Meet the Motherland Moguls from the She Leads Africa Accelerator Programme Ready to Take Africa

The She Leads Africa (SLA) accelerator in partnership with Work in Progress! Alliance is back with a bang. The SLA accelerator is a 3-month programme designed to identify, support and fund the next generation of Nigeria’s brightest entrepreneurs. This year, the programme targeted entrepreneurs building technology-enabled businesses across Nigeria.

After a rigorous application process, 10 entrepreneurs were selected from hundreds of applicants. Factors like a business model, scalability, traction and revenue potential were taken into consideration during the selection process. The top 10 candidates convened in Lagos for 3 residency weeks over 3 months where they learned about, Business Strategy, Financial Modelling, Digital Marketing, and Talent Acquisition.

Meet the participants

• Sprout Digital Development Limited – Sprout is a digital company that provides a wide range of technology products and services to transform businesses and helps them grow. 
• Doctoora E-Health Limited – Doctoora is a real estate startup operating an online platform that provides co-working spaces for healthcare professionals. 
• TVP Adventures – TVP Adventures is a tour operating company providing all-inclusive adventure packages within Africa 
• Juxtameds – Juxtameds is a health technology startup which provides online repeat prescriptions delivered to your doorstep 
• Brandocks.com – Brandocks.com is a print-tech  e-commerce platform that allows you to customize and order any apparel online and have it delivered nationwide 
• NSAATA – NSAATA is a bespoke shoemaking business specializing in the design and manufacture of shoes for men and women with non-standard shoe sizes and forms 
• FabricsNG – FabricsNG is an online marketplace for young creatives and fashion designers to source a wide variety of quality and affordable fabrics at their convenience 
• Nicademia – Nicademia aims to prevent the extinction of African Languages through animated videos available on demand and via their mobile app, tablets, and TV. 
• The SmartFarm – The SmartFarm is a “crowd farming” estate that uses a digital platform to connect with busy professionals so that they can farm without getting their hands dirty 
• Foodlocker – Foodlocker is an online e-commerce platform store for groceries is Nigeria. It offers unbeatable convenience, farm-freshness and a matchless customer service
  

The participants with Yele Bademosi, Founder & Managing Partner, Microtraction

Learning in action. (L) Modupe of SmartFarm and (R) Shakirah of Doctoora

The programme closes out in November, where the participants will get a chance to pitch their business to a room of investors at the Demo Day event. The top 3 businesses will get N2 million, N1 million and N500k cash investment from She Leads Africa.

The participants strike a pose with Emmanuel Quartey, Head of Growth, Paystack after learning about User-Centered Product Design

Since its inception, the SLA Accelerator has trained over 30 entrepreneurs and given out over ₦15 million in funding. Some of the judges, mentors, and advisors who have participated in the programme include Aliko Dangote (Chairman of Dangote Group), Mo Abudu (Founder of Ebony Life TV) and Ben White (Founder of Venture Capital For Africa).

The 2018 SLA Accelerator is run in partnership with the Work in Progress! Alliance – a consortium of Oxfam, Butterfly Works, and VC4A focused on driving job creation and youth employment in Nigeria. The Accelerator is also supported by Lagos Innovates, an initiative of Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF).

The participants all smiles with the awesome Bukky Akomolafe, Commercial Manager, Travelstart after a session on Competitor Analysis

About She Leads Africa:

She Leads Africa is a media platform that helps young women achieve their professional dreams by providing expert advice, opportunities for networking and global growth opportunities. SLA reaches more than 500,000 women across 35+ countries and 5 continents and has been featured in the Financial Times, BBC, CNN, Forbes, CNBC Africa Fast Company, Black Enterprise, and Huffington Post. In December 2016, SLA was the first African startup to ring the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange

About Work In Progress! Alliance:

The Work in Progress! Alliance is focused on unlocking the economic potential of young women and men in Egypt, Nigeria, and Somalia. The project aims to enable them to generate sustainable and living incomes – by finding regular employment or starting enterprises. Alliance partners include Oxfam, VC4A (Venture Capital for Africa) and Butterfly Works. As part of the project, VC4A partners with local accelerators and works to strengthen local investor networks.

About Lagos Innovates and Lagos State Employment Trust Fund:

Lagos Innovates is an initiative of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, it was established to help position Lagos State as a global centre for technology startups in Africa. It is focused on helping founders, developers, and investors with access to learning resources, early-stage investment capital, peer networks, and high-quality workspaces and infrastructure.

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