Nigerian entrepreneur Solape Akinpelu was declared the 2025 Aurora Tech Award for Women in Tech Innovation winner on April 12, 2025. She is the creator of HerVest, a fintech platform that provides inclusive financial services to empower women.
This award honours exceptional female tech entrepreneurs from developing nations using technology to spur innovation and improve society.
About the Aurora Tech Award 2025
InDrive established the Aurora Tech Award as a global recognition program to assist female entrepreneurs of early-stage technology companies. In 2025, the award attracted more than 2,000 applications from 116 countries.
Nigeria topped the list with 21 entrepreneurs chosen after a thorough selection process that produced 120 female founders on the shortlist. The candidates are from various industries, such as edtech, fintech, health tech, and agrotech.
Isabella Ghassemi-Smith, head of the Aurora Tech Award, said, “The Aurora Top 120 is a first for us this year, created from a three-month open call that attracted over 2,000 applications from female founders. Through a rigorous selection process, we’ve identified 120 standout women entrepreneurs who are building bold and innovative businesses in emerging markets. These founders are poised to shape the future of their industries and countries, making them the ones to watch in 2025.”
Prize and recognition
The top five recipients of the award will receive a total prize fund of $85,000. Solape Akinpelu was awarded the first prize of $30,000. The award offers mentorship, networking opportunities, media exposure, and financial support to assist female entrepreneurs in expanding their startups.
The final pitch competition was held during the SHE CAN 2025 event in Cairo, and the victors were honoured in front of a global community of female entrepreneurs.
This acknowledgment underscores Nigeria’s expanding status as a technological innovation and entrepreneurship center, which incentivises additional women to establish technology-based enterprises in Africa and beyond.