Three Kenyan female founders have been selected among Twenty-five African female-founded tech startups for the third edition of The Future is Female Mentorship Program.
The three are Wambui Karingithi (Chiza Health), Radhika Bhachu (Ndovu) and Linet Kinyua (Pensoft System Limited).
The Future is Female Mentorship Program is a PR and communications mentorship program dedicated exclusively to African female tech founders.
It was launched by C. Moore Media, International Public Relations (CMM), a New York-headquartered in 2020.
When businesses worldwide were reeling from the effects of the global pandemic, CMM wanted to help the least supported group, early-stage startups led by African female tech founders.
In this third edition, the program received 343 applications from 36 different African countries translating to a 91% increase, compared to the applications received in the 2021 edition.
During the selection process, CMM gave special consideration to startups focusing on health, education, finance, agriculture, and sustainability. Startups that provide solutions and/or address African women’s and girls’ needs also received special consideration.
Once the 25 finalists have completed the Future is Female Mentorship program; they will have insights into the fundamentals of PR and communications for early-stage tech startups; they will also learn how to create a communications plan, storytelling best practices, strategic business communications with multiple stakeholders, how to position their startups for investment opportunities and more. The program will also provide mentees with insights customized for the unique needs of their business and sector.
For the third edition, CMM partnered with TechCabal, a leading Pan-Africa tech publication chronicling innovation and technology developments across Africa, and Africa Communications Week, a global platform that builds bridges between communications professionals focused on Africa’s transformation.
The program has also partnered with Allison+Partners, one of the international PR industry’s fastest-growing and innovative global agencies.
The partnerships enable the Program to provide additional perspectives, tools, and insights for the selected female founders and also bring world-class and Pan-African PR insights from additional leading experts, complementing CMM’s global and African regional PR expertise.
As part of the partnership, selected TechCabal team members will lead two masterclasses providing the 25 finalists with insights on working with tech media, understanding how to position their startups to gain the attention of the tech press, and the importance of partnerships and growth strategies.
The partnership with AfricaCommsWeek will give the founders expanded Pan-African and multi-market PR expertise, a key component for many female founders whose startups cover multiple African countries.
Mentorship Session Details CMM’s MD & Founder, Claudine Moore and CMM team members David Idagu and Tope Adubi, alongside selected TechCabal team members and AfricaCommsWeek’s founders, will lead group virtual masterclass sessions for the selected mentees and participate in Q and A sessions.
These masterclasses will then be followed by three months of mentorship sessions customized to the specific business needs of the mentees.
The customized sessions will provide insights into PR and communications fundamentals for early-stage tech startups, including creating a communications plan, corporate storytelling, media relations, digital marketing, and more.