The Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of Pan-Atlantic University, in partnership with the Standard Chartered Foundation and Village Capital, has graduated 11 women-led businesses at the 7th edition of the Women in Tech Incubator and Accelerator Programme.
The graduation ceremony, held at The Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos, marks seven years of empowering women-owned tech and tech-enabled businesses in Nigeria.
Since its launch in 2019, the programme has supported 60 women directly, with ripple effects impacting thousands across sectors including education, health, fashion, wellness, and supply chain management.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Nneka Okekearu, Director, Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University, said empowering women in technology goes beyond business.
“When you empower a woman, you empower a nation. Over the last seven years, we have empowered numerous women in the tech and tech-enabled space,” she said.
Dr. Okekearu noted that the programme has evolved to meet changing realities. “Every year we see changes economically, socially, and in the tech space. This year, we introduced more specialised advisory services,” she said.
She highlighted the impact on past beneficiaries: “Many have grown their revenue, pivoted their business models, and won awards. It is not just about numbers, but impact in the lives of people and the communities they serve.
“On funding, she explained that the programme runs for five to six months, providing capacity building, mentoring, coaching and, crucially, corporate governance structures.
“We set up a board for each business to help them refine their model. When that is done, they become a magnet for funding. They have financial discipline, financial literacy, and all the structures funders require. We also provide seed grants and access to single-digit loan pools through our network,” she said.
According to her, the programme targets viable businesses that are at least 51 per cent women-owned, tech-enabled, and beyond the ideation stage.
This year’s cohort reflects the diversity of problems women are solving.
“We have a woman building a platform for children with learning disabilities. Another built a platform after watching her mother make over a million naira daily but couldn’t access funding because of a lack of documentation. Women are building solutions from gaps and pains they have personally experienced,” Dr. Okekearu said.
She added that mentorship has become a mutually beneficial relationship, with mentors continuing to support alumnae beyond their cohort. “The best time to be a woman entrepreneur is now,” she noted.
Also speaking, Mrs. Joke Adu, Head, Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing, Standard Chartered Nigeria, said the bank remains committed to women’s economic inclusion.
“Today we are celebrating Cohort 7 of the Standard Chartered Foundation Women in Tech Incubator. We started in 2019 and have supported 60 women, impacting thousands. What is integral is that these women get training and business advisory, and at the end, select winners get seed funding to scale,” she said.
Adu noted that alumnae businesses are delivering tangible solutions across key sectors.
“We see significant progress every day. While we are proud of our contribution, there are opportunities for more organisations and government to collaborate and empower more women doing phenomenal work,” she added.
Keynote Speaker, Mrs. Oreoluwa Leshi, Founder and Executive Director, Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC), said closing the gender gap in technology is critical to national development.
“A nation cannot develop with just half of its population succeeding. Women are primary caregivers raising the next generation. Yet women make up only about 20 per cent of Nigeria’s tech workforce. Programmes like this ensure women-led startups get the advice, mentorship and funding they need to grow,” Leshi said.
One of the graduands, Mrs. Fara Popoola, Founder and CEO of Check It Limited (Proctor 360), a platform that helps wholesalers protect trade during import and export, said the programme brought clarity and confidence.
“Three months ago, I was all over the place with multiple products and customer segments. This programme helped me focus on my ideal customer and how to serve them. Winning this grant allows us to deploy field agents and reach the informal market that needs us most,” she said.
This has given me boldness and clarity of vision. Women tend to stay indoors, afraid to step out. We need more of this, and I intend to pass it on,” Popoola added.
