New York, NY and Washington, DC, September 17, 2026 — Village Capital, in partnership with Standard Chartered Foundation, has concluded the 2026 US Women in Tech Accelerator. Kiro Money and Yuzi Care were selected by their peers to receive equity-free grant funding, marking the second year of this three-year partnership focused on advancing women-led innovation in the US.
The accelerator supports women-led, tech-enabled startups tackling economic mobility and access to essential services with the tools to scale their solutions, create jobs, and drive impact nationwide. The initiative responds to a persistent funding gap: all-women founding teams have received an average of only 2.4% of venture capital funding over the past 30 years.
The final cohort included 10 women-led startups from 7 states, with half headquartered outside of the states (CA, MA, NY), and 80% led by a BIPOC founder.
Over the four-month program, founders took part in workshops and an in-person program summit, gaining 1:1 financial modeling coaching, milestone development planning, and mentorship from investors and business leaders. On the final day, the 10 startups evaluated one another through an investor lens, using eight investment criteria drawn from Village Capital’s venture investment framework. Kiro Money and Yuzi Care were ranked most investment-ready and will receive USD 25K in grant funding from Standard Chartered Foundation.
The peer-selected startups focus on the following:
For more information, reach out to Eva Waweru at Village Capital eva.waweru@vilcap.com.
About Village Capital
Village Capital is a global leader in impact investing, helping early-stage startups access the type of social and financial capital they need to grow – reshaping the supply and demand sides of capital flows as a result.
Since 2009, Village Capital has directly supported more than 2,100 impact startups in 70 countries. Together, these founders have raised over $9.6B across economic mobility, environmental sustainability, and access to essential services. It has made 116 investments through its various affiliated funds, including Vilcap Investments, which has invested in 91 peer-selected companies. Additionally, 26,000 entrepreneurs have used its Abaca web app to take at least one assessment, helping them expand their access to financial capital. Learn more at www.vilcap.com and follow @villagecapital.
About Standard Chartered
We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 55 of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.
Our history in the US dates back to 1902, and we are currently present in nine locations throughout the Americas. Our Americas franchise focuses on financial institutions and select corporations and plays a key role in facilitating trade and investment flows between the Americas and Asia, Africa, the UK and Europe, and the Middle East.
Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges. For more stories and expert opinions, please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
About Futuremakers by Standard Chartered
Futuremakers by Standard Chartered (Futuremakers) is Standard Chartered Bank’s global youth economic empowerment initiative to tackle inequality and promote greater economic inclusion in the Group’s markets. Futuremakers supports disadvantaged young people, especially women and people with disabilities, to learn, earn, and grow. By 2030, Futuremakers aims to create and sustain 140,000 jobs by enabling young entrepreneurs and job-seekers to achieve economic power and participation. Visit www.sc.com/futuremakers
About Standard Chartered Foundation
The Standard Chartered Foundation (SCF) is a charitable organisation that tackles inequality by promoting greater economic inclusion for disadvantaged young people, particularly young women and people with disabilities. Its programmes focus on employability and entrepreneurship, helping young entrepreneurs and jobseekers access the skills, networks, opportunities and support they need to achieve economic power and participation.
