Grey Unveils €9,500 Grant to Fuel Growth and Empower Women-Led Businesses

Y Combinator-backed fintech Grey has introduced the second version of its initiative, providing €9,500 in equity-free grants to assist girls entrepreneurs. This 12 months’s grant displays a 19% improve from final 12 months’s funding pool, underscoring Gray’s dedication to bridging the funding hole for women-led companies.

Addressing the International Funding Disparity:

The initiative comes at a vital time, addressing the persistent funding disparity highlighted in a Harvard Kennedy report, which reveals that women-founded startups obtain solely 2.4% of world venture capital. The report emphasizes that closing this hole might contribute between €2.5 trillion to €5 trillion to the worldwide economic system.

Strengthened Partnership with WIMBIZ

Following the success of the 2024 version, Gray has expanded this system this 12 months by partnering with Ladies in Administration, Enterprise & Public Service (WIMBIZ), providing mentorship and extra assets to the winners. Iheakachi Nwabueze, Head of International Advertising and marketing and Development at Gray, emphasised:

“Worldwide Ladies’s Day isn’t just one other marketing campaign for us—it’s a second to take significant motion. We’re dedicated to creating extra alternatives for ladies entrepreneurs and guaranteeing they’ve the monetary backing to scale their companies.”

Driving Ecosystem Development for Feminine Founders:

Omowunmi Akingbohungbe, Govt Director of WIMBIZ, praised the partnership with Gray:

“The success of ladies in enterprise isn’t just about particular person accomplishments however about nurturing an ecosystem that sustains them. Our collaboration with Gray affords funding, mentorship, and assets that drive long-term success for feminine entrepreneurs.”

Funding Breakdown and Judging Panel:

This 12 months, 4 feminine entrepreneurs will probably be chosen by an all-female panel of trade leaders. The grant distribution is as follows:

• €2,000 every for the 2 runners-up

• €1,500 for the third finalist

Success Tales: Inspiring Development and Influence

Aminat Damilare Kazeem, final 12 months’s grant recipient, expressed her gratitude for Gray’s assist:

“Being a lady on this a part of the world is hard, and being a feminine founder is even more durable. Due to Gray, we’ve moved into an even bigger house and now export our merchandise to the US and Canada.”

She inspired this 12 months’s candidates to “put their finest foot ahead, pitch confidently, and by no means doubt themselves.”

Aligning with Worldwide Ladies’s Day 2025 Theme: “Speed up Motion”

The initiative aligns with the Worldwide Ladies’s Day 2025 theme, “Speed up Motion,” following Gray’s profitable 2024 program, which awarded €8,000 to 3 feminine entrepreneurs in male-dominated industries.

Software Particulars:

• Functions Open: March 8, 2025

• Apply at: https://grey.co/iwd25

Gray’s continued dedication to empowering girls entrepreneurs by means of funding and mentorship is paving the best way for better gender equality within the startup ecosystem, inspiring future generations of feminine leaders.

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