KPMG has opened applications for the 2026 edition of its Female Founders in Africa competition, an initiative designed to identify and support women entrepreneurs building technology oriented ventures across the continent. The programme invites applications from founders operating in sectors including technology, healthcare, agriculture, financial services and other innovation driven industries.
The competition forms part of the firm’s broader Private Enterprise initiative and is administered through its African advisory network. According to information published by KPMG, the programme seeks to provide mentorship, visibility and access to investor networks for women founders who are developing scalable businesses within African markets.
The initiative emerges at a time when research continues to highlight structural barriers facing women entrepreneurs in securing venture capital. Studies examining entrepreneurial ecosystems in sub Saharan Africa indicate that women frequently encounter financing constraints linked to limited investor networks, risk perception biases and uneven access to institutional capital. Academic analyses of entrepreneurial financing ecosystems suggest that these barriers can restrict the ability of women led enterprises to scale even where market opportunities exist (Irene et al., 2025; Ackah et al., 2024).
Recent investment data reflects this broader trend. Reports tracking venture capital flows into African technology ventures indicate that women led startups continue to receive a comparatively small share of overall funding. Research on gender disparities in entrepreneurial finance has consistently shown that women founders globally face greater difficulty accessing venture capital compared with male counterparts, often due to investor evaluation biases and structural constraints within financing systems (Kanze et al., 2018; Radhakrishnan and Ho, 2025). Similar dynamics have been documented within African innovation ecosystems (Kato, 2023).
The competition is open to founders whose businesses are registered in an African country and have been operational for at least one year. Participating ventures must demonstrate that technology plays a central role in their product, service or business model. Companies majority owned by large corporate entities are not eligible.
Applicants will be assessed across four criteria. These include inclusivity, innovation and disruption, market potential and financial performance. According to KPMG, each category is weighted equally during the evaluation process. Shortlisted participants will present their ventures during regional pitch events before advancing to a continental final.
Finalists will compete across several venture stages, including early stage, growth stage and mature businesses. The overall winners in each category will receive recognition as the Africa Female Founder of the Year within the programme’s Private Enterprise network.
Although the competition does not directly award capital investment, selected participants are expected to benefit from mentorship, professional advisory support and introductions to investor communities. Entrepreneurial ecosystem research indicates that programmes offering network access and mentorship can play a significant role in strengthening the growth prospects of women led ventures, particularly in emerging innovation environments (Komlósi et al., 2025; Khattar et al., 2026).
Africa has one of the highest rates of female entrepreneurship globally, yet scholars note that this dynamism is not always reflected in the distribution of institutional financing. Studies examining entrepreneurship across the region highlight that women operate a large proportion of small and medium enterprises, often contributing significantly to employment and community level economic activity (Dabić et al., 2022; Brixiová and Kangoye, 2019). However, the transition from small enterprise to high growth venture frequently requires external capital that remains unevenly distributed.
Within this context, initiatives that expand access to networks, mentorship and investment opportunities are increasingly viewed as part of a broader effort to strengthen inclusive innovation ecosystems across Africa. Analysts have observed that supporting women entrepreneurs is not only a question of equity but also of economic development, as diversified entrepreneurial participation can expand innovation capacity and unlock new market opportunities across the continent.
Applications for the 2026 Female Founders in Africa competition are open through the KPMG application portal. All pitches are required to be delivered in English. Employees of KPMG, their immediate family members, contractors and audit clients are not eligible to participate. The organisers have confirmed that there is no application fee.
