Gender lens investing has become a widely discussed topic across the investment and entrepreneurship ecosystem. New frameworks, standards and toolkits continue to emerge, offering organisations guidance on how to better support women entrepreneurs and integrate gender into decision-making. However, for many organisations, the challenge is not understanding whether gender matters but how to make it work in practice.
- How do we integrate gender into investment decisions without creating unnecessary complexity?
- How do we design entrepreneurship support programmes that lead to stronger outcomes for women entrepreneurs?
- How do we move beyond commitments and create approaches that are practical, measurable and aligned with organisational objectives?
- How do we measure progress meaningfully?
This masterclass was developed to address those questions.
Our sessions are built around what practitioners get stuck on, and our focus is firmly on what organisations can realistically implement.
Why existing resources fall short for many practitioners in African markets
There are currently over 30 gender lens investing frameworks and toolkits available globally, all from different global organisations. While each has genuine value, they were also built with a specific context in mind. For organisations operating in African markets, these frameworks can feel overwhelming and the approaches can feel difficult to adapt in day-to-day realities. The language is often calibrated for large DFIs with extensive budgets, implementation assumes dedicated gender teams and even the price reflects this.
- Investors and investment teams
- Entrepreneur Support Organisations (ESOs)
- Foundations and NGOs supporting entrepreneurs
- Development organisations
- Government agencies working on entrepreneurship and enterprise development
- Ecosystem builders interested in inclusive finance and entrepreneurship
Whether your organisation is beginning its gender integration journey or seeking to strengthen existing approaches, the sessions are designed to provide practical and applicable insight.
- The foundations – what gender lens investing means, what it does not mean, and the places where well-intentioned practices commonly break down.
- How to build frameworks that fit your organisation’s actual capacity and context, move from theory to implementation, and avoid unnecessary complexity
- How gender integrates into programme design, investment processes, entrepreneur support approaches and internal decision making.
- How to measure progress in a way that generates useful learning.
- Clarity on what gender lens investing means in your specific context.
- A simplified framework for thinking about gender integration.
- Greater confidence in identifying opportunities for implementation.
- Practical ideas that can be applied within their organisation
- A stronger understanding of how gender integration contributes to organisational objectives and entrepreneurial outcomes.
- A clearer sense of where to start.
Format – a full day of interactive cohort-based learning, practical exercises and discussions, and peer learning across organisations and sectors.
Location – this is an in-person event taking place in Nairobi, Kenya.
Future iterations of this masterclass will include virtual classes as well as sessions held in other African cities. To stay up to date on the next iteration of this masterclass, consider signing up to our newsletter.
Pricing:
- Early bird rates( up to 15th September 2026):- $900 per team member, $1600 for teams of two.
- Full rate:- $1000 per team member, $1750 for teams of two.
- Early bird rates (up to 15th September 2026):- $400 USD per team member, $850 for a team of two.
- Full rate:- $500 per team member, $900 for a team of two.
If your organisation prefers customised in house support for teams of 10 or more, you can reach out to learn more about our enterprise package.