Eunice Ajim announces the inaugural AWS Startups Women’s Demo Day in Lagos.

Last week, Eunice Ajim of Ajim Capital announced the firm’s hosting of the inaugural AWS Startups Women’s Demo Day in Lagos, Nigeria, scheduled for November 8, 2023, at the Zone Tech Park.

The event will feature keynote speakers, demos from female founders, and networking opportunities with investors and industry professionals. The primary goal is to create a supportive and empowering environment, fostering learning, connection, and inspiration for all participants

Female-led companies still find it difficult to raise as much money as their male competitors, despite efforts to address this issue. This pattern is prevalent throughout the world, not just in Africa, where male-led startups received a disproportionate 96% of funding overall, leaving only 4% for female-led businesses. Women-founded firms in the MENA area only received 1.3% of all investment in 2022.

According to data from DealStreetAsia, just 12.6% of the private capital raised in 2022 in Southeast Asia was led by women. The AWS Startups Women’s Demo Day in Lagos points to the growing need to promote more diverse venture capital firms as AWS recognizes the value of investing in women-led businesses.

Ajim expressed satisfaction with the event as she noted that it would empower incredible women-led startups in Africa.

“The numbers don’t lie – the funding gap has been widening, and we’re determined to change that narrative. Our goal is to connect these inspiring women founders with the support they deserve – investors, partners, and customers.

“Together, we’ll be part of a movement that unlocks access to capital and ignites innovation within the African tech ecosystem.

Attendees will also have access to exclusive benefits designed specifically for founders. These include:

$1k AWS Activate Credit Package: Founders who attend the event, and are tech-enabled, will receive $1k in AWS Activate Credits

AWS Reach: AWS Reach is an exclusive global community for startup founders from underserved backgrounds. As a member, founders will have access to special networking events, $5,000 in AWS Activate Credits (for eligible members only), training resources, webinars, technical support, marketing opportunities, and connections to investors and industry leaders.

Program through the AWS Fundraising Lab: In partnership with Graham Walker, AWS is bringing back the Fundraising Lab, a 4-week program to prepare underrepresented startup founders to raise venture capital. The cohort of women founders will learn how to create a fundraising strategy in four 90-minute weekly sessions covering a range of themes important to raising a seed or series A round, including how to combat unconscious bias and navigate term sheets.

The application is open until October 30, 2023. Interested participants and attendees can click here to register for the event.