Women entrepreneurs across low- and middle-income countries are developing solutions to some of the world’s most urgent healthcare and food-security challenges. Yet many struggle to turn promising ideas into scalable businesses because they lack equitable access to funding, networks, mentorship, market opportunities, and the resources needed to become investor-ready. Bayer Foundation is addressing these structural gaps through targeted support for women innovators, particularly those working in underserved communities.
Women-led ventures remain significantly underfunded, while entrepreneurs tackling problems such as limited healthcare access, food loss and water scarcity often operate in markets where conventional investment is difficult to secure. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), for example, women-led ventures received just 1.2 percent of venture capital in 2021. Across Africa, more than half the population—about 615 million people—lack access to the healthcare they need, while an estimated 22 percent of annual food production is lost, worth nearly $92 billion.
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