A South African tech business has been named among the Top 30 semi-finalists for the Aurora Tech Award 2026, a global initiative established by inDrive, recognising the most promising female-led technology startups from emerging markets. The announcement reflects growth in technology innovation and founder ambition from the region.

Among the organisations in the Top 30 is MyBento, a South African-based  fintech employee benefits platform co-founded by Claudia Snyman, helps businesses offer modern, cost-effective employee benefits through a digital solution that replaces manual workflows MyBento’s inclusion reflects broader recognition of South African tech businesses on the global stage and the strong performance of startups from the EMEA region. 

“Having a South African business in the Aurora Tech Award Top 30 highlights the depth of technical talent and innovation coming out of this country,” said Ashif Black, country representative of inDrive South Africa. “It’s important that female founders in South Africa and across Africa gain not just recognition but tangible support, such as access to funding, mentorship and international investor networks that this award facilitates.”

About the Aurora Tech Award

The Aurora Tech Award received a record 3,400 applications from 127 countries this year, demonstrating rising female entrepreneurship across emerging economies. The Top 30 list covers founders from Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, Asia and the CIS regions, spanning sectors such as artificial intelligence, fintech, health tech, edtech and enterprise software.

The Aurora Tech Award is the only global award exclusively for female founders from emerging markets, aiming to tackle the well-documented gender investment gap and give women tech leaders access to capital and investor engagement as they scale. 

Each year the award assesses startups through a multi-stage evaluation process involving over 40 venture capital partners across regions. Final selections are based on independent investor assessments, investor conviction and demonstrated traction in earlier stages of the competition.

Finalists will be announced in February 2026, with winners celebrated at a global ceremony later in the year. Winners gain access to non-dilutive capital of up to US$50 000 (estimated at R820 000–R825 000 at the time of writing), strategic support focused on fundraising readiness and enhanced visibility through Aurora’s global platform.