Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award
Supporting women-led innovation to grow their businesses and impact
30
women-led enterprises supported in 2024 & 2025
€9.5M
investment raised since joining the programme
€8.9M
revenue growth since joining the programme
Creating the conditions for women-led social enterprises to grow and scale
Since 2021, the Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award has supported women founders developing solutions in health and food security across Africa and the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.
Women entrepreneurs often face barriers to funding, with promising businesses overlooked by traditional investment networks. The award programme helps address these gaps so founders can access the support they need to grow and scale.
Delivered in partnership with Impact Hub Network, the initiative combines non-dilutive award funding with a six-month accelerator. Founders strengthen their investment readiness, gain visibility for their work and connect with potential investors and partners.
How the right support comes together
Locally rooted scouting
Impact Hub teams in 70+ countries surface strong women-led ventures in priority countries that traditional pipelines often miss.
Flexible capital
€25,000 in non-dilutive award funding supports the next step. Founders can then progress towards equity, convertible or outcome-based financing as their needs evolve.
Investment readiness
A 6-month accelerator sharpens the business model, metrics, and narrative, helping founders turn promise into a clear, confident investment case.
Visibility & credibility
Bayer Foundation backing provides an institutional credibility signal, while global media visibility can reduce perceived risk and strengthen trust with decision-makers.
Ecosystem access
Impact Hub teams in 70+ countries surface strong women-led ventures in priority countries that traditional pipelines often miss.
Global network
Founders stay part of the Bayer Foundation alumni community and the Impact Hub Network, which continue to spark introductions, peer support and collaboration.
What women-led businesses are making possible
Thirty founders from the 2024 and 2025 cohorts reported what their businesses delivered.
5.4M people
with better healthcare access and awareness
330k+ patients
with better access to healthcare services
59k+ farmers
with better productivity, markets and income
600k+ people
who gained access to nutritious food products
Two years of impact
Our partnership creates the conditions for women-led solutions to move from bold ideas to lasting systems change.
Hear it from the founders
Here’s what changed for their businesses after the Award programme, in their own words.
“This program has greatly increased our organization’s impact by providing the financial support we needed to keep construction on track, giving us the confidence and risk capital to move forward. The regular check-ins and sessions also strengthened my leadership, empowering me to take bigger risks and lead the team more effectively.”
Aya Fernandez
Eco-Uling by Project Lily Inc., 2024 award
Philippines, Asia
“Being a Bayer Awardee has been such a big validation for the work we do at Health4Moni, it has opened great doors of opportunities and helped us scale our impact significantly. Through the training, the expert sessions and support we have grown to an almost 300% increase in number of users and revenue since we joined the program.”
Deborah Oluwakemi Olakunle
Health4Moni, 2024 award
Nigeria, Africa
“The visibility we received was helpful, because it put Silo Africa on the map in matters of food security. With that, we have been able to receive acknowledgement from different entities and also get noticed by investors.”
Faith Koki Sammy
Silo Africa Networks, 2025 award
Kenya, Africa
“My Advisor really understood the business and where I wanted to go, helped me question what and how I wanted to continue with my plans, gave really good recommendations and made my journey less lonely.”
Monica Rodriguez Méndez
Gaia Alimentos, 2025 award
Mexico, Latin America
“Lena has been incredibly supportive and understanding throughout. I learned how to approach customers, especially those in senior roles like directors and CEOs. She also helped me understand how to work with CSR teams and government stakeholders, often walking me through real examples. What I really appreciated was how prepared she made us, especially through mock sessions for larger fundraising conversations.”
Prathyusha Potharaju
Grailmaker Innovations, 2025 award
India, Asia
“My mentor was very supportive throughout the entire journey. With her help, I was able to finalize and receive advice from a financial advisor. I purchased the Odoo system for my company, developed a five-year strategic plan, and engaged an HR consultancy who did an HR audit helped in giving us a future direction.”
Alaa Hamadto
Solar Foods, 2025 Award
Sudan, Africa
Scale innovation that matters
Women-led enterprises are already improving access to healthcare and strengthening food security for millions of people. Partner with us to help more founders grow their businesses and extend their impact.
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