Build Your Business Alongside Women Across Africa 2026 Programme
Applications are open for the October 2026 Founder Circle cycle, a curated Pan-African network for women actively building businesses in Africa or serving African markets.
The community brings together founders at different stages for peer connection, collaboration, structured reflection, expert learning, and ongoing business support.
Female founders from across Africa, including applicants outside Nigeria, are eligible to apply. The October application window closes on 15 October 2026.
About Female Founders Tribe
Female Founders Tribe is an Africa-focused organisation that supports women entrepreneurs through enterprise development, leadership education, strategic partnerships, founder communities, research, and ecosystem-building initiatives.
Its work is focused on helping women founders build stronger businesses, develop leadership capacity, access relevant networks, and contribute to a more connected African entrepreneurship ecosystem.
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About Founder Circle
Founder Circle is a founder community for women who are already taking practical steps to build a business.
It is designed for founders who want consistent access to peer relationships, learning opportunities, business reflection tools, and a supportive community across African markets.
- Programme type: Entrepreneurship programme and founder community
- Format: Online and virtual
- Geographical focus: Pan-African
- October 2026 application window: 1–15 October 2026
- Expected monthly intake: Up to 50 new founders
- Cost: Founder Circle is not a paid programme
The community is not intended for people who are only exploring an idea and have not started building. However, applicants may be preparing to launch or operating at an early, startup, social enterprise, or growth stage, provided they are actively working on the business.
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Founder Circle Member
Successful applicants join the community as Founder Circle members and are expected to participate in a way that supports both their own development and the wider founder network.
- Join a curated community of women entrepreneurs from across Africa.
- Connect and collaborate with founders working in different industries and markets.
- Participate in monthly virtual networking and learning sessions.
- Use the founder dashboard and monthly planner to organise goals, track progress, and reflect on business development.
- Access community resources, expert conversations, session replays, founder support, and monthly updates.
- Build meaningful, long-term relationships with other founders.
- Contribute knowledge, experience, and support to the wider community.
What Membership Includes
Founder Circle membership provides a collection of tools, activities, and community resources intended to support founders beyond a single event or short-term training session.
- Founder dashboard
- Founder directory for discovering and connecting with other members
- Monthly founder planner
- Monthly virtual networking sessions
- Quarterly conversations with experts
- Community resources and a replay library
- Founder support
- Founder spotlights
- Monthly founder brief
Members are not required to attend every event. The structure allows founders to use the available resources and participate in activities that fit their business-building priorities.
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Eligibility And Requirements
- Applicants must identify as women.
- Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
- Applicants must be based in an African country or be building a business primarily serving African markets.
- Applicants must be actively building a business.
- Businesses preparing to launch, early-stage ventures, startups, social enterprises, and growth-stage businesses may apply.
- Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to learning, collaboration, and long-term growth.
- Applicants must agree to the Founder Circle Community Guidelines.
- Applicants must understand that submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance.
Founder Circle is not suitable for individuals who are only exploring an idea without actively building it. Applicants should be prepared to describe their business, the customers they serve, the problem they solve, a business milestone, their current challenge, and what they hope to gain from joining the community.
Selection And Onboarding
Applications submitted during the October cycle are reviewed between 16 and 25 October 2026. Decision emails are sent before the end of the month.
- Selected applicants receive an invitation by email.
- They create a Founder Circle account and complete their profile.
- They attend Welcome Day at the beginning of the following month.
The application form takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It covers relevant personal and business information, including the applicant’s location, business name, industry, business stage, registration status, business start year, business description, customers, business problem, progress, current challenge, expected gains, and willingness to contribute to the community.
Application Deadline
The October 2026 application cycle closes on 15 October 2026.