Hello Innovators! 👋

Precious here from SASIE, your partner in tech entrepreneurship.

I hope you're all doing well with your week so far!

This week, I am shining the light on some amazing opportunities designed to enable you, our amazing women entrepreneurs, to take your businesses to the next level. Whether you are a tech innovator who has a solution for Africa's energy sector or a leader who wants to network with a global association, I have some great opportunities for you.

Prepare to see how you can power your aspirations and make your mark. Let’s dive in!

• Africa's Business Heroes 2025 – Apply to win up to $300,000!

• Vital Voices Global Fellowship 2025: Empowering Women Leaders Globally!

• Activate Investment Potential: Apply for Professional Expertise and Resources to Grow Your Business!

• AWIEF 2025 Call for Speakers: Share Your Expertise on Africa's Leading Women's Economic Empowerment Platform!

• Calling All Innovators in Digital Energy: Power the Future of Africa!

Founder Institute (FI) - Pre-Seed Startup Accelerator

Founder Institute (FI): World's Most Proven Pre-Seed Startup Accelerator

The Founder Institute is the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator; it provides a global support network along with a proven methodology to help aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs convert their ideas into fundable startups. This is a fully virtual, challenging, and structured process designed to get your business to traction and funding with the help of Silicon Valley experts.

What You'll Receive

• Structured Methodology: A proven, structured process comprising business-building sprints and milestones.

• Expert Network & Mentorship: Gain access to a global Equity Collective with over 30,000 helpful startup mentors and successful founders.

• Financial Benefits: Over $3 million in special deals and support from leading organizational partners.

• Funding Path: Opportunities to get fast-tracked into the Funding Lab program and Virtual Demo Days-giving you the best chance to raise capital.

• Lifetime Support: Join a global community and get a lifetime of support programs aimed at continuing growth.

Who Can Apply?

• Ambitious founders from all over the world (FI operates in more than 100 countries).

• Entrepreneurs at the idea stage to Beta-Stage (pre-seed) who want to build an impactful technology company.

• The featured Silicon Valley cohort is Fully Virtual.

Deadline: January 25, 2026.

WIN Challenge Seeks Innovative Solutions with $60M on the Table

Workplace Innovation Now (WIN) Challenge: Scaling Innovative Ideas for an Evolving Workplace

The Aspen Digital-led major grant competition, supported by Pivotal (the organization of Melinda French Gates), will grant $60 million in total to transformative solutions helping women thrive while building better workplaces. It focuses on finding and scaling innovative ideas across three key pillars:

What You'll Get

• Up to $60 million in total is available for awards.

• Large Grants: A total of eight awardees in each pillar will be granted funding up to either $2.5 million or $5 million per solution.

• Three Funding Pillars:

  Culture & Practices: Funding for scalable, evidence-based approaches to remove workplace barriers.

  AI Challenge: Funding for Solutions Addressing AI's Impact-including Mitigating Bias and Using AI to Help Women at Work.

  Narrative Challenge: Support for game-changing approaches to shape new public narratives about women and leadership.

Who Can Apply?

• The challenge specifically targets organizations whose solutions create an impact in workplaces and focus most on the United States.

• Organizations with transformative, scalable solutions within the three pillars: Culture & Practices, AI, and Narrative.

Call for Proposals: Local Transformation Projects 2026 (Nigeria)

Call for Proposals: Local Transformation Projects 2026 (Nigeria)

A project sponsored by the Embassy of the Czech Republic to Nigeria for financing small-scale, community-based projects. The Local Development Projects program empowers grassroots organizations and enables them to implement sustainable projects with an active approach to answering local needs, such as education, health, and access to basic resources.

What You'll Get

• Financial Grant: The grants range from 200,000 to 500,000 CZK per project.

• Funding Priority: Programs that enhance education, health, and the availability of basic resources.

• Implementation Support: Funding and support for the actual implementation of sustainable projects anchored in local needs, with an emphasis on local ownership and capacity building.

Who Can Apply?

• Must be a legally registered, non-political, non-governmental organization in Nigeria.

• Must have a proven track record in development work.

• Must be committed to long-term sustainability and local community involvement.

• Ineligible applicants include: Individuals, for-profit companies, or political/government-affiliated organizations.

Deadline: November 30, 2025

Nominations Open for Bold Woman Award (Nigeria)

Bold Woman Award, Veuve Clicquot, Nigeria

The Bold Woman Award pays homage to audacious women entrepreneurs who have brought about significant changes within their field and to society in general. The Veuve Clicquot initiative comprises two categories: the Bold Woman Award for the overall career success of an emblematic woman entrepreneur, and the Bold Future Award for a woman entrepreneur who has successfully created or taken over her business in the last five years.

What You'll Get

• Prestigious Recognition: The high-level recognition and celebration of your career and business success are displayed on a national platform.

• Two Categories of Recognition: Opportunity to be rewarded as an established entrepreneur-

  Bold Woman Award, or as an early-stage high-impact founder

  Bold Future Award.

• Visibility: An improved profile and visibility in the Nigerian business community and internationally.

Who Can Apply?

• Female entrepreneurs living in Nigeria.

• Nominees must be women entrepreneurs whose businesses demonstrate significant impact in their sector and society.

• All applications should be submitted in the country of residence, Nigeria, and must be completed with the nominee's business information.

Deadline: January 30, 2026.

SANAD ElevateHer Program for Empowering Women-Led Startups

SANAD ElevateHer Program for Empowering Women-Led Startups MENA & Sub-Saharan Africa

A targeted accelerator from Seedstars with the aim of strengthening and empowering women-led and gender-inclusive startups within the Middle East & North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. The program offers investment-readiness training, mentorship, and capacity building in an effort to close the gender finance gap while ultimately enabling founders to scale sustainable, impactful ventures.

What You'll Get

• Capacity Building: Structured, data-driven training for business and technical development.

• Mentorship: Hands-on mentorship from global Seedstars experts

• Investment readiness includes training and preparation that help founders pitch more effectively.

• Investor Exposure: Access for possible funding to global investor networks, incubators, and ecosystem partners directly.

• Resources: direct access to the Seedstars SMART™ Methodology and SIGMA™ Platform.

Who Can Apply?

• Startups operating in either MENA or Sub-Saharan Africa.

• Women-led or strongly gender-inclusive startups-for example, management positions held by women or a gender-balanced team.

• Must be either early-stage or growth-stage ventures.

• Must have an MVP or demonstrable market traction, including users, pilots, and early revenue.

• Annual revenues must be less than USD 1 million. Ideal sectors include fintech, healthtech, edtech, climate solutions, and agritech. Application Deadline

Deadline: November 26, 2026

ICYMI

• How Smart Founders Know When to Pivot or Shut Down Their Startup - Entrepreneur

• Common Funding Pitfalls For Small Businesses - Forbes

• Franchise Ownership Is Rising Among Women — Here’s Why It Matters - Entrepreneur

• Five Powerful Pieces of Advice for Founders - Founders Network

• Why Businesses Must Adapt To Maintain Customer Loyalty - Forbes

• Call for applications for 9 PhD positions in the MCSA doctoral network “EPHEMERAL"

• Marie Curie Doctoral Research Fellow​

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