Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa
This year, Lionesses of Africa marks another important milestone on our journey as social impact innovators. It is 10 years since we launched on the first Women’s Entrepreneurship Day in 2014 with a mission to empower Africa’s women entrepreneurs to fulfill their potential and drive economic growth on the continent. So much has happened since that launch, and our mission and vision has grown, as has the size of our Lionesses of Africa community - now 1.8 million women entrepreneurs strong, and still growing! We have much to reflect on and celebrate as we plan the next exciting phase of our entrepreneurial journey.
Talk to the women entrepreneurs in our Lionesses of Africa community and they will tell you that reaching a new milestone on your business building journey ignites your entrepreneurial spirit and energizes you for the challenges ahead. So it was for Team Lioness on 11 June 2024, when we once again hosted Start-Up Night Africa in The Hague, The Netherlands, home to Lionesses of Africa’s Europe office. In a country known for its vibrant start-up ecosystem and commitment to women's economic empowerment, it is the perfect gateway event for Africa’s women entrepreneurs looking to break into European markets, and for their counterparts to open up new opportunities and partnerships on the African continent.
Our Start-Up Night Africa events in The Netherlands are a key part of Lionesses of Africa's 'Access to Markets and Investment Programme,' which aims to connect high-growth women entrepreneurs on the continent and in the Netherlands to each other and to new market and investment opportunities. It is also the perfect platform to show how we need to shift the dial for women entrepreneurs to access much-needed growth capital for their businesses - because when women entrepreneurs grow, everyone benefits!
The Start-Up Night Africa event on 11 June aimed not just to showcase, but also to celebrate the inspiring journeys of 10 women entrepreneurs who are building businesses that are shaping industries, disrupting norms, creating jobs and driving sustainable change. Each of these Lionesses has a big vision and goals that drive them to succeed. Opening up new investment and market opportunities is a very tangible way of helping them realize those goals. At a practical level, Start-Up Night Africa aimed to stimulate investment connections, market access, partnership, and collaboration opportunities for these ten exciting high-growth women entrepreneurs from our Lionesses of Africa community. But the event was also about creating a ripple effect. When these 10 women entrepreneurs showcased succeed, they provide a line of sight to thousands of others who follow in their footsteps, transforming not just their own lives but also their communities and the continent as a whole.
The other main theme of the event was the Power of Partnerships, and our catalyzing events such as Start-Up Night Africa only become a reality through partnership, and partnership is at the heart of Lionesses of Africa. Thanks to the continuing support for this year’s event from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of the Netherlands, and also the African Guarantee Fund, AFAWA, and Absa Bank, it has enabled us to both advance high growth women entrepreneurs looking for investment and partnerships in both European and African markets, but also to advance the conversation about investing in women business builders.
I invite you to support our mission and explore partnerships with us to make real impact happen in the lives and businesses of women entrepreneurs - as we always say at Lionesses of Africa - Further, Together!
Contact me via email: melanie@lionessesofafrica.com and let’s have a conversation about how we practically help women entrepreneurs to access investment and new markets for growth.