5 women-led startups in Kenya to benefit from Google's special initiative

The initiatives include the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa: Women Founders Cohort, the Hustle Academy for Women-Led SMEs, and a social media series celebrating inspiring women in Africa's technology sector.

Among the selected startups for the inaugural class of the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa: Women Founders Cohort, five Kenyan women-led businesses have been recognized for their innovative solutions that improve livelihoods in their communities.

One of the women set to benefit is Peris Bosire the founder of eWaka, a ridesharing platform offering on-demand electric micro-mobility for personal use and sustainable logistics for delivery businesses.

Another Kenyan startup set to benefit is Farmer Lifeline, a technological solution that places smallholder farmers ahead of crop pests and crop diseases to increase crop yield. It is founded by Wambui Kuria.

Others are Irene Kieru the founder of MosMos a save-to-buy platform, Lesley Mbogo the founder of Gobeba, a digital retail platform for distributing bulky household essentials to urban households in growing African cities, and Joyce Mbaya the founder of Zydii, a premier localized digital training solution engaging and accessible for the African workforce.

Google's initiatives to empower women entrepreneurs in Africa demonstrates the company's commitment to bridging the gender.

"At Google, we are committed to providing women entrepreneurs in Africa with access to funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities. Through our programs, we aim to bridge the gap and empower women to succeed in their respective fields," said Dorothy Ooko head of communications at Google Africa.

GFSA Women Founders Pulse Live Kenya

Google is celebrating inspiring women in Africa’s technology sector through its #WomeninIT social media series.

The series features the stories of six inspiring women breaking barriers and making impacts in the fields of technology, business, entrepreneurship, innovation, and startups in Africa.

Below is the full list of Google for Startups Accelerator Africa Women Founders Cohort:

Afriwell Health (Congo): Connects patients in Congo with healthcare professionals globally in a quick and efficient way.
Alajo App (Nigeria): A digital piggy bank for the underbanked and non-smartphone users in Africa; building an escrowed banking system between Agents and Users using USSD and SMS, helping people save money every day.
eWaka (Kenya): A ridesharing platform offering on-demand electric micro-mobility for personal use and sustainable logistics for delivery businesses.
Farmer Lifeline (Kenya): A technological solution that places smallholder farmers ahead of crop pests and crop diseases to increase crop yield.
Gobeba (Kenya): A digital retail platform for distributing bulky household essentials to urban households in growing African cities.
Hepta Pay (Rwanda): A product that interfaces card payments with mobile money accounts, easing diaspora inflows.
Jem HR (South Africa): A software that plugs into any HR and payroll system, making it easy for employers to send payslips, manage leave requests, process salary advances and communicate with thousands of frontline employees using WhatsApp.
Kola Market (Ghana): A full-stack B2B e-Commerce platform providing Guaranteed Sales, Smart Inventory Recommendations, and Product Financing to SMEs in Africa.
Maxibuy (Nigeria): A cooperative inventory procurement and financial services platform for bulk-buying merchants of consumer goods in Nigeria, enabling them to scale their businesses and gain the benefits of economies of scale.
MosMos (Kenya): A save-to-buy platform for Africa.
Mipango (Tanzania): A personal finance and robo advisory app for women and the mass market.
Smart Ikigega (Rwanda): Eliminating post-harvest loss for farmers and providing access to financial services digitally.
Suitch (Cameroon): Provides digital financial services to underbanked and non-banked populations to foster their growth.
Tyms Africa (Nigeria): Offers instant microcredit for microenterprises in Africa, powered by ROSCA.
Zydii (Kenya): A premier localised digital training solution engaging and accessible for the African workforce, leading to transformative growth for businesses.