Standard Chartered will expand its Futuremakers Women in Tech Accelerator across Africa, the Middle East, and Pakistan in partnership with VillageCapital to provide women with specialised training, catalytic funding, and access to a global network of peers, finance providers, industry leaders, and ecosystem partners.
Part of Futuremakers by Standard Chartered (Futuremakers), the Bank’s global youth economic empowerment initiative for disadvantaged young people, and with funding from the Standard Chartered Foundation, Futuremakers Women in Tech Accelerator will support 400 women entrepreneurs to build thriving microbusinesses, create jobs, and drive lasting social and environmental impact.
According to Tanuj Kapilashrami, Chief Strategy and Talent Officer at Standard Chartered: “Empowering women is critical to economic growth, and central to our stand of lifting participation by unleashing the financial potential of women and small businesses. We believe equitable access to funding and resources is essential to fostering innovation and driving meaningful social impact. Through the Futuremakers Women in Tech Accelerator, we are addressing the systemic challenges women microbusiness owners face, creating pathways for them to scale their businesses which will, in turn, help drive positive change in their communities.”
The initiative aims to provide more than 32 catalytic grants totalling almost USD1.9m, enable and support over 1,200 jobs in over three years delivered in collaboration with local expert implementing partners. The Accelerator will be available across 12 of Standard Chartered’s markets, continuing in Bahrain, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa*, UAE, and Zambia, and expanding to two new markets – Uganda and Egypt.
“Our partnership with Standard Chartered is a gamechangerfor women-led start-ups across Africa, the Middle East, and Pakistan. By providing critical resources, catalytic capital, and market-level support, we aim to drive inclusive economic growth and ensure that women entrepreneurs can scale their businesses and impact communities at a transformative level,” said Rachel Crawford, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Village Capital.
Launching Futuremakers Women in Tech
Applications for the 2025 Futuremakers Women in Tech Accelerator will open in late April. Participants will receive investment-readiness training, personalised development plans, and expert mentorship, working with advisors and industry leaders to strengthen their business models and access networking opportunities. More than USD600K in grant funding for entrepreneurs will be distributed annually across markets.
Since launching more than a decade ago, Women in Tech has helped more than 4,000 women across 17 of Standard Chartered’s markets. Today’s news follows the announcement that Futuremakers Women in Tech is continuing in the US, with applications already underway.
Futuremakers Women in Tech is one of several programmes that aim to tackle inequality and empower disadvantaged young people. Since launching in 2019, Futuremakers has enabled and supported more than 88,900 jobs.
