CISCO partners with WomHub to support women-led STEM startups in South Africa

SOUTH AFRICA – Cisco, a global digital communication conglomerate, has partnered with South African-based Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEMs) for female innovations incubator, WomHub, to empower female techpreneurs in South Africa. 

The partnership will CISCO open two new Cisco EDGE Centres at WomHub spaces in Johannesburg and Cape Town, as part of Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration programme. 

The centers will provide access to technology, mentoring, incubation, and training opportunities for women-led SMEs to create an inclusive ecosystem of female-run tech businesses that can drive the country’s digital future.

In a statement, the companies say the initiative aims to support female-led small and medium enterprises in the country’s science, technology, engineering, and manufacturing (STEM) sector, and provide business mentoring, incubation, and training opportunities.

WomHub is an incubator led by women and for women seeking to start and propel their STEM-based business in South Africa, and it offers business mentoring, incubation, and training opportunities, to help the startups advance their market access and exposure.

CISCO EDGE, which stands for ‘experience, design, GTM (go-to-market) and earns’, provides access to Cisco connectivity and collaboration technology, as well as tools and resources, to local innovators and entrepreneurs. 

The program is designed to support the development of secure, intelligent, and connected solutions to help shape SA’s digital future.

Smangele Nkosi, GM at Cisco South Africa said, “The tech start-up scene in South Africa is evolving at a phenomenal rate. We are keen to proactively support these innovative small businesses, and foster a diverse, inclusive tech landscape by boosting support for women in the sector.” 

Nkosi noted that targeted collaborations with organizations like WomHub, which sought to empower female-led businesses and are already doing great work, was the ideal way to do this.

Anjani Harjeven, the CEO of WomHub from her perspective remarked that the incubator was excited to bring the power of WomHub and Cisco together to create a lasting legacy in the South African tech ecosystem.

“Everything we do is about building the entire ecosystem to support women in STEM. With the help of a global tech leader like Cisco, we hope to give female business founders the skills, technology, and confidence they need to take their tech start-ups to the next level. We’re very excited to embark on what we know will be a prosperous journey,” Harjeven noted. 

Cisco EDGE expanding access technology know-how, globally 

Cisco’s vision, in collaboration with WomHub, is to support entrepreneurs with GTM strategies, creating a new-age network of female-owned, certified Cisco partners offering innovative tech solutions in the country.

The partnership builds on Cisco’s existing commitment to empowering an inclusive digital future for all, in this case by promoting gender equality and driving innovation and job creation in South Africa’s rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Francine Katsoudas, executive vice president and chief people, policy & purpose officer of Cisco said, “This new, powerful collaboration further demonstrates Cisco’s commitment to fostering innovation and supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs, focusing on women who are often underrepresented in the tech sector.”

Katsoudas added that with Cisco’s digital skills development training and cutting-edge technologies, and WomHub’s network of aspiring female entrepreneurs in South African STEM sectors, the partnership could make an important and tangible difference in the industry and help to drive the country’s digital economy.

Through the Cisco EDGE Centre collaboration, participants in WomHub’s incubation program will have access to Cisco experts and receive specialized training and mentorship. 

This connected start-up ecosystem has the potential to create more female-run tech businesses with a direct impact on South Africa’s digital future.

The EDGE Centre is part of Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program. 

CDA was founded in 2015 and has since evolved into programs in 49 countries, with over 1,500 active or completed projects – spanning more than two-thirds of the world’s population and 75% of global GDP.

A key pillar of the CDA program is Cisco’s Networking Academy and in South Africa, 61% of the current academy intake of 82,219 students are female. 

WomHub says the center in Cape Town will be highly female-friendly, featuring breastfeeding and playrooms for women who have to bring their children to work.

The Commission for Employment Equity’s 23rd Employment Equity Report, for 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, showed growth in the number of women in the ICT sector, with an increase of 2% since 2021.

For all the latest healthcare industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, and YouTube Channel, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook.