Oluwadamilola Elizabeth
In a compelling Fireside Chat during the AWS Women's Demo Day in Lagos, AWS Startups Leader, Napa Onwusah, engaged in a conversation with Eunice Ajim, CEO/Founder of Ajim Capital to shed light on the importance of empowering female founders in the tech ecosystem. Napa, a Nigerian at the helm of AWS startups in Africa for the past year, introduced herself and outlined AWS's pivotal role in cloud computing. With a strategic focus on startups, Napa emphasized her commitment to a five-point agenda, with a significant dedication to enabling female founders and fostering diversity within the tech ecosystem.
During the Fireside chat, Napa unveiled the inspiration driving AWS's commitment to supporting female founders, citing the enhanced performance, transparency, and traction associated with women-led startups. According to her “women led startups usually perform better, they have better transparency, better traction”. She underscored the positive impact of diversity on board performance and outlined AWS's strategic use of its global presence to empower female entrepreneurs and thereby creating opportunities for their success.
The event's primary objectives included fostering connections between female founders and venture capitalists, providing visibility to startups through pitching, and ultimately enhancing diversity in the startup landscape.
The conversation delved into the valuable support AWS offers to startups, particularly through the Activate program and AWS credits. Napa stressed the importance of deploying capital intelligently, and AWS credit will allow startups to grow without heavy initial investments in infrastructure. AWS not only provides credits but also facilitates access to a range of resources, including tech lead accelerators, connections to VCs, and partnerships.
Looking ahead, Napa expressed her vision for the Women's Demo Day, aspiring to see double-digit investments in the future and a thriving global initiative. The goal is to make female founders feel supported and ensure they don't face insurmountable challenges in securing funding. The intention is to foster success stories that can contribute valuable expertise back to the startup ecosystem.
Strategies for encouraging female founders to step forward were also highlighted. Intentionally reaching out to female founders and being proactive in inviting them to events emerged as a crucial step. Napa stressed the significance of VCs actively seeking out female founders, encouraging more representation within VC firms, and setting aggressive targets to move the needle towards gender diversity.
The conversation concluded with insights into the technical support available from AWS. Napa introduced the AWS Startup Loft, where founders can book sessions with solution architects and other professionals without incurring costs. Additionally, she mentioned the importance of data-driven decision-making to ensure accountability in supporting female founders.
An additional point that surfaced during the discussion is the focus on bias recognition in pitching. Napa shared information about an upcoming program by AWS called the LB program, designed to help founders, especially female founders, recognize biases during pitching. The program aims to address challenging questions that founders often face during pitch sessions and provides strategies on how to respond effectively.
In essence, the Fireside Chat between Napa Onwusah and Eunice Ajim at the AWS Women's Demo Day provided valuable insights into the significance of empowering female founders. AWS's commitment to fostering diversity and supporting startups was evident throughout the conversation, underscoring the importance of creating a more inclusive and successful startup ecosystem.