Female tech founders in South Africa stand a chance to win up to R1.9 million to scale their innovations and make a lasting impact.

The Aurora Tech Award is calling on female-led tech startups in South Africa to apply for a rare opportunity to secure up to R1.9 million in prize money. South Africa’s tech ecosystem is growing fast, but women-led startups still face major hurdles, with less than 2% of global venture capital funding going to female founders. Locally, access to funding, mentorship, and networks remains a huge challenge for many women entrepreneurs striving to innovate and scale. This award offers not only substantial financial support, but also global recognition and valuable connections to help women founders break barriers and grow their ventures. African innovators have won top honours in the past three consecutive years, proving that the continent’s talent can compete and win on a global stage.

With applications for 2026 now open, the Aurora Tech Award is determined to help close this gap. It invites visionary female entrepreneurs from South Africa and across the globe to put their ideas forward. Each year, this prestigious award celebrates women reshaping technology and driving meaningful social change in emerging markets.

Founded by inDrive in 2021, the Aurora Tech Award supports women-led startups that combine innovation with impact. The award has become a powerful platform for elevating underrepresented voices in tech worldwide. In 2025, the programme received a record-breaking 2,018 applications from 116 countries, with finalists representing regions including Africa, MENA, LATAM, Central Asia and APAC. Startups span sectors such as health tech, AI, fintech, edtech, and agrotech.

In 2025, 31 African innovators reached the Aurora Tech Award’s Top 120, with Nigeria’s Solape Akinpelutaking home the first prize.

To be eligible, applicants must have:

• Founded or co-founded a start-up business that is led by a woman
• Registered the business within the last five years
• A working prototype, MVP or early clients
• Be at pre-seed or seed stage
• Total funding not exceeding R117 million. (including seed round)

Quarterfinalists (top 100) will be announced on 8 December 2025, followed by semi-finalists and finalists in early 2026. Finalists will join a tailored mentorship programme before the award ceremony scheduled to take place between March and April 2026.

“The Aurora Tech Award represents a springboard for bold female founders from emerging markets, including South Africa, who are building the future. We provide funding, global investor access, mentorship and the networks needed to scale ventures that can transform industries,” said Isabella Ghassemi-Smith, head of the Aurora Tech Award.

Prizes:

R925,000 – First place

R370,000 – Second place

R277,500 – Third place

All finalists also gain access to a curated network of investors and strategic partners, inDrive’s global expertise, and resources to grow and fundraise internationally.

Voices from previous winners

Previous finalists and winners of the Aurora Tech Award speak to the unique value it offers beyond just financial support. Thais Sterenberg, a 2025 finalist from Brazil, said, “I applied because it’s vital to amplify women creating tech solutions with real impact. Being recognised globally was empowering and validating.” 

Similarly, Chilean finalist Loretxu Garcia shared, “What inspired me was knowing there’s an award that recognizes not just technology, but the courage to innovate from our own lived realities. Applying to Aurora was my way of saying: women are also shaping the future through science.” 

Shreya Prakash, who secured third place in 2025 with her startup FlexiBees in India, noted, “Very few women-centric programmes provide actual funding. The Aurora Tech Award backs its belief in women entrepreneurs with real capital.”