ImpactHer

What ImpactHer does

ImpactHER is an award-winning not-for-profit organization founded in 2017 and headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, that trains African female entrepreneurs to build scalable, investor-ready businesses and bridges the $300 billion global financing gap for women-owned SMEs. Its core programs include EmpowerHER (comprehensive business training), TrainHER (investor readiness), ConsultHER (expert guidance), MentorHER (one-on-one mentorship matching), and InspireHER (content and blog platform), with a free cohort-based selection model accepting approximately 25 entrepreneurs per program. Supporting infrastructure includes the Digital Skills Portal (gdsa.impactherconnect.org) for self-serve digital and AI literacy training, the WatchHER video platform and MeetHER showcase for participant storytelling, and the annual IgniteHER virtual conference series, with IgniteHER 3.0 scheduled for November 2025. The organization has trained 197,384 entrepreneurs across 54 African countries, with additional offices in Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, Mozambique, Benin Republic, Tunisia, and New York.

The business model is donation- and partnership-funded rather than revenue-generating: all programs are provided free of charge to participants, with funding sourced from individual donations (processed via PayPal), institutional grants, and strategic partnerships with Afreximbank, Google, UN Women, African Development Bank (AFAWA), and AU-CIEFFA. Marketing and distribution are entirely digital, relying on social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube), a Telegram community group, email newsletters, and partner referrals. In September 2025, ImpactHER extended its model from training into direct capital deployment, co-investing with Silverbacks Holdings in two African fashion brands (Vanhu Vamwe and The Rad Black Kids) via Afreximbank's CANEX platform. The organization operates with a lean team of 1–10 employees and has been recognized by the African Union as the Best Women SME Support Organization in Africa.

Name

ImpactHer

Legal name

ImpactHER

Website

https://impacther.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ImpactHER is a Nigeria-headquartered not-for-profit that trains African female entrepreneurs to build investor-ready businesses, having trained 197,384 entrepreneurs across 54 countries through free programs funded by donations and institutional partnerships with Afreximbank, Google, and UN Women.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Training and SME Support

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Inclusion & Consumer Empowerment (Banking Access, Credit Building) (BPAGALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Impact & Inclusive Finance Funds (FSANAJAH), Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds (FSANAJAM), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL), Impact Investment & Social Finance Programs (BPADAOAJ)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship training programs
• Business mentorship services
• Digital skills training
• Investor readiness training
• Women SME support

Headquarters

HQ city

Lagos

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorship: ImpactHER operates as a not-for-profit organization that relies on donations and sponsorship to fund its training programs for African female entrepreneurs. The organization accepts donations through PayPal on their sponsorship page.
2. Partnership Funding: The organization receives funding and support through partnerships with major institutions including Afreximbank, Google, and other corporate partners who support their mission to empower African women entrepreneurs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ImpactHER is a not-for-profit organization that provides free training programs, mentorship, consulting, and digital skills resources to African female entrepreneurs across 54 African countries. Its core offerings include flagship programs (EmpowerHER, TrainHER, ConsultHER, MentorHER, InspireHER), the Digital Skills Portal for online learning, and signature events such as the IgniteHER virtual conference, all designed to build scalable, investor-ready women-led businesses and bridge the gender business financing gap.

Product overview

ImpactHER is an award-winning non-profit organization that operates a comprehensive ecosystem of programs designed to empower African female entrepreneurs. The core offerings include EmpowerHER (comprehensive training), TrainHER (investor readiness), ConsultHER (expert consulting), and MentorHER (mentorship). Supporting platforms include the Digital Skills Portal for online learning, the WatchHER video platform for success stories, and the MeetHER showcase. The organization hosts signature events including the IgniteHER Conference, Green Conference, and EmpowerHER Speaker Series. Additional offerings include the One Winner Takes It All business contest, webinar registration services, and policy research publications like the Digital Survey Policy Paper on bridging the digital divide for African women and girls.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EmpowerHER: A program for African female entrepreneurs focused on business empowerment and training.
• ConsultHER
• TrainHER
• InspireHER
• MentorHER
• WatchHER
• MeetHER
• IgniteHER
• ApplaudHER

Products and services

• EmpowerHER
• TrainHER
• ConsultHER
• MentorHER
• InspireHER
• Digital Skills Portal
• IgniteHER Conference
• Green Conference
• EmpowerHER Speaker Series
• One Winner Takes It All Contest
• WatchHER
• MeetHER

Quantifiable outcome

• 197,384 African female entrepreneurs trained across 54 countries
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MoneyafricaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 December 2023Sponsor of ImpactHER's 'One Winner Takes It All' contest. Provides free consultation with Moneyafrica as part of the grand prize for contest winners.
• BellanaijaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 December 2023Sponsor of ImpactHER's 'One Winner Takes It All' contest. Provides brand shout-out on website and Instagram stories as part of the grand prize.
• African Union International Centre for Girls and Women's Education in Africa (AU-CIEFFA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2023Strategic partnership for empowerment programs. Together they trained 479 young people in the first cohort of a pilot phase under the theme 'Digital Skills for All: Bridging the Gender Gap in STEAM, Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship'. ImpactHER co-authored a policy paper 'Bridging the Digital Divide: Empowering Women & Girls in Africa through Digital Literacy and AI Education' with AU-CIEFFA.
• Silverbacks HoldingsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint strategic investment partner with ImpactHER in African fashion brands through Afreximbank's CANEX platform. Announced September 2025.
• The Afrochampions InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting ImpactHER's mission to empower African female entrepreneurs.
• Oake LegalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal partner providing support for ImpactHER's programs and operations.
• UN WomencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored a policy brief with UN Women and African Development Bank's AFAWA on transformative policy solutions to support women-led businesses in Africa, addressing the $42 billion financing gap for African female entrepreneurs.
• African Development Bank - Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with AfDB's AFAWA program to co-author policy brief addressing financing gaps and policy solutions for women-led businesses in Africa post-COVID.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• TechnoServe: International nonprofit that works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. Comparable to ImpactHER in delivering business training and advisory services to African entrepreneurs, with a broader industry and value-chain focus and longer operating history.
• ANDE (Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs): Membership network of organizations supporting entrepreneurship in developing countries, with strong African activity. Comparable as an ecosystem-builder in the SME support space, though ANDE is an intermediary/membership body rather than a direct program operator.
• Mastercard Foundation: One of the largest foundations in Africa, with extensive programs in youth employment, education, and women's economic empowerment (e.g., Young Africa Works). Comparable to ImpactHER as a funder/operator of women-entrepreneurship programs across Africa, but at vastly greater scale and with a much broader thematic portfolio.
• Acumen: Global impact investor and non-profit that invests in early-stage enterprises serving low-income customers in Africa and South Asia, with dedicated women-focused initiatives. Comparable to ImpactHER in targeting women entrepreneurs and bridging capital gaps in Africa, but Acumen is fundamentally an investor rather than a training provider.

Regional players

• Girl Effect: International NGO creating media and programs to empower girls in Africa and South Asia, including digital literacy and entrepreneurship components. Partially comparable to ImpactHER's digital-skills-and-women focus and African footprint, though Girl Effect targets younger beneficiaries (girls, not women entrepreneurs).

Direct peers

• Tony Elumelu Foundation: The Tony Elumelu Foundation runs one of Africa's largest entrepreneurship support programs (TEF), training, mentoring, and seeding African entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries. Directly comparable to ImpactHER in target beneficiary, geographic scope, and entrepreneur-support mission, though TEF is gender-neutral and serves a larger annual cohort.
• African Women's Development Fund (AWDF): Pan-African grantmaking foundation resourcing women's rights organizations and women's empowerment initiatives across Africa. Comparable to ImpactHER in women-focused mission and pan-African reach, but operates as a grantmaker to other NGOs rather than a direct service provider.
• AECF (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund): Pan-African organization providing catalytic funding and enterprise development support to innovative African businesses, including women-led SMEs. Comparable to ImpactHER in serving African SMEs and bridging financing gaps, though AECF's primary tool is grant/competition funding rather than training.
• Graça Machel Trust: Pan-African women's empowerment organization working across multiple African countries on women's rights, economic empowerment, and policy advocacy. Comparable to ImpactHER in geographic scope and women-focused mission, with stronger policy-advocacy orientation.
• Cherie Blair Foundation for Women: A global foundation supporting women entrepreneurs in Africa and other emerging markets through training, mentorship, and access to capital. Highly comparable to ImpactHER in mission, target demographic (women entrepreneurs), and programmatic structure (training + mentoring).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ImpactHERAfrica
• Facebookfacebook.com/ImpactHer-192659084847184
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/impact-her-africa
• Instagraminstagram.com/impacther

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ImpactHer