Women-led startups invited to compete for $85,000 Aurora Tech award

By Chinenye Anuforo

The global spotlight is once again turning to women innovators as applications officially open for the 2026 Aurora Tech Award, an international prize that celebrates female founders of tech startups making a social impact.

Organised by inDrive, the annual competition is calling on women-led startups from around the world to apply between August 12 and November 12, 2025, for a chance to share in $85,000 in prizes, global recognition, and access to a powerful network of investors and mentors.

Founded in 2021, the Aurora Tech Award has become one of the most visible platforms championing women techpreneurs in emerging markets. African innovators, in particular, have made their mark: women founders from the continent have won the award for three consecutive years, with Nigeria’s Solape Akinpelu clinching the 2025 grand prize.

That edition drew a record-breaking 2,018 applications from 116 countries, with finalists spanning diverse fields such as health tech, AI, fintech, edtech, and agrotech. Of the top 120 startups selected last year, 31 came from Africa.

To qualify, startups must be owned or co-owned by a woman, less than five years old, at pre-seed stage, and have raised no more than $6 million in total investment. Applicants must also have a working prototype.

Beyond cash prizes—$50,000 for the winner, $20,000 for the first runner-up, and $15,000 for the second runner-up—finalists gain access to tailored mentorship, investor networks, and international visibility.

“The Aurora Tech Award is more than a prize – it’s a springboard for the next generation of bold women founders from emerging markets,” said Isabella Ghassemi-Smith, Head of the Aurora Tech Award. “We provide not just funding, but access to top investors, global networks, and the tools to help scale ventures that will shape the future of entire industries.”

The Top 100 quarterfinalists will be announced on December 8, 2025, followed by the Top 30 semifinalists, before the Top 3 finalists are unveiled in early 2026. These finalists will undergo a mentorship programme from February to March 2026 ahead of the award ceremony scheduled for March–April 2026.

A jury of investors and industry experts will judge applications based on innovation, scalability, and social impact.

Past winners and finalists testify to the award’s transformative power.

“Winning the Aurora Tech Award proved that African women founders can thrive on the global stage. The funding, mentorship, and exposure transformed my organization’s growth,” said Nigeria’s Solape Akinpelu, the 2025 grand prize winner.

For Chilean finalist Loretxu Garcia, the award was about visibility: “It recognises not just technology, but the courage to innovate from our own lived realities. Applying to Aurora was my way of saying: women are also shaping the future through science.”

From India, 2025 third-place winner Shreya Prakash of FlexiBees praised the award’s tangible support: “Very few women-centric programmes provide actual funding. The Aurora Tech Award backed its belief in women entrepreneurs with the catalyst of capital.”

Organisers say the 2026 edition aims to build on past successes by reaching even more women innovators in emerging markets.