Beyond the Pitch: The Stories Driving FemSTEM Africa 2025

The room buzzed with anticipation as six women founders took the stage in Kigali, each carrying an idea rooted in their communities and lived experiences — ideas with the potential to reshape healthcare. From newborn care to maternal health, these ventures were born from personal experience: problems they had lived through, seen firsthand, and refused to accept as normal.

This was the spirit of FemSTEM Africa 2025, held June 23 – 24 at the African Leadership University (ALU)’s Rwanda Campus. Supported by ALU, Health Innovation Hub (H2i), the Mastercard Foundation, and Susteneri Attorneys, the gathering brought together more than 70 innovators — students, founders, mentors, and healthcare leaders — to share stories, collaborate, and spark change.

That momentum had already been growing. In the months before Kigali, a series of online fireside chats brought women founders from across the continent together to share their stories. Some were just starting out, like Mahlodi Letsie (Bare Mind Holdings) and Faith Chuby Labija (ChuChu Softies), while others, such as Fiona Nuwamanya (Rocket Health Africa) and Leah Nduati (Yoga Experiences Africa), spoke about the realities of scaling a healthcare startup. By the time everyone arrived in Rwanda, many participants already felt part of a community.

Lived Experience as the Seed of Innovation

Across the event, one theme stood out: many founders were motivated by personal experiences of gaps in care.

• Dr. Salsawit T. Yigrem began 3D printing equipment when she saw shortages firsthand as a physician.
• Dr. Christelle Giraneza co-founded the URUKUNDO Initiative after losing a young patient to unsafe abortion.
• Dr. Umunyana Marie Chantal built Umubyeyi Elevate from her own struggles to find support during pregnancy. At first, she believed an app was the solution, only to learn that what women needed most was a safe space to gather, share and be heard. “You may be in love with your own mind and assumptions and think that what you need is what others need,” she reflected.

Agility and Listening First

Founders also highlighted the need to adapt quickly and listen to communities. Dr. Giraneza emphasized the importance of ‘falling in love with the problem, not your solution.’ For her, impact meant finding the right pathway: while she hoped to reach youth through parents, she soon realized schools and governments were more effective partners.

The Power of Community and Mentorship

This theme echoed in the masterclass led by Berabose Aline Joyce and Fraidianie Sevigné, which emphasized sustainable health innovation, inclusion, mentorship, and founder well-being.

For some, FemSTEM Africa was the first time they had been in a room full of women health innovators. The sense of belonging was transformative. Joyce emphasized that spaces like this matter, not just for ideas, but for solidarity.

Speakers highlighted the need for non-hierarchical networks, peer support, and mentorship. Informal connections often opened the biggest opportunities. Several noted the internalized barriers women face around networking and asking for help, barriers that events like FemSTEM help to break down.

From Hackathon to Pitch

The two-day event began with inspiring remarks from Dr. Achieng’ Aling’, Healthcare Programs Director at ALU, and Paul Santerre, Director of H2i, who emphasized the vital role of women leaders in building resilient health systems. A dynamic panel followed with founders Dr. Umunyana Marie Chantal (UMUBYEYI ELEVATE), Dr. Christelle Giraneza (URUKUNDO Initiative), Dr. Lorraine Muluka (Malaica) and Dr. Salsawit T. Yigrem (InnoHeza Ltd)., who discussed women’s leadership in healthcare innovation, sustainability, and the critical role of mentorship in supporting women entrepreneurs.

Students from institutions including MEDSAR, Rwanda University of Rwanda, Carnegie Mellon University Africa, Kepler College Rwanda, University of Global Health Equity, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Rwanda, and ALU participated in a hands-on hackathon. Winning projects, Mama Mwiza, Umwezi, SafeSpeak, and MoyoCare, showed practical, scalable solutions for maternal and community health.

The momentum carried into the FemSTEM Africa Pitch Competition, where six ventures from six countries competed for CAD$25,000 in funding and CAD$15,000 in in-kind legal services.

After remarkable pitches and a difficult deliberation, this year’s winners were announced:

• Neosave Technologies Limited: improving neonatal care with a wearable that uses emojis to help nurses detect hypothermia.
• Kosmotive: empowering Rwandan women with eco-friendly health products and digital education.
• Pro Plus: enhancing maternal healthcare with digital tools and last-mile delivery through its Kasa Africa platform.

For Neosave Technologies, the award was more than funding, “Winning is an inspiration, but also a motivation to bring our solution into reality. With mentorship and guidance, we are really geared towards bringing Autothermo to life.”

Reflections and What’s Next

The event closed with reflections on impact. “When women are at the forefront of providing solutions, they embody empathy and know how to properly address the challenges of women’s health in Africa,” said Dr. Aling’.

Dr. Santerre noted, “This is the first time that we ever have six venture women not only pitch their ideas, but pitch ideas that are already being used and/or validated in the clinic and/or market, and in a few instances in the market for sale. The future is extremely bright for FemSTEM Africa and for health care on the African continent.”

Over two days, the themes of lived experience, agility, and community pointed to a larger truth: while the barriers for women in STEM remain, spaces like FemSTEM fuel collective strength. Together, founders are breaking down systemic barriers, raising each other up, and creating lasting impact on health systems and communities.

As part of the Africa Health Collaborative and H2i’s broader mission, FemSTEM Africa is more than an event. It’s a growing movement. And the story doesn’t end here, stay tuned for FemSTEM Africa 2026, co-hosted with KNUST and H2i Ghana.