Bayer Foundation Awards 15 Women Entrepreneurs Addressing Global Health and Food Security Challenges

The Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award, powered by the Impact Hub Network, has selected 15 women entrepreneurs from Latin America, Africa & the Middle East, and Asia Pacific who are developing practical solutions for healthcare and food security challenges. According to reports by the United Nations and World Health Organisation, nearly 295 million people globally face acute hunger and 2.33 billion live with food insecurity, making these innovations critically important.

Selected from 1,763 applicants across 117 countries, the 2025 winners are advancing innovations ranging from AI-powered health diagnostics and climate-resilient farming to community-led nutrition models and circular economy approaches. Since 2021, the Award has supported women entrepreneurs driving scalable solutions in these areas, with the 2024 and 2025 winner cohorts collectively reaching 3.68 million people with better healthcare, supporting more than 69,000 smallholder farmers, and generating $3.93 million in additional rural income.

Chitkala Kalidas, Executive Director of Bayer Foundation, emphasized the program's multifaceted approach, stating that they offer funding, knowledge-sharing, strategic connections, and increased visibility to support entrepreneurs' journeys toward systemic change. The Award addresses significant gaps faced by women entrepreneurs who, despite contributing 30% of GDP in emerging markets and influencing 70% of global consumption decisions, struggle to access capital, mentorship, and visibility according to the World Economic Forum.

Each awardee receives a €25,000 cash prize, a six-month Accelerator Program, strategic mentorship, and entry into a global network through the Impact Hub Network. Kalidas added that through their partnership with Impact Hub, they connect entrepreneurs to resources and networks that help scale their impact, strengthening locally-driven responses to health and food challenges while building sustainable innovation ecosystems.

The program has demonstrated proven results at scale, having supported 55 women entrepreneurs since its 2021 launch whose ventures have created measurable impact in health and food security. In 2024, winners achieved an average revenue growth of 84% within six months, demonstrating what's possible when women entrepreneurs have the resources, networks, and visibility needed to lead change. All profiles of the 15 winners can be found on https://bayerfoundation-wea.com.

Each year, Bayer Foundation publishes a white paper on the challenges of women entrepreneurs in low- and middle-income countries, with the https://bayerfoundation.com/white-paper-2025 offering actionable insights for supporting women-led innovation in critical sectors.