Promoting women ICT start-ups to accelerate women’s economic empowerment: a case of @ibizafrica, Strathmore University

Abstract

The technology sector has always been considered as a ‘man’s field’ for the longest time. Only recently, women have gained recognition as formidable players in this field. Tech companies are beginning to make changes to achieve parity to the ever-widening human resource gender gap, by bringing more women on board. Despite these efforts, women remain a minority and there are many reasons as to why this is the case. One of the reasons is due to lack of support from people in the field. Today's female entrepreneurs are still up against a few major obstacles which include lack of funding, lack of networks, lack of mentors, difficulties in establishing a balance between work and family. With the above as the backdrop, a timely and unique opportunity has dawned on industry and academia to work together to complement each other in building. This paper focuses on the Standard Chartered Women’s Tech incubator launched by Strathmore University-@iBizAfrica and Standard Chartered Bank