The LSETF, AfriGloCal VC and partners have championed women’s entrepreneurship and investment at the Female Founders and Funders (FFF) Year Three Demo Day.

The event marked the culmination of an intensive eight-week accelerator and investor-readiness programme designed to equip women-led startups with the skills, networks, mentorship, and funding opportunities required to build scalable, investment-ready businesses.

Bringing together founders, investors, venture capital firms, angel investors, corporate partners, development organisations and ecosystem enablers, the Demo Day provided participating entrepreneurs with a platform to showcase innovative solutions that address critical challenges across sectors while engaging potential investors and strategic partners.

In her opening remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, Feyisayo Alayande, reaffirmed LSETF’s commitment to supporting women-led innovation and entrepreneurship.

According to her, the FFF programme has become an important platform for advancing women’s participation within Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem by providing founders with access to mentorship, business development support, investor-readiness training and critical market opportunities.

Alayande commended the resilience and determination of the participating founders, noting that the programme was designed to bridge the gap between female entrepreneurs and funding opportunities and to help founders transform innovative ideas into scalable, sustainable ventures.

She also acknowledged the contributions of development partners, mentors, judges and investors whose support continues to strengthen Lagos State’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of MTN Nigeria, the General Manager, Enterprise Marketing, Njideka Jack, emphasised the critical role of entrepreneurship in driving economic growth and social development.

She described founders as individuals defined by “courage,” highlighting the resilience, determination and sacrifices often required to build successful businesses.

Jack noted that while founders create innovative solutions, funders play an equally important role in transforming ideas into successful enterprises by providing the capital and confidence required for growth.

She praised the intentional design of the Female Founders and Funders Programme, stressing that empowering women entrepreneurs is not merely a social objective but an economic necessity.

Speaking on the broader significance of the initiative, the Managing Director of AfriGloCal VC, Mope Abudu, underscored the need to intentionally address both sides of the gender funding gap by supporting female founders and increasing female participation in investment decision-making.

Reflecting on the progress achieved since the launch of the programme, she noted that the initiative has evolved beyond a training programme into a growing movement of women founders, angel investors, venture partners and ecosystem leaders committed to fostering inclusive innovation and wealth creation.

Abudu highlighted the increasing participation of women in angel investing, syndication opportunities, due diligence processes and investment discussions, describing it as a positive shift toward a more inclusive investment ecosystem.

She also emphasised the importance of strengthening local capital participation within Africa’s startup ecosystem, noting that local investors bring critical market knowledge, contextual understanding and long-term commitment that are essential for sustainable ecosystem growth.

According to her, greater female participation in investment and capital allocation will contribute significantly to improving access to finance for innovative businesses while fostering more inclusive economic growth.

A major theme that emerged throughout the event was the importance of intentional collaboration among government institutions, private-sector organisations, development partners, and investors in creating pathways for women entrepreneurs to succeed.