Norrsken East Africa, in collaboration with its partners, unveiled the second cohort of the Women in Business Initiative on April 17th, aiming to empower and accelerate the growth of women-led tech-enabled ventures.
Implemented by the Norrsken Foundation in collaboration with the Embassy of Sweden in Rwanda, this initiative features 15 female entrepreneurs embarking on a six-month comprehensive training program.
Phionah Ingabire, the Women in Business Initiative Manager, highlighted the program’s focus on addressing the specific challenges faced by women founders in the tech space, aiming to kick-start and scale up their ventures.
Drawing from insights gained from the previous pilot cohort, the organizing team adopted various strategies to enhance the training and achieve better outcomes.
Ingabire emphasized the importance of selecting businesses with early traction for tailored support, including individual coaching and mentorship for each founder.
The selection process involved input from business experts in the country, facilitated by implementation partners.
In addition to traditional workshops, wellness sessions have been introduced to ensure that founders maintain the right mindset throughout the program, leading to significant outcomes in terms of revenue, profitability, and job creation.
Ingabire encouraged cohort members to embody resilience, passion, and time-consciousness as they navigate the learning journey and interact with mentors.
Ambassador Alice Nkulikiyimfura, BPN Rwanda Country Director, emphasized the importance of commitment to the six-month training period for achieving expected outcomes, underscoring the abundance of opportunities available in Rwanda’s thriving economy.
Michelle Umurungi, Deputy Managing Director of Norrsken East Africa, applauded the cohort members for their innovative solutions to global challenges and urged them to persevere as founders regardless of gender stereotypes.
During the launch event, each founder shared their vision for their company over the next five years.
Sandrine Ingabire, Founder of Tulivu Home Solutions, expressed her ambition for her company to become the top household help provider across the region, highlighting the social impact at the core of her business.
Amina Niyigena, Co-founder of Bookly Africa and an alumna of the first cohort, described the program as a ‘game-changer’ in terms of networking and personal growth.
She encouraged the cohort to seize every learning opportunity, forge lasting friendships, and cultivate partnerships beyond the incubation period, emphasizing the transformative power of peer support and experience sharing.
