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Shaping the world through social innovation
The Bayer Foundation Women Empowerment Award (WEA), powered by Impact Hub Network, is a vibrant celebration of women entrepreneurs leading innovative change.
This award goes beyond mere recognition; it is a dedication to support women pioneering in health, nutrition and related climate-smart solutions. We’re seeking 15 exceptional winners (5 per region) to join the 6-month Accelerator Programme. Together, we are actively shaping an inclusive and equitable future for all.
Scale your impact business.
What’s in it for you?
As one of the fifteen award winners, you’ll receive:
6-Month Accelerator Programme:
Mentorship, expert network access, and unwavering entrepreneurial support.
Sponsored Trip to Berlin:
Enjoy a sponsored trip to the award ceremony early June 2024.
€25,000 Cash Support:
Fuel your business growth and amplify your impact.
Visibility and Recognition:
Media presence to share your story with the world.
Join the Alumni Network:
Connect with an influential global community of women entrepreneurs.
Access to the Impact Hub Network:
Join 320K Impact Makers accelerating inclusive and sustainable innovation at scale.
Your journey starts here
Launch Your Dreams
7th Feb - 27th March
Applications open to all visionary women entrepreneurs
Pitch Your Vision
April
30 Selected finalists will be coached to pitch their ideas to a jury.
Spotlight in Berlin
4th - 6th June
The 15 winners will attend the Award Ceremony in Berlin and join Bayer Foundation’s Social Innovation Days.
Accelerate Your Impact
June - December
Kick-start your impact journey with the 6-month Acceleration Programme.
Our
applicants are
Women Entrepreneurs
In today’s world, women continue to encounter significant challenges that hinder their success. The Bayer Foundation Women Empowerment Award aims to enhance their capacity to generate social impact through groundbreaking innovation. We are seeking women-led enterprises that contribute to driving social change and improving their communities.
Driving Social Impact
Our emphasis is on empowering women-led enterprises engaged in developing health, nutrition and related climate-smart solutions that align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2 (Zero Hunger) and 3 (Good Health & Wellbeing). We are looking for entrepreneurs who aspire to reduce inequalities with innovative solutions to uplift one another.
From these regions
While women face challenges worldwide, our focus is on entrepreneurs from Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs from these regions to take centre stage and accelerate their innovations towards a healthier future.
Success Stories
In the past 3 editions, we proudly backed women-led businesses that not only flourished but soared, achieving remarkable revenue milestones of $1.5 million. Are you next?
“Winning the Bayer Foundation Award has been an incredibly profound and heartwarming journey for both me personally and our company, Plumbee. The experience of meeting the other extraordinary winners was very inspirational.
The one-on-one program offered by Bayer Foundation and last year’s program partner Unknown Group is nothing short of transformative. It has had a profound impact on me as a leader, guiding me towards growth and self-discovery.”
June Muchuku
Co-founder of Plumbee Wholefoods Ltd
Success Stories
Award Winners
Women entrepreneurs have the vision, determination, and influence to drive impactful change in their communities. Yet, their journey is often marked by challenges of limited funding, discrimination, and a lack of networking opportunities.
The Bayer Foundation Women Empowerment Award stands ready to support and empower these remarkable women. Here you can explore the success stories from last year.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Women business leaders:
The applicant must be a woman in a leadership position ((co)-founder or C-level) in the company. Other leadership positions in the organization may (can also) be filled by males.
2) Has a sustainable business/financing model:
Organisations of any legal entity type may apply, as long as there is a strong business mindset and the business is not dependent on grants/donations/subsidies/etc as a sole income stream.
3) Offers an impactful solution in health, nutrition, and/or climate-smart solutions in either field:
This includes but is not limited to solutions in food, agriculture, and water. Stand-alone climate-smart solutions will not be accepted, they must be related to health and nutrition.
4) Is creating a social or community impact:
Solutions should (aim to) be accessible to Low or Middle-Income Communities. Higher product/service prices before economies of scale are accepted.
5) Is driving impact in the Global South:
The business must drive its impact in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia Pacific (excluding Australia & New Zealand), Latin America, or the Middle East. Business registration in the Global South is preferred.
6) Is revenue-generating:
The business should have an annual revenue of up to 1 million USD.
7) Strong personal drive & commitment to impact:
The applicant should have a strong personal drive and commitment to social impact. We favour applicants who have had to overcome obstacles in life.
Applicants may apply provided a working solution can be demonstrated.
The challenge is open to women entrepreneurs active in the Global South: Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. This means the impact needs to be generated in these areas, but the business location can also be outside of the Global South.
Bayer Foundation Women Empowerment Award aims to support women entrepreneurs engaged in developing solutions for health, nutrition, and their intersection with climate-related challenges.
The application deadline is March 27th, 11:59 PM (CET).
Following the close of the application period, all submissions will undergo a thorough internal review. The top 30 finalists per region will be selected through the internal stakeholder review. The finalist programme will commence in April, where 10 founders per region will have the opportunity to pitch directly to the jury of representatives from the Bayer Foundation, Impact Hub Network and Philanthropy Network. Finally, five winners per region will be selected to attend the final event and participate in the Acceleration Programme.
Bayer Foundation, Bayer and Impact Hub experts will review the applications.
We welcome NGOs and their women leaders with sustainable business models that can continue creating impact to apply.
The cash grant can be used without restrictions and is intended to support business growth.
The sponsored trip includes coverage for your travel, accommodation, and visa expenses. Any additional expenses or personal preferences beyond the covered items will be the responsibility of the participant. Apart from the awardees’ personal preferences during the Berlin trip, the participant will not have any cost in participating in the program.
Impact Hub x
Bayer Foundation
collaborations
In partnership with the Impact Hub Network for programme delivery and providing local and global entrepreneurship expertise.
