Deadline Date: March 13, 2026
The Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award 2026 offers a transformative 6-month accelerator for women founders advancing solutions in health and food security.
The program focuses on health, including cardiovascular health, women’s health, oncology, healthcare payment options and insurance, and strengthening community health workers and digital health infrastructure, as well as food security, such as reducing food waste, reducing malnutrition, fair markets and pricing, increasing smallholder farmer productivity, and water justice and sanitation.
Selected awardees participate in an onboarding interview and baseline survey to tailor support to their ventures, and are matched with a business advisor for regular one-on-one sessions while joining group sessions at least once a month with experts and peers. Group sessions cover critical investment readiness areas including business and growth planning, financial planning and fundamentals, funding pathways and alternative financing, as well as pitching, storytelling, and communications, while individual support addresses the most pressing needs of each venture. Awardees are expected to commit at least four hours per month.
The accelerator is designed for women founders, co-founders, or senior leaders with decision-making power in ventures that have moved beyond the idea stage and are creating measurable impact for low- and middle-income communities in Asia, Latin America, Africa, or the Middle East. Eligible ventures should have annual revenues up to USD 1,000,000 or strong evidence of growing revenue if pre-break-even, meet legal and incorporation requirements, and operate as social enterprises, with nonprofits eligible if they plan to convert to a for-profit model within 12–24 months and were incorporated on or before 1 January 2025.
Awardees gain access to six months of tailored support to strengthen business fundamentals, sharpen financials and impact metrics, and prepare for investor-facing opportunities. They will also travel to Amsterdam from 26–30 October 2026 for Awardee Days and the Award Ceremony to pitch their ventures, connect with the cohort, and celebrate achievements. Each awardee receives a €25,000 cash prize in non-dilutive funding to grow their business, expand reach, and invest confidently in the next stage.
The program also provides global visibility and recognition through storytelling, media exposure, and video content, connecting awardees to a wider audience and reinforcing credibility. Participants join the Bayer Foundation women-led alumni community for peer support, collaborative opportunities, and ongoing engagement, while also gaining access to Impact Hub’s global network for local ecosystem support, founder connections, and scaling opportunities across markets.
For more information, visit Bayer Foundation.
