The Aurora Tech Award powered by inDrive has announced the ten finalists who will travel to Santiago to pitch for non dilutive funding and access to a global venture capital network, as the programme records its largest and most competitive year to date. Selected from more than 3,400 applications across 127 countries, the finalists reflect the accelerating momentum of women led technology companies in emerging markets.
The 2026 cohort spans sectors including artificial intelligence, fintech, healthtech, sustainability, agritech and enterprise software. All finalists are at pre seed or seed stage and were chosen through a rigorous investor led process supported by more than 40 venture capital partners operating across Africa, Latin America, MENA and South Asia.
Addressing the funding gap for women founders
Despite growing participation in venture creation, women led startups continue to face a persistent funding gap. In 2025, all women founding teams represented 5.6 percent of global VC deals but received only 1.4 percent of total venture funding. At the same time, these companies accounted for 6.2 percent of global VC exit value and have been shown to generate up to twice as much revenue per dollar invested.
Aurora was created to address this disconnect between performance and capital allocation. Beyond funding, the programme focuses on giving founders investor visibility, structured feedback and access to a trusted network that can accelerate international growth.
What finalists receive
Finalists in the Aurora Tech Award gain access to four core pillars of support. These include non dilutive capital for the top three winners, direct referrals to Aurora’s VC partner network aligned by region and sector, and a global peer community of women founders building in emerging markets.
They also receive a platform to pitch in front of investors and an expert jury, culminating in the public announcement of the 2026 winners following the Santiago showcase.
Proven impact from previous cohorts
Alumni from previous Aurora cohorts highlight the programme’s ability to translate visibility into tangible outcomes. Nigerian fintech HerVest, founded by Solape Akinpelu, placed first in the 2025 cohort and has since reported 270 percent growth in loan disbursements to 284 million dollars, alongside strong revenue growth and direct impact on more than 150,000 women.
UpLeap, an AI powered medical training platform co founded by Leonie Korn, placed fifth in 2025 and has since closed a 330,000 dollar pre seed round through introductions made via Aurora’s investor network. The company now supports more than 1,600 healthcare professionals across eight countries.
Investor driven selection process
Aurora’s selection model combines independent VC evaluation with internal execution benchmarks developed alongside experienced operators. Participating venture funds review startups aligned with their expertise and signal investment interest, ensuring finalists are both capital ready and investor validated.
Isabella Ghassemi Smith, Head of the Aurora Tech Award, said the programme is designed to surface founders who are already demonstrating traction and are ready to scale. She noted that the 2026 finalists represent a clear signal to the market of where future category leaders are emerging.
A strong Latin American presence
This year’s cohort reflects strong growth in Latin America, with eight of the ten finalists based in the region. According to Imagine Ventures Managing Partner Javier Cueto, the quality and commercial maturity of applications has increased significantly, demonstrating that impact driven businesses can also deliver competitive returns.
The Aurora 2026 top ten finalists
The finalists include startups improving pharmacy logistics in Nigeria, enabling digital commerce for unbanked communities in Latin America, delivering personalised surgical implants in Colombia, formalising domestic work in Chile, advancing oncology decision making in Brazil, and building alternative credit scoring models for informal workers.
Together, the cohort reflects the diversity and ambition of women founders tackling local challenges with scalable technology solutions.
As Aurora prepares for the Santiago pitch event, the programme continues to position itself as a key gateway for women led startups seeking capital, credibility and global reach in emerging markets.