South African behavioural leadership training platform for women Yugrow seeks to expand into Asia to address the region's unique societal and cultural challenges.

Yugrow is a behaviour technology platform tailored for women that promotes growth through personalised micro-actions, a robust support network and intelligent coaching featuring seasoned female executives.

This homegrown startup already supports women across Brazil, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Türkiye, the UK and South Africa, says Yugrow co-founder Kele Boakgomo.

“With many countries in Asia being considered emerging markets, including China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand, we feel that we can leverage not only our expertise in the developing world but also cutting-edge technology to help upskill woman so they can take on leadership roles,” she says.

“By leveraging AI, we feel we can help companies undertake quantifiable measures for their leadership training without being burdened by excessive costs,” says Boakgomo.

Yugrow's platform offers a professional development and coaching solution designed to enable women to excel in leadership positions, providing organisations a tangible return on their investment.

The integration of AI into its coaching programmes personalises the development experience, offering continuous support that enhances the journey of self-improvement, she explains.

“AI algorithms analyse data from coaching sessions, identify patterns and tailor programmes to individuals’ areas of opportunity. It also provides data and insights about the women on the programme that enable quality conversations on career opportunities.

“Our goal is to serve women on a global scale, building a successful tech business out of Africa that inspires other female entrepreneurs. We believe technology is the ultimate equaliser,” says Boakgomo.

Yugrow aims to use technology to democratise career success. While the gender gap has been closing at 0.035% per year over the past two decades, achieving economic gender parity by 2030 requires a yearly change rate of 41%, which is a goal that technology can help reach.

Further, Boakgomo says her personal career challenges informed her understanding of the nuanced barriers women encounter.

“As I advanced in my career, I saw the structural obstacles hindering women's growth and performance, despite their technical abilities.”

Yugrow operates on a business-to-business model and partners with corporations to empower their female talent.

“Our global ambition, enabled by technology, will enable us to play our role in closing the economic gender gap, and shape inclusive societies,” she says.