Y Combinator-backed company opens applications for its equity-free grant program, offering $10,000 to women-led businesses.
For women entrepreneurs in emerging markets, even a great idea often isn’t enough to grow a business. Many struggle to secure funding, facing barriers that delay business growth and limit its impact. Of the $289 billion deployed globally in venture capital in 2024, just 2.3% reached female-only founding teams, and at the current pace of change, gender parity in venture capital won’t be achieved until around 2065. UpGreyed Her was created to address that by providing equity-free grants to help them scale their businesses.
Applications are now open for the third edition of UpGreyed Her, offering $10,000 in total funding across three winners: $5,000 for the grand prize, $3,000 for the first runner-up, and $2,000 for the second runner-up. Backed by Y Combinator, Grey has run two previous editions of UpGreyed Her, receiving nearly 5,000 applications and distributing $17,500 in funding to women-led startups. The program has already helped founders turn ideas into thriving businesses and inspired a global community of women innovators.
The impact is clear. The 2025 grand prize went to Patricia Zanella, founder of EcoCiclo, a sustainable menstrual products company in Brazil. Since winning, she has launched an e-commerce platform, earned a national Women in Science award, and partnered with major events, including Camarote Salvador. “Winning UpGreyed Her showed me that my ideas are valued, and when women innovators are supported, their solutions can transform communities,” Zanella said.
“UpGreyed Her is our way of investing in women entrepreneurs who are driving real change in emerging markets,” said Iheakachi Nwabueze, Vice President of Global Marketing and Growth at Grey. “Patricia Zanella’s journey shows what’s possible, and this edition of UpGreyed Her aims to create similar success stories for more women entrepreneurs across emerging markets.”
Applications are open to women entrepreneurs aged 23 to 40 who are building tech-enabled businesses that have been operational for at least 3 years. Businesses in sectors such as AI, IT, logistics, agriculture, education, healthcare, construction, energy, and manufacturing are especially encouraged to apply. The application window closes April 20, 2026, and interested applicants can apply at grey.co/upgreyedher.
Grey holds Money Service Business licences from FinCEN in the United States and FINTRAC in Canada, and supports individuals and businesses across 170+ countries with multi-currency accounts, instant international transfers, and virtual cards.
About Grey
Grey is at the forefront of providing secure and convenient global banking solutions to meet the needs of customers and businesses. Grey holds a Money Service Business license from FINTRAC in Canada and FinCEN in the USA, and our primary focus is on emerging markets. Our range of services enables individuals and businesses to easily own and manage multi-currency accounts. This includes currency exchange, sending and receiving payments to and from over 170 countries, as well as access to virtual cards.
