Redefining Success for Women in Agrifood❗

According to global gender reports, at our current pace, it will take over a century to close the global gender gap. 100 years. For most, that is a sobering, almost immovable statistic. But at Rootical, we see evidence every day that this timeline isn’t inevitable; it's a challenge waiting to be dismantled.

The 2026 International Women’s Day was celebrated  under the theme “Give to Gain,” which reflects on a fundamental truth we witness in our venture studio: When you give a woman space, mentorship, and belief, she rarely grows in isolation. She multiplies her impact.

Moving Beyond the "27%"

✔️When we opened applications for our 2025 Cohort, the initial data reflected the systemic hurdles women face: only 27% of applicants were women.

✔️We faced a choice. We could accept the "market reality," or we could look more intentionally. We didn’t lower the bar; we simply adjusted the lens through which we viewed potential. By actively seeking out resilience, grit, and community-centered leadership, our selection shifted the room.

✔️17 out of the 50 selected founders (34%) were women. Today, that momentum has narrowed even further into high-impact action: 7 out of the 12 founders currently building with Rootical are women. They are leading the majority of our active studio ventures.

The "Founder-Mother" Reality

➡️Rootical alumni are founding and growing businesses that respond directly to farmer needs .The global venture capital system was largely designed for a specific type of founder, one who can dedicate 100% of their time to a desk without domestic interruption. But in Uganda, where women own 39% of businesses yet receive a tiny fraction of formal financing, that model doesn't fit.

➡️At Rootical, we embrace the "real-life" founder. We see (and welcome) women showing up to strategy sessions with bold ideas in one hand and, occasionally, a baby in the other. We believe that entrepreneurship should not demand a choice between ambition and motherhood.

"If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a nation." James Emmanuel Kwegyir Aggrey

By creating an environment where founders can travel with their children and where care is integrated into the business model, we aren't just being "nice" we are being smart. We are protecting the human capital that drives our food systems.

Rootical Female founders in Residence 2025from left to right, Joan Anyait, Asasira Brenda Kakungulu, Akumu Juliet and Chebet Diana

🔍From Quiet Voices to Strategic Leaders

Transformation isn’t always found in a spreadsheet. It’s found in the evolution of the person. Through initiatives like the Girls for Girls mentorship circles, we’ve watched:

• 🚀The shift in volume: A founder who once spoke quietly now leading high-stakes negotiations.

• 🚀The shift in confidence: A woman who questioned her "fit" now authoritatively shaping the future of regenerative seeds.

• 🚀The shift in community: Individual entrepreneurs becoming a "sisterhood of builders" who catch one another when things get tough.

  
  📌Changing the System, Not the Woman
  

  🔸Globally, women-led startups receive only 2% of venture capital funding. This isn't because the ideas are smaller; it’s because the systems were never designed for them.

  🔸At Rootical, we are asking a different question: What if the system grew to meet women where they are?
  

  🔸We are building a venture studio that honors the woman who carries vision and responsibility simultaneously. We aren’t trying to change who these women are, we are building a space where who they already are can thrive.
  

  🔸Because when a woman rises, she doesn't rise alone. She pulls her family, her community, and her entire ecosystem up with her.
  

To the women building the future of food in Uganda: We see you, we believe in you, and we are honored to build alongside you.

📈 The Numbers at a Glance:

🔹27%: Initial female applicant pool.

🔹34%: Women selected for the 2025 cohort after intentional outreach.

🔹58%: Current percentage of Rootical ventures (7 out of 12) led by women.

🔹2%: The current global VC funding for female-led businesses