HerVenture in Kenya

Our free business skills app HerVenture has supported 14,000 women entrepreneurs in Kenya to grow their businesses.

In Kenya, there is a massive gender gap in formal business ownership. While women’s entrepreneurship is common in the country, only 31.4% of formal businesses are owned by women. Kenyan women entrepreneurs often lack access to the business development services that could support them to thrive, which creates an even wider gender gap.

With support from our funding partners DHL Express, Smart Regional Consultants, and former partners Sinapis, HerVenture has been available in Kenya since mid-2020.

HerVenture is one of the Foundation’s five flagship programmes. Our business skills mobile learning app provides women entrepreneurs with essential business knowledge and skills to successfully start up and grow their businesses.

Our app delivers bite-sized lessons that women can take while on the go. This is important as many women entrepreneurs in Kenya and have to juggle business with unpaid care and domestic work. The app can also be used offline, a key feature as only 38% of Kenya has internet coverage.

HerVenture features a range of learning tracks which were developed with local partners to address the specific needs of women entrepreneurs in Kenya. Topics include launching a business, accessing finance, expanding market access and e-commerce. Presently in Kenya, there are no other mobile apps that are specifically designed for women entrepreneurs at the start-up stages of their business lifecycle.

So far, 14,000 Kenyan women entrepreneurs have used HerVenture, leading to some incredible impacts:

94% of users reported changes in their business knowledge after using HerVenture.

Before I knew about the app, business was slow, but I have been able to sell more by learning how to manage my business. Asilia, HerVenture user in Kenya

94% of users reported that they have implemented improved business practices after using the app.

In 2022, HerVenture’s impact in Kenya was recognised at Kenya’s Mobile App Summit and Awards, winning the award for Best Use of Mobile For Social and Economic Development in the Social Impact category.

HerVenture: a business skills learning app

HerVenture is one of the Foundation's five flagship programmes, which also include Road to Growth, Road to Leadership, Road to Finance, and the Mentoring Women in Business programme. It provides women entrepreneurs of micro and small enterprises with the knowledge and skills to successfully grow their businesses.

Find out more!