Standard Chartered unveils 20 women-led startups for women in tech Uganda accelerator 

Standard Chartered Bank Uganda, in partnership with The innovation Village, Village Capital and Future Lab, has unveiled 20 women-led technology-enabled startups selected for Cohort 2 of the Women in Tech Uganda Accelerator Programme.

The initiative seeks to promote inclusive innovation, strengthen women’s economic participation, and support Uganda’s digital transformation agenda by equipping women entrepreneurs with skills, networks, market opportunities, and funding to scale their businesses.

The 2026 cohort features startups developing solutions in key sectors, including Agriculture Technology, Education Technology, Health Technology, Renewable Energy, Accessibility Technology, and Financial Inclusion.

The selected businesses are focused on addressing social, economic, and environmental challenges while highlighting the growing contribution of women entrepreneurs to Uganda’s technology and innovation ecosystem.

The startups were unveiled during the Cohort 2 “Meet the Leadership” session held at Standard Chartered Bank’s Head Office in Kampala, bringing together founders, programme partners, mentors, coaches, ecosystem players and alumni from the first cohort.

Unlike traditional entrepreneurship training programmes, the accelerator combines business support, mentorship, market access, investment readiness, and catalytic funding to help startups build sustainable and revenue-generating enterprises.

Over the coming months, participating founders will receive support in refining business models, adopting digital technologies, validating markets, strengthening financial management, improving leadership skills, and preparing for investment opportunities.

Top-performing startups will compete for catalytic grant funding from a US$50,000 pool aimed at helping businesses expand operations, unlock new opportunities, and increase their impact.

The programme is part of the Standard Chartered Foundation’s global youth economic empowerment initiative, which focuses on entrepreneurship, employability, decent work, and microbusiness growth.

Globally, the Women in Tech programme supports women founders through access to capital, networks, and tailored business support. In 2026, more than US$600,000 in grant funding is being provided across 12 markets, including Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Margaret Kigozi, Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing at Standard Chartered Bank Uganda, said the programme supports Uganda’s Tenfold Growth Agenda, particularly its focus on science, technology and innovation as drivers of productivity, enterprise development and inclusive economic transformation.

“We are pleased to once again extend this opportunity to women in technology entrepreneurs. This programme is strongly aligned to Uganda’s Tenfold Growth Agenda, particularly its focus on Science, Technology and Innovation as a driver of productivity, enterprise growth, and inclusive economic transformation,” Kigozi said.

She said the bank remains committed to supporting young people, entrepreneurs, and communities with skills, networks, and opportunities to participate meaningfully in the economy.

Kigozi noted that lessons from the first cohort demonstrated the impact of targeted support in strengthening women-led enterprises.

“The first cohort showed us what is possible when women-led businesses receive the right support. They strengthened their enterprises, built confidence, expanded their networks, and developed solutions responding to real societal needs,” she said.

She added that Cohort 2 is expected to deepen the programme’s impact by helping more women-led technology businesses grow, create jobs, and contribute to Uganda’s economic transformation.

Arthur Mukembo, Chief Executive Officer of Future Lab, said the accelerator would provide women founders with the necessary support to transform promising ventures into scalable and investable businesses.

“This accelerator programme gives women founders the structured support, market linkages, mentorship, and catalytic capital needed to turn promising ventures into scalable and investable businesses,” Mukembo said

The launch session also featured a founder story from Cohort 1 alumna Keroy King of Sunshine Financial Services, introductions of the 2026 cohort and an “Ask Us Anything” panel involving bank leadership, programme partners, coaches and innovation ecosystem players.

The Women in Tech Uganda programme aims to address challenges facing women entrepreneurs, including limited access to finance, mentorship, business development support, professional networks, and markets.

Organisers say that overcoming these barriers will help boost household incomes, create jobs, improve productivity, and increase women’s participation in the digital economy.

With Cohort 2 now underway, the 20 founders will join a growing network of mentors, investors, alumni, coaches, ecosystem partners, and fellow entrepreneurs working to strengthen Uganda’s pipeline of women-ledtechnology-driven enterprises.