Aurora Tech Award 2026 opens with $85,000 for women founders

Aurora Tech Award 2026 is set to award with inDrive an offer of $85,000 in prize money to women-led startups combining innovation with social impact.

Founded in 2021, the award has become a launchpad for female tech entrepreneurs from emerging markets and African founders have dominated for three years in a row, with Nigeria’s Solape Akinpelu winning the $50,000 grand prize in 2025 from a record 2,018 applications spanning 116 countries.

The launch of applications for the 2026 Aurora Tech Award comes at a time when women-led startups still attract less than 2 percent of global venture capital, according to industry estimates.

Organised by global mobility platform, inDrive, the award offers $85,000 in prize money and access to investors for women founders tackling innovation and social challenges.

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Eligibility criteria include women’s ownership or co-ownership, under five years in operation, pre-seed stage, and total investment below $6 million. The competition will name its top 100 quarterfinalists on December 8, 2025, with finalists announced in early 2026 ahead of a March–April ceremony.

Finalists will also gain access to inDrive’s global investor network, tailored mentorship, and strategic resources to scale internationally beyond the funding.

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ByFolake Balogun

Folake Balogun is a renowned tech journalist who offers insightful and critical analysis of the African rapidly growing digital economy, particularly within Nigeria. She closely monitors the health of the African startup ecosystem by covering significant venture capital trends, investment deals, and the challenges faced by emerging firms. Known for her deep dives into the fintech sector, she covers the evolution of digital payments, dynamics of major financial innovations and also extends to emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the future of connectivity by providing context to their economic and social impact.