial clarity are not just operational tools; they are defensive mechanisms against systemic bias.

Structure Before Scale

A key takeaway from Owoyale’s insights is the importance of sequencing:

Structure must come before scale.

Before seeking funding, founders should ensure company incorporation is complete; shareholder and founder agreements are clearly defined; financial systems and records are in place, and equity positions are well understood.

This preparation transforms fundraising conversations. Instead of approaching investors from a position of need, founders can engage from a position of strength.

The Role of Government and the Ecosystem

While founders bear primary responsibility for building structured businesses, the broader ecosystem also has a role to play.

Echoing this sentiment, Kayode Akintunde called for stronger institutional support to enable innovation across Africa.

Key areas of intervention include:

Investment in infrastructure: Reliable power, connectivity, and logistics to reduce operational burdens

Innovation-focused programs: Platforms that spotlight technical talent and problem-solving, rather than celebrity culture

Youth-driven ecosystems: Initiatives that nurture early-stage builders and create pathways for growth

Such support can lower barriers and create a more enabling environment—but it cannot replace the need for internal discipline within startups.

Summary

Across her submission, Owoyale delivers a message that cuts through startup hype:

A great product without structure is a fragile business.

For founders, the path to sustainability is not just about innovation or funding, it is about:

• Building clear governance systems
• Maintaining financial discipline
• Understanding ownership and control
• Making informed, data-driven decisions

In a competitive and capital-sensitive environment, these elements are not optional, they are what determine whether a startup survives, scales, or collapses.

Because in the end, it’s not just about raising money or building products, it’s about building a business that can stand.

Listen to April edition of Techeconomy Business Series on Spotify: Clic here or Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3i0-t7LGio

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Even when companies with mixed-gender founding teams are included, startups involving women attracted just over 12% of global venture funding.

These are still among the most striking imbalances in the global startup economy.

But the funding gap doesn’t reveal the lot happening across sectors such as finance, healthcare, artificial intelligence, mobility and digital commerce. Women entrepreneurs are building companies that address everyday problems, including saving money, accessing diagnostics, paying school fees or commuting to work. 

Many of these businesses are growing quietly but steadily, creating new markets and improving access to essential services.

As the world marks International Women’s Day (IWD 2026), the economic focus has gone beyond asking if women are entering business, but where they are touching and bolstering entire sectors.

Fintech: expanding access to money

Financial technology has become one of the most visible areas where women are building scalable companies.

In Nigeria, PiggyVest, co-founded by Odunayo Eweniyi, has grown into one of the country’s most widely used savings and investment platforms. The service allows users to automate savings and invest small amounts through a mobile app. For many youths, it has become a simple entry point into personal finance.

Eweniyi is also a co-founder of FirstCheck Africa, an investment fund created to provide early-stage funding for female-led technology startups across the continent.

Another Nigerian fintech platform attracting attention is Bamboo, where Yanmo Omorogbe serves as co-founder and chief operating officer. Bamboo allows Nigerians to buy and trade U.S. stocks directly from their phones, a service that has received strong demand from young investors seeking exposure to global markets.

Elsewhere on the continent, women are building platforms focused on financial inclusion.

Shecluded, founded by Ifeoma Uddoh, provides loans and financial training to female entrepreneurs. The platform supports women who usually find access to credit from traditional banks difficult.

Another example is Hervest, founded by Solape Akinpelu, which offers savings and investment products designed specifically for African women, including smallholder farmers.

At the grassroots level, social enterprise Mamamoni, created by Nkem Okocha, provides microloans and vocational training for women in low-income communities.

Taken together, these platforms illustrate how fintech innovation in Africa is addressing financial behaviour such as saving, investing and accessing credit, rather than simply digitising traditional banking.

Health technology: solving long-ignored healthcare gaps

Healthcare is another sector where women entrepreneurs are building companies around problems that were usually overlooked by traditional investors.

In Nigeria, Healthtracka, founded by Ifeoluwa Dare‑Johnson, allows users to book laboratory tests online and receive diagnostic results digitally. The company raised $1.5 million in seed funding to expand its services across Africa. 

Simplifying access to diagnostics, Healthtracka is tackling one of the toughest gaps in African healthcare systems.

Another Nigerian startup in the space is Clafiya, founded by Jennie Nwokoye. The platform connects patients with verified healthcare providers, offering digital access to medical consultations and services.

Pharmaceutical access is being addressed by Pharmarun, founded by Teniola Adedeji, which helps people locate and finance prescription medications across African markets.

Meanwhile, One Health, founded by Adeola Alli, is building a mobile-first platform that simplifies pharmacy services and access to primary healthcare.

Globally, women founders are also building large digital health companies.

U.S. platform Maven Clinic, founded by Katherine Ryder, provides virtual care services covering pregnancy, fertility and family health. The company has reached a valuation above $1 billion.

Another fast-growing health company is Kindbody, founded by physician Gina Bartasi, which operates fertility clinics and digital reproductive health platforms.

These businesses show how women founders are turning neglected healthcare challenges into scalable technology markets.

Enterprise software and artificial intelligence

The technology sector is male-dominated, particularly in enterprise software and artificial intelligence. But then several women entrepreneurs have built companies at the centre of the digital economy.

One of the most interesting examples is Canva, co-founded by Melanie Perkins. The platform has grown into one of the world’s most widely used design tools, serving more than 150 million users globally.

Another example from the AI sector is Scale AI, co-founded by Lucy Guo, which provides data infrastructure used to train artificial intelligence systems.

These companies operate deep inside the digital economy, building the tools and infrastructure that other businesses rely on.

Mobility and urban transport

Women founders are also addressing everyday urban problems, particularly transportation in fast-growing cities.

In Nigeria, Shuttlers, founded by Damilola Olokesusi, operates a scheduled bus-sharing platform designed to reduce commuting stress in cities such as Lagos. 

The company allows users to book bus seats through a mobile app and has raised more than $5 million in funding to expand its operations.

Urban mobility is one of the biggest challenges in rapidly expanding African cities. Platforms like Shuttlers provide structured alternatives to chaotic public transport systems.

Logistics and cross-border commerce

eCommerce is expanding across Africa, and logistics startups are becoming more important.

Sendsprint, founded by Damisi Busari, focuses on simplifying cross-border remittances and international payments.

Meanwhile, Fez Delivery, founded by Seun Alley, is building last-mile delivery infrastructure for businesses and consumers across African cities.

Logistics companies like these are the backbone of digital commerce, connecting online marketplaces to physical deliveries.

Education technology and financial literacy

Education financing is another area where women founders are developing new solutions.

Schoolable, co-founded by Angela Essien, provides financing tools that allow families and schools to spread tuition payments over time. The company has also developed digital tools that teach financial literacy to students.

Across many African countries, school fees sometimes limit education. Flexible financing platforms like Schoolable are attempting to solve that problem.

The funding paradox

Looking beyond these good works, women founders still receive a small share of venture capital.

Data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor shows that women are launching businesses at rates close to men in many parts of the world.

However, access to capital is uneven. Across Africa, female-founded startups raised about $256 million in venture funding in 2025, representing 10% of the continent’s total equity investment, according to research from Partech Partners.

Part of the explanation is within the investment industry itself. Women still hold fewer than one-fifth of senior roles in venture capital firms globally.

Investment networks usually affect who receives funding, and those networks are dominated by men.

The industries women may transform next

Several emerging sectors could see stronger participation from women entrepreneurs in the coming years.

Artificial intelligence applications in healthcare and education are expanding, and climate technology, covering renewable energy, environmental monitoring and sustainable agriculture, is also attracting attention.

Another fast-growing field is the care economy, which includes childcare services, elder care and home healthcare.

With populations ageing and cities expanding, these sectors are likely to become indispensable to the global economy.

A change already underway

The venture capital gap is real and women founders still receive a small share of global startup investment.

But the companies they are building are doing exploits, solving problems that affect millions of people.

The change may not always be broadcasted, but across multiple industries, it is already enhancing markets.

Women are not simply joining the startup economy, but are helping determine what it becomes.

The post #IWD: The Industries Women Are Quietly Disrupting in 2026 appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Inuwa, represented by Acting Director, Digital Literacy and Capacity Building Department, Dr Amina Magaji-Sambo, stated this at the opening ceremony of the Female Founder Training organised by the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), a subsidiary of the agency in Abuja.

He noted that the initiative is aimed at supporting and empowering women in Nigeria to leverage digital technologies for building viable and scalable businesses.

“This training program is dedicated to discovering and highlighting innovative and technology-based concepts, ideas and solutions created by women in Nigeria. The goal is to bridge gender disparities in the technological industry and encourage the creation of digital employment opportunities for women,” he said.

He added that “within just two weeks, the call for the Female Founders Training resonated across the country, eliciting an extraordinary response of 7,151 applications from the 36 states; this shows the overwhelming interest that underscores the untapped potential and enthusiasm that exists among our women in the field of technology.”

“The response to our call was amazing, and participants underwent a meticulous three-stage selection process to ensure the best fit for the program. At the end of this rigorous process, I’m proud to announce that 12 successful candidates emerged, and they are strategically chosen to represent each of the 6 geopolitical zones,” he added.

He further disclosed that the mission encompasses identifying and showcasing innovative tech-based ideas and solutions developed by Nigerian females. “We aim to promote and support these tech-based ventures founded by women which would enable the closure of gender gaps that exists in the tech ecosystem.

In his earlier remarks, the Acting National Coordinator of ONDI, Mr Yakubu Musa, affirmed the support for women’s inclusion in the tech ecosystem to bridge the gap.

While acknowledging that females are changing the narrative with a keen interest in innovative businesses that will change and shape their lives, Mr. Musa said, “this will pave way for women’s advancement in the tech ecosystem.”

Musa noted that the objectives of the program are rooted in empowerment, diversity, growth and network building to equip aspiring female entrepreneurs with not just knowledge but the practical skills and resources needed for building and nurturing start-ups through series of workshops, mentoring sessions, and networking opportunities.

He stated that business growth is not a mere goal, it is a commitment to guiding start-ups adding that “we aim not just for sustainability and profitability, but for the creation of opportunities that ripple through communities leading to the creation of jobs and empowerment.”

Musa pointed out that ONDI is ready to forge a network alliance of entrepreneurs, mentors and investors, a relationship that will fuel innovation and access to essential resources to build a community of tech experts for the advancement of the country.

The post Inuwa Launches NITDA’s Female Founder Training, Stresses urgency of Digital Jobs for Women appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The goal is to build a global ecosystem to facilitate greater visibility, funding opportunities and community among women in technology.

She Loves Tech, which also includes an acceleration programme, resource matching and global pitch competition, seeks to close the funding gap for women and provide them with investments through its network of world-class investors.

The Competition is hosted in over 70 countries, across 6 continents, giving startups a lifetime opportunity to grow beyond limit.

Benefits 

Over $500,000 worth of prizes will be made available to successful winners of the competition.

• Funding, resources, and visibility, including $100,000 direct investments will be received from She Loves Tech
• $15,000 Cash Prize from Teja Ventures
• $10,000 Cash Prize from ADB Ventures
• Special media coverage
• Mentorship from the best of the best
• Fast track access to programmes and resources
• In-house advisory services, and 
• Unparalleled global community of founders and investors

Eligibility 

For early-stage startups, you should be:

• Seeking seed, angel or A round funding (under US$5M) with at least a minimum viable product (past conceptual stage)

Gender Lens

For technology startups, you should fulfil one of the following gender lens:

• Female founder
• Majority female users
• Majority female consumers
• Technology impacting women positively

Competition Process

Screening and Preparation: August – September 2022

Applications will be evaluated by the global screening team with the final shortlisted startups receiving access to an exclusive pitch preparation curriculum and mentorship sessions. We look at a range of criteria including market opportunity, traction, scalability and growth potential, innovation and creativity, and calibre of founder and team.

Local Rounds: September – October 2022

Shortlisted startups will take the stage to showcase their businesses in their respective Local rounds hosted in different countries and regions. The winner of each round will then move into the global phase of the Competition.

Bootcamp: End of October 2022

A week-long boot camp especially curated for the winners of each local round will take place at the end of October. The boot camp is based on experiential learning, mentorship and peer coaching. It covers market, innovation and fundraising topics.

Global Finals: November 2022

The culminating final round of the competition will be held during the She Loves Tech Global Conference, and will also serve as an investor demo day, allowing startups to pitch to investors directly for funding. Startups have the opportunity to win up to US$50,000 investment and cash prizes.

How to apply

Do you meet the above criteria? Then apply for the She Loves Tech Global Startup Competition before the deadline on Monday, September 12, 2022.

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