Empowering female entrepreneurs to build and lead high-growth businesses and disrupt traditionally male-dominated sectors.
Women are still underrepresented in many sectors and industries in South Africa. At Seed Academy, we’re passionate about speeding up the transformation of these traditionally male-dominated sectors.
To get the job done and driven by the belief that women not only create economic growth but uplift communities and create a more equitable future for all, we built AccelerateHer.
Empowering female entrepreneurs
AccelerateHer is a programme that empowers women and shifts their mindsets to build high-growth businesses that create jobs and impact economies; and enables corporate sponsors to boost their B-BBEE scorecards while targeting sector-based gender gaps in South African entrepreneurship.
The intervention takes a holistic approach to the development of women entrepreneurs – building business skills alongside technical and social skills, while addressing psycho-social issues and the challenges women in business face.
Why AccelerateHer
Targeted development
An in-depth business assessment, bespoke development plan and 360 degree award winning women’s development assessment, ensures each entrepreneur receives the relevant and personalized support they need to really shift the dial
Critical business skills
High-impact, practical business skills workshops equip entrepreneurs with business knowledge and skills to refine the business and strategy, as well as build and grow the business
Sector-specific technical skills
Group and one-on-one sessions assist entrepreneurs to further develop their technical skills & knowledge, meet industry compliance requirement, address sector-specific issues and gain access to industry networks
Multiple touchpoints
A combination of one-on-one, peer-to-peer and group sessions allows entrepreneurs to ‘learn’ in a variety of ways
Exclusively for women
Women specific masterclasses and one-on-one coaching address the specific psycho-social issues and barriers women in business face
Disrupting male-dominated sectors
Builds the confidence and capacity of female entrepreneurs to disrupt male-dominated sectors with a specific focus on ICT and Artisans
Community is at the core of this programme. Why? Because we know that women learn and thrive in communities. But it’s also just good business sense. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s 2020/2021 report, knowing an entrepreneur personally can lead to better access to resources like growth financing. It can also boost business credibility and the absorption of business expertise.
Are you ready to advance the disruption of male-dominated sectors? Is closing the gender gap in entrepreneurship a part of your vision for the future?
If yes, AccelerateHer is for you.
Through AccelerateHer, corporate sponsors can support entrepreneurs at any stage in their development. We also offer versions of the programme that are adapted for specific sectors:
Construction, plumbing, electrical and mechanical: all the traditional “boys’ clubs”.
We enable all kinds of tech entrepreneurs: FinTech, AgriTech, HealthTech, you name it!