Nigerian Founder, Folake Owodunni of Emergency Response Africa Emerges Winner of $30,000 Prize Money
Aurora Tech Award, a worldwide prize for female founders of IT and Tech Startups, an inDrive’s empowering opportunity for female startup founders in tech, and Sponsor of Women Who Launch (a Lagos Startup Week track and an initiative of Prime Startups, the governing corporate company driving the event) took to the Lagos Startup Week stage on Thursday, July 11 2024 to recognize five powerful female founders and finalists of its recently concluded annual global prize.
The inclusive organization bridging the funding gap for female founders in tech by breaking down barriers and promoting equality in tech entrepreneurship received 649 applications from female participants across the globe. Following a thorough assessment period, Nigerian entrepreneur, Folake Owodunni, CEO & Founder of Emergency Response Africa, who sent in her application as well, topped her peers to receive the prized funding of $30,000. In addition to the cash prizes, the Aurora Tech Award also provides winners with mentorship opportunities, access to a global network of investors, and media exposure to help scale their ventures.
The Aurora Tech Award in partnership with the Women Who Launch Track of the Lagos Startup Week, an initiative of Prime Startups, sponsored a fire chat session featuring Somachi Chris-Asoluka, CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation. Titled “Supporting Founders of the Future”, Somachi joined Isioma Utomi, Track Lead, Women Who Launch, to discuss opportunities for female founders and how the Tony Elumelu Foundation has empowered women.
In another panel session themed: ‘Aurora Tech Award: Female Founded, Female Funded’ featuring Mercy Akamo, Head, TEDx Lagos (Moderator) and the finalists of the Aurora Tech Award 2024 – Eniola Edun, Co-founder, Gamr; Ifeoma Nwobu, Co-founder/COO, Sendstack; Jumoke Dada, Founder, Talieo; Damilola Olokesusi, Co-founder/CEO, Shuttlers; and Olapeju Umah, Founder/ CEO, MyFoodAngels, the tech award platform gave a platform for these finalists to share their journey in tech, successes and challenges.
During the session, Nwobu, Co-founder/COO, Sendstack said “Aurora Tech Award is doing a fantastic job through mentoring, funding and award. You would not find too many gender-based organizations in Nigeria such as Aurora Tech Award that provide a platform like this.”
In a statement to the media, Nwobu mentioned that the sponsored panel was very insightful and allowed her to learn from her fellow founders.
“The session was full of insight with the young women founders sharing practical experiences on starting a business. I have learned a few relevant tips from my co-speakers today and I look forward to this kind of session powered by Aurora Tech Award and other related organizations,” she added.
During the session, panelists shared valuable startup experiences, challenges in the startup ecosystem in Nigeria, and solutions therein. The session also highlighted these women’s journeys, helping attendees to learn from their successes and failures, and better understand the current business and funding landscape for female tech founders in Nigeria and across the globe.
Nadeen Hossam, Partnerships Manager, EMEA, Aurora Tech Award spoke about the need for representation in the funding strategy for startups. Speaking about how the Aurora Tech Award promotes this representation, she said, “We believe in breaking down barriers and promoting equality in tech entrepreneurship. Women entrepreneurs in IT face challenges like investor bias, stereotypes, and a lack of role models, limiting their representation.”
“According to Crunchbase, only 2.3% of venture funding goes to women-led startups. And we’re here to change that! Our mission is to discover hidden gems among startups led by women, providing the support they need to shine brightly. Join us in setting new, fair standards in the venture world,” she said.
“If you are a woman founder with a tech startup, regardless of the specific industry, and have a functional prototype or an early version of your product, the Aurora Tech Award is just for you. We are interested in your company, your journey, and the challenges you’ve overcome,” she added.
According to Isioma Utomi, Lead Organiser of the Women Who Launch summit, “Aurora Tech Award’s commitment to female founders’ growth is worthy of note. It is no news that female founders receive less funding than their male counterparts. These women who maintain the same level of grit, and show expertise and great skill, also deserve to be recognized as leaders and supported. Everyone needs to pitch in to elevate the work of these female founders. We are thrilled to partner with the Aurora Tech Award by recognizing these women through the Women Who Launch track.”
Olumide Olayinka, Co-founder, Prime Startups, the governing corporate company driving Lagos Startup Week in the last nine years said that the firm’s approach to female participation in the 2024 Lagos Startup Week took a new turn.
“This year, we not only chose a theme that resonates strongly with our relentless and resilient female founders, but we also partnered with Aurora Tech Award to launch a celebratory and recognitory session for female founders, within our Women Who Launch track. It was indeed great to partner for such an impactful session, and we are committed to more partnerships that place our female founders in the spotlight. Our female founders are deserving of more. These women scale their businesses with limited access to funding and support but keep at it anyway. They always show up and show out, and the Lagos Startup Week will continue to open its doors to them at all times.”
Unveiling the 2024 winners at the Lagos Startup Week, Aurora Tech Award shared more details about the female-founded startups that won the first, second, and third prizes. with a Nigerian woman and Co-founder, Emergency Response Africa, Nigeria, Folake Owodunni emerging as the 2024 winner with the first prize worth $30,000.
Folake Owodunni, Co-founder, Emergency Response Africa, Nigeria, won the first prize for her organization’s sustainable and scalable solution providing emergency medical services. Emergency Response Africa is a health tech company that combines emergency response training with intelligent dispatch, communications technology, and alternative medical transportation.
Hannah Töpler, Intrare, Mexico, and Sarah Phiri-Molema, Deaftronics (Pty) Ltd, Botswana emerged second and third winners respectively. Intrare emerged second for its inclusive strategy focused on championing efforts for fair employment for all diverse groups. Intrare is a social tech that builds proprietary AI to eliminate bias from recruitment. Intrare mission is to match millions of refugees, marginalized women, LGBTIQ+, and other diverse talents with fair jobs to break the poverty cycle.
Deaftronics (Pty) Ltd, Botswana came in third place for its solar-powered hearing aid for children and people from unprivileged communities. Deaftronics (Pty) Ltd developed the first rechargeable hearing aid battery, which lasts for 2-3 years and can be used in 80% of hearing aids on the market today. It is solar-powered and can be charged via the sun, household light, or a cell phone plug.
The gender gap in the African tech ecosystem manifests in various forms, including leadership representation, funding disparities, and pay gaps. To combat this gender bias, Aurora Tech Award partnered with Lagos Startup Week which has been dedicated to fostering a community for African female innovators over the past nine years, providing them with opportunities to grow, learn, and connect in the tech space, to launch the award, the first of its kind in Nigeria.
As the accomplishments of these remarkable women are celebrated, there is also anticipation for supporting the next generation of female tech entrepreneurs. Female founders with tech startups are encouraged to look out for the Aurora Tech Award applications opening in September 2024. This presents an opportunity for them to gain the recognition and support they deserve. Stay tuned and prepare to showcase their innovations to the world!
