Apply to The UpGreyed Her program
Grey has officially announced the third edition of its UpGreyed Her program, an initiative designed to support and empower women-led businesses with equity-free funding. Backed by Y Combinator, this program continues to address the funding gap faced by female entrepreneurs, particularly in emerging markets where access to capital remains a major challenge.
Despite the rapid growth of global venture capital, women-led startups still receive only a small fraction of available funding. In 2024 alone, out of $289 billion invested globally, just 2.3% went to teams founded entirely by women. At this pace, achieving gender equality in venture funding could take several more decades. UpGreyed Her was created to help change this reality by providing direct financial support without requiring founders to give up ownership in their businesses.
For this third edition, Grey is offering a total grant of $10,000, which will be distributed among three outstanding women entrepreneurs. The grand prize winner will receive $5,000, while the first and second runners-up will receive $3,000 and $2,000 respectively. The program has already demonstrated strong impact, having attracted nearly 5,000 applications across previous editions and awarding a total of $17,500 to women-led startups.
One notable success story from the 2025 edition is Patricia Zanella, founder of EcoCiclo, a Brazil-based company focused on sustainable menstrual products. After winning the grand prize, she expanded her business by launching an e-commerce platform, earned national recognition through a Women in Science award, and secured partnerships with major events. Her journey highlights how targeted support can help women entrepreneurs scale their ideas into impactful ventures.
According to Grey’s Vice President of Global Marketing and Growth, Iheakachi Nwabueze, the initiative is aimed at backing women who are building solutions that create meaningful change. The goal is not just to fund businesses, but to enable long-term growth and inspire more women across emerging markets to innovate and lead.
The program is open to women entrepreneurs between the ages of 23 and 40 who are running tech-enabled businesses that have been operational for at least three years. Eligible sectors include artificial intelligence, information technology, logistics, agriculture, education, healthcare, construction, energy, and manufacturing. These fields are considered key drivers of development, and applicants working within them are strongly encouraged to apply.
The application window closes on April 20, 2026, so interested candidates are advised to prepare and submit their applications before the deadline.
Application Period: March 16, 2026 – April 20, 2026
For media enquiries: oyinda@grey.co
You can find more details and submit your application here: https://grey.co/upgreyedher
