Lionesses of Africa

What Lionesses of Africa does

Lionesses of Africa is a private public benefit corporation (Lionesses of Africa BV, incorporated in The Hague, Netherlands, with a New York contact address and operations linked to Johannesburg, South Africa) that operates a free, media-and-community platform for women entrepreneurs across Africa and the global African diaspora. Founded on 19 November 2014 by Melanie Hawken on Global Women's Entrepreneurship Day, the company has grown to a community of nearly 2 million women entrepreneurs served through a Squarespace-hosted website, a Ning-based online community, a daily weekday newsletter (Good Morning Lionesses!), a weekly newsletter (Lioness Weekender), and the Lioness Radio podcast distributed on SoundCloud and YouTube. The underlying technology is a standard digital content and community stack with no proprietary AI, mobile app, or public API; distribution runs through organic social (notably Instagram), newsletters, podcasts, and live events.

The company's commercial model is explicitly free-to-user: it declares a Public Benefit Statement to positively impact Africa's women entrepreneurs at no charge and does not operate paid product tiers. Revenue, where any exists, appears to flow through an Impact Partners sponsorship program and co-funded programs such as the Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge (co-hosted with Naspers and Prosus, awarding over $100,000 to five women-led tech founders in November 2025). Signature in-person events include Start-Up Night Africa in The Hague (connecting African founders with European investors), the Lioness Lean In Series, a Young Lioness Lean In track, an annual conference, and a Harvard University co-branded annual conference, with knowledge resources delivered through Playbooks, a Knowledge Portal, Startup Stories editorial coverage, and a Lioness Launch submissions platform.

Strategically, the company has shifted from pure media-and-community toward capital-facilitation programming, evidenced by the 2025 Naspers/Prosus partnership and the Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange hosting finalist presentations. It serves four named segments — high-growth women entrepreneurs in Africa (primary), early-stage women entrepreneurs, women green entrepreneurs, and women-led tech startups — across at least 17 African countries plus the Netherlands and the United States. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, and no institutional funding rounds, acquisitions, or parent-company relationship were disclosed in the input data.

Name

Lionesses of Africa

Legal name

Lionesses of Africa BV

Website

https://lionessesofafrica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lionesses of Africa is a free public benefit corporation operating a media, podcast, and event platform that connects, showcases, and supports nearly 2 million women entrepreneurs across Africa and the global diaspora through newsletters, community, and investor-linking programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women Entrepreneurship Media and Community Platform

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAGAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Human Rights, Democracy & Governance

SECONDARYBPAGABAM

Microfinance, Financial Inclusion & Inclusive Markets

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

Keywords

• Women entrepreneurship platform
• Community networking media
• Digital newsletter publishing
• Startup showcase events
• Business knowledge resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Free platform services: Lionesses of Africa provides all its services free of charge to women entrepreneurs, operating as a public benefit corporation. The organization does not generate revenue directly but facilitates connections, visibility, and resources for its community members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Lionesses of Africa operates a free media, networking, and knowledge platform for women entrepreneurs across Africa. The core offering bundles editorial content (daily and weekly newsletters, podcast series, startup stories), an online community (Ning-based), live events (Start-Up Night Africa, Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge, Lioness Lean In Series, Annual Conference), and practical business resources (Playbooks, Knowledge Portal). All services are provided at no charge to nearly 2 million women entrepreneurs across Africa and the global diaspora.

Product overview

Lionesses of Africa is a media, knowledge, and networking platform for Africa's women entrepreneurs. The organization operates a multi-channel offering including two newsletters (Lioness Weekender weekly and Good Morning Lionesses! daily), the Lioness Radio podcast series (featuring AI Series and Business of Funding Series), and the Lioness Launch Platform for showcasing new businesses. The platform delivers events and programs including the Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge (a grant and mentorship competition), Start-Up Night Africa networking events, Lioness Lean In Series, and an Annual Conference. Knowledge resources include Playbooks (practical business guides) and a Knowledge Portal with contributor articles. A Ning-based community platform enables peer networking. The portfolio is free to access and serves nearly 2 million women entrepreneurs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge: A challenge program supporting women-led tech startups across Africa, offering grants, mentorship, and visibility.
• Start-Up Night Africa
• Lioness Lean In Series
• Lioness Radio
• Lioness Weekender
• Good Morning Lionesses!

Products and services

• Lioness Weekender

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Naspers and ProsuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2025Naspers and Prosus launched the Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge in partnership with Lionesses of Africa to support women-led tech startups across Africa. The programme offers grants, mentorship, and visibility to eligible startups, with six finalists presenting at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in November 2025. This initiative addresses the gender funding gap and promotes growth in African technology entrepreneurship.
• Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJSE hosts the final presentations for the Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge, providing a prestigious platform for women-led startups to showcase to investors.
• Impact PartnerscoreOthersLionesses of Africa maintains an Impact Partners program with dedicated webpage listing organizations that support the platform's mission.
• Harvard UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Harvard University / Lionesses of Africa Conference bringing academic rigor and international visibility to women entrepreneurship themes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cherie Blair Foundation for Women: Direct peer: global nonprofit supporting women entrepreneurs in Africa and other emerging markets through programs, training, and partnerships. Comparable mission, beneficiary base, and emphasis on closing the women funding gap.
• Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE): Network supporting small business entrepreneurs in emerging markets, with strong Africa presence and gender-focused programs. Comparable as a multi-stakeholder ecosystem builder and knowledge-sharing platform.
• VC4Africa: Digital community and platform connecting African entrepreneurs with investors and resources. Directly comparable as an Africa-focused digital community for entrepreneurs, though not women-specific.

Broad incumbents

• Tony Elumelu Foundation: Larger incumbent in African entrepreneurship support, running the TEF Entrepreneurship Program across all 54 African countries. Comparable focus on African founder development but broader (not women-specific) and more heavily funded.
• 2X Global: Industry body for gender-lens investing with significant Africa activity. Comparable in mobilizing capital for women entrepreneurs and connecting founders with investors, but operates as a DFI/impact-investor network rather than a founder community.
• Springboard Enterprises: Long-standing accelerator and network for women entrepreneurs, primarily US-focused but a global archetype for women's entrepreneurship platforms. Comparable mission and program structure (mentorship, investor access).
• WEConnect International: Global corporate-led platform connecting women-owned businesses to supply chains and capital. Comparable mission of linking women entrepreneurs to funding and market access, with significant Africa operations.
• Endeavor: Global high-impact entrepreneur support network with Africa operations (Endeavor South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, etc.). Comparable mission of supporting high-growth founders and connecting them to mentors, capital, and markets.

Peers

• African Women's Development Fund (AWDF): Pan-African grantmaker supporting women's rights organizations and women-led enterprises. Comparable Africa + women + funding-access mission, though AWDF is a funder rather than a community/media platform.

Emerging players

• SheCodes Africa: Africa-focused community and training program for women in tech. Comparable audience (African women in tech/entrepreneurship) and community-led GTM, but narrower technology-skills focus versus Lionesses' broader entrepreneur community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lionessesA
• Facebookfacebook.com/lionessesofafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/company/lionesses-of-africa
• Instagraminstagram.com/lionessesofafrica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LionessesofAfrica

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

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Lionesses of Africa