The BRICS Women’s Business Alliance (BRICS WBA) Women’s Startups Contest 2026  – Opportunities For Africans

Application Deadline: 15 May, 2026

Applications at the moment are open for the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance (BRICS WBA) Women’s Startups Contest . The Women’s Startups Contest 2026 marks as the distinguished initiative led by the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance (BRICS WBA), geared toward empowering and accelerating women-led startups throughout BRICS nations. This yr, India takes the lead, underscoring its robust dedication to selling women-led improvement, innovation, and entrepreneurship on the worldwide stage.

Building on the success of the earlier editions, the 2026 version continues to highlight revolutionary, high-impact women-led enterprises, fostering crossborder financial integration, collaboration, and data change inside the BRICS ecosystem. The initiative supplies a dynamic platform for visibility, networking, and enterprise enlargement, enabling ladies entrepreneurs to scale their ventures and interact with buyers, business leaders, and policymakers throughout BRICS international locations.

Requirements

Residency & Market Presence:

• Applicants should be residents or everlasting residents of BRICS nations (Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the UAE), at the moment working in a number of BRICS markets, and actively exporting or supplying inside these markets.

Female Leadership Role

• Must maintain a key management place (Founder, Co-Founder, or equal).
• Must play an lively function within the startup’s operations & technique.
• Multidisciplinary groups with numerous experience are inspired.

Impact and Sustainability

• Demonstrate the long-term social, financial, or environmental affect and sustainability of the answer.

Commercial Viability & Traction

• Provide proof of a viable enterprise mannequin, market demand, and any present traction or progress.

Solution & Innovation

• Clearly describe the answer, the issue it addresses, and its revolutionary and scalable options.

BRICS Alignment & Scalability:

• Demonstrate alignment with BRICS priorities and the potential to scale, replicate, and create affect throughout BRICS international locations.

Business Stages

Startups will compete in three completely different improvement levels:

EARLY STAGE: Startups within the MVP or prototype section.
These companies are targeted on validating their ideas, figuring out market wants, and establishing a basis for future progress.

GROWTH: Startups with a longtime services or products that has achieved preliminary buyer engagement or market acceptance, targeted on increasing their operations and refining their fashions.

SCALE-UP

Mature startups which have achieved important progress and are increasing into new markets, demonstrating robust operational efficiency and scalability.

Categories

• HEALTHCARE AND WELLBEING
• AGRICULTURE & FOOD SECURITY
• EDUCATION AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT
• ENERGY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND MOBILITY
• COMMERCE, SERVICE AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
• SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

Awards

• Start-ups might be evaluated throughout six classes.
• Winners might be chosen below every improvement stage, culminating in 18 finalists.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the BRICS WBA Women’s Startups Contest