Aurora Tech Award Reveals 2026 Top 10 Finalists List

The Aurora Tech Award has announced its Top 10 Finalists for 2026, selecting the entrepreneurs from a record 3,400 applications submitted across 127 countries.

In a statement, the organisers said the finalists emerged after a rigorous multi-stage evaluation process, beginning with an initial shortlist of 100 founders. The award, described as the only global prize dedicated to supporting outstanding female tech founders from emerging markets, highlighted the growing scale and quality of women-led startups building scalable solutions across high-growth economies.

The 2026 Top 10 features founders from Nigeria, Kenya, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Colombia and Panama, reflecting strong participation from Africa and Latin America. The selected startups are addressing local challenges, including access to credit, healthcare insights, recycling value chains, agricultural supply chains and financial inclusion for underserved communities.

Among the finalists is Adeola Ayoola, the founder of Famasi in Nigeria.

This seed-stage healthtech platform enables pharmacies to manage operations and track stock in real time across a connected network. The platform improves visibility of medicine availability and routes prescriptions to nearby pharmacies where medications are in stock.

Also selected is Penny Musengi, founder of Pesira Technologies, Kenya, a seed-stage agritech platform that connects farmers, agribusinesses and finance providers within a unified ecosystem. The platform aims to expand access to financial services and digital marketplaces while strengthening agricultural supply chains.

The finalists will pitch their solutions at a global event later this year. Winners will receive non-dilutive funding, access to Aurora’s Global VC Network and continued support to scale their businesses.

Organisers said this year’s cohort represents a diverse mix of regions and sectors, with startups operating in Artificial Intelligence, Fintech, HealthTech, Sustainability, Agritech, HRTech and Enterprise Software. All finalists are at pre-seed or seed stage and have demonstrated early traction and strong potential for scalable impact.

The award is powered by inDrive and works with a network of more than 40 venture capital firms across Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Applications are assessed through a structured framework combining independent venture capital evaluations with Aurora’s internal benchmarks.

According to the organisers, investor conviction plays a central role in the selection process, with venture capital partners indicating which founders they would actively engage with. Finalists are determined based on independent VC assessments, expressed investor interest and overall performance during the evaluation stages.

The organisers said the programme offers more than recognition, providing founders with visibility, credibility, access to capital and strategic positioning to accelerate their next phase of growth.