Organisation set to build next generation of women-led health solutions in Nigeria

An organisation, Heels and Tech,  has continued its drive to equip women innovators with the knowledge, technology, mentorship and funding required to develop scalable businesses that tackle challenges affecting women, families and society.

Under its programme, FemNest 2.0, it  has opened application  for woman with an idea, early stage product or emerging venture addressing a real problem affecting women and families.

In a statement, Bisola Alabi, Founder of Heels and Tech, said FemNest Lab 2.0 is a five weeks venture building programme for early stage women founders building solutions across female health, fertility, maternal health, parenting, caregiving, safety and family wellbeing.

Bisola Alabi said in the statement that the  impact of the programme is already reflected in the women who have come through its earlier cohort. “One example is Adeyinka Adesuyi, whose work around menopause support was recognised during FemNest’s first cohort, receiving a ₦1 million award to support the development of her solution. Her venture is focused on using a social platform and personalised AI driven care tools to address the challenges and stigma surrounding menopause.”

According to her, that is the kind of woman FemNest 2.0 is looking to find and support: women who understand a problem because they have seen it, experienced it or worked closely with the people affected by it, and who are ready to turn that understanding into something that can serve others.

“If you are a woman with an idea, early stage product or emerging venture addressing a real problem affecting women and families, this is your opportunity to move from identifying the problem to building a solution that can grow”, she said in the statement. But FemNest is not simply looking for women with ideas. It is looking for women ready to build.

She promised that through practical business sessions, expert mentorship, technology enabled learning and milestone based funding, FemNest 2.0 will help participating founders validate their ideas, understand their customers, strengthen their business models and build with sustainability in mind.

The programme also puts technology at the centre of venture building. Participants will explore AI, no-code tools and digital solutions that can help them build faster, operate smarter, reach more people and create businesses capable of scaling.

She said participants will gain access to healthcare professionals, product leaders, investors and experienced startup operators while developing the leadership, governance and business credibility required to build ventures that can earn trust and survive beyond the early stage.

The programme will culminate in a Demo Day, giving participating founders the opportunity to put their ventures before investors, ecosystem partners and potential collaborators.

The opportunity is clear: women should not only be users of solutions designed for them. They should be the builders of those solutions.

Nigeria needs more women at the table, identifying problems, developing technology, building companies and creating solutions around the realities women and families experience every day, she said.