FemSTEM

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Stay informed on the most recent updates, application deadlines, and additional details.

Program Status: Active

Countries:

Flag of Canada Canada Flag of Ethiopia Ethiopia Flag of Ghana Ghana Flag of Kenya Kenya Flag of Mauritius Mauritius Flag of Rwanda Rwanda Flag of South Africa South Africa

In 2017, H2i initiated its FemSTEM program with the objective of inspiring, engaging, and celebrating women entrepreneurs.

FemSTEM is our dedicated program focused on fostering an increasingly diverse and inclusive community. We are committed to supporting women and building valuable and diverse connections, and to uplifting women in STEM who are looking to create their own business. From 2017-2021, the program was comprised of a multi-event series, with a pitch competition being added in 2021.

In 2021, we consulted with women founders to better understand how we could enhance our support. The overwhelming response was to extend our FemSTEM programming year-round, emphasizing one-on-one mentorship from women founders and networking opportunities.

As a direct outcome, H2i launched FemSTEM Mentoring in early 2022 and has successfully connected six H2i women founders seeking mentorship from women with leading experts in their respective fields. As a result, FemSTEM has witnessed a remarkable growth from 5% female co-founded ventures in 2017 to 46% in 2023. H2i has experienced significant growth in the total number of ventures, expanding from 7 in 2014 to 210 in 2022, with 96 ventures featuring female co-founders. Currently, H2i boasts 25 active female mentors and is actively recruiting more each year. These numbers will continue to rise as we launch a Pan-African FemSTEM program.

FemSTEM Program consists of

FemSTEM Kickoff and Panel
Three Fireside chats
Pitch Competition

FemSTEM 2023 statics, which piloted open promotion to our African partners for the first time:

297 Attendees
21 applications for the pitch competition
Top 6 applicants: DTPx Therapeautics, NorthMiRs, Mind-Easy, Cove Neurosciences, CathGraft and Neuropeutics
Pitch Competition Winner: DTPx Therapeautics
Pitch Competition 1^st Runner up: CathGraft
Pitch Competition 2^nd Runner up: Cove Neurosciences

In addition to the domestic program, which will run from January to March 2024, FemStem-Africa will launch its inaugural pan-African version in April 2024, running until June 2024. This event will be conducted online, ensuring accessibility across the African continent.

Partners Involved

H2i is a commercial accelerator that educates, enables, partners, and facilitates early-stage entrepreneurs in the commercialization of health matters.

Social Enterprise Ghana (SE Ghana) is an organization that seeks to bring together all the players in the social enterprise sector in Ghana to build a stronger social enterprise ecosystem and increase its impact. SE Ghana will be H2i collaborative partner in Africa.