After Alexandria: 22 startups advance

Advancing women entrepreneurship in MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa

SANAD ElevateHer supports women-led companies across the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Funded by SANAD Fund for MSME Delivered by Seedstars

How the program works Meet the companies

About the program

Practical support for women-led companies

SANAD ElevateHer is a women-focused accelerator funded by SANAD Fund for MSME and delivered by Seedstars. It combines capacity building, mentorship, practical business tools, investment readiness and regional visibility.

Read about the program

The next phase

Three cash-prize winners. Twenty-two businesses moving forward.

MIRRIAH in Morocco, SmartWTI in Jordan and Freza Nanotech in Uganda received the SANAD ElevateHer cash prizes. They are among 22 businesses selected for further coaching and investment-readiness support.

Read the announcement Explore the Alexandria recap

Nidal Tafah of MIRRIAH, Samantha Ainembabazi of Freza Nanotech, Mohamed Morsy of Finance in Motion and Sabrina Salama of Seedstars, representing SmartWTI, at the SANAD ElevateHer cash-prize presentation in Alexandria on 4 October 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Seedstars.

The cohort

One cohort, two regions

The program brings together women-led companies from the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Explore the regional cohort pages to learn what each company is building and visit its official channels.

MENA cohort Sub-Saharan Africa cohort

Illustration of three women standing together, looking ahead.

The companies

Meet the companies

Program cohort: 38 startups with women-led businesses and a strong gender lens
MENA: Explore the MENA company profiles
Sub-Saharan Africa: Explore the Sub-Saharan Africa company profiles