She leads Africa (SLA) opens application for the acceleration program in Nigeria. She Leads Africa is a social enterprise dedicated to supporting young African women and their journey towards professional success. The organization has been featured on CNN, CNBC Africa, Black Enterprise and Fox Business and has more than 400,000 community members across Africa and the diaspora. Further, They are committed to helping smart and ambitious young African women live their best lives. She Leads Africa also, promote and uplift local talent by proactively identifying promising African experts and practitioners and providing them a platform to grow. Further, they deliver the best career and business content focused on our community.

Benefit

• The winner of the program will receive N2 million from SLA
• Transport fares and accommodation fees for participants outside of Lagos will be covered by SLA
• Further, 4 months of intensive training on business and operational skills
• Online and offline learning resources
• Exclusive access and mentorship from some of Nigeria’s leading business personalities
• Further, Opportunity to pitch your business in front of local and international investors
• Features in local and international media

Eligibility

Business with at least one woman aged 18-35 as a shareholder or owner;

• They are accepting applications from innovative businesses in ALL sectors this year;
• Less than 3 years in operation;
• Also, Business must be based in Nigeria;
• Business must not have raised more than $50,000 in external funding.

Selection process

1. Proof of Concept

• The clear problem, which the candidate is hoping to solve
• Similarly, Well-defined solution
• Pathway to monetizing the proposed solution

2. Understanding of Competitive Landscape

• Candidates should be able to describe competitive landscape comprehensively
• Candidates should be able to identify risks and also, propose mitigants for risks identified

3. Management Team

• Assessment of personal capabilities
• Also, Strengths of the team align with startup needs

4. Financials

• A clear understanding of how this business will make money and the key value drivers
• Specific investment ask and a plan for how they will utilize the funds
• Also, Reasonable investment ask for their stage of business

5. Customer

• A clear understanding of their customer demand
• Finally, Clear identification of their sales pipeline