When you give women access to capital, you don’t just fund a business—you shift an entire ecosystem.

WomHub, a Weaver in the IYBA-SEED programme in South Africa, recently hosted the “Pitch to Purse, Give to Gain” financier ecosystem event, aligned with this year’s International Women’s Day theme. The event brought together entrepreneurs, funders, and ecosystem partners to strengthen pathways from business support to investment.

The WE4D and IYBA-SEED programmes are intentionally designed to support platforms that move beyond convening stakeholders—focusing instead on converting dialogue into tangible outcomes for entrepreneurs, amongst others women who continue to face barriers in accessing finance.

At the event, three founders received catalytic funding commitments of USD 15,000 each:
•    Bongi Bees Honey | Lulu Letlape
•    HyHarvest | Zandile Kumalo
•    Gcwalisa | Josephine Katumba

These enterprises represent the type of innovation the programmes aim to support—women-led, growth-oriented businesses contributing to inclusive, green, and sustainable economic transformation. More importantly, they show what becomes possible when capital is intentionally directed toward women entrepreneurs.

The event also marked the announcement of the newest cohort of the Green Accelerator programme, implemented in partnership with IYBA-SEED. The accelerator will support participating entrepreneurs to strengthen investment readiness, expand market access, and improve their ability to attract and absorb capital for scale.

The Employment Promotion for Women for the Green Transformation in Africa (WE4D) programme focuses on improving women’s access to employment opportunities, particularly in green sectors and across value chains driving Africa’s green transition.

The Investing in Young Businesses in Africa – Supporting Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Development (IYBA-SEED) programme pilots a Weaver-based model that strengthens entrepreneurial ecosystems through tailored interventions, including digital skills development, women entrepreneurship support, and the promotion of green and circular business models.

Together, WE4D and IYBA-SEED, alongside ecosystem builders like WomHub—an incubator supporting women entrepreneurs through business development, market access, and investment readiness—demonstrate that when women gain access to capital through well-functioning ecosystems, the result is not only business growth, but stronger ecosystems, more jobs, and more inclusive, sustainable economies.

WE4D is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ); Co-funded by the European Union through regional and bilateral Team Europe Initiatives (TEIs) and Norway.

IYBA-SEED is a European multi-partner programme that mobilises resources and expertise for greater efficiency and impact. IYBA-SEED is funded by the European Union and the French, German and Slovak governments, and implemented by five agencies: Expertise France, Enabel (Belgium), GIZ (Germany), SAIDC (Slovakia) and SNV (Netherlands).