The programme – in its third year – is designed to salute women-led businesses around the world in the areas of enterprise and financial tech.

Ana Mahony from New York City, founder and chief executive of Addition Wealth, a financial wellness company in New York, has won the UBS Female Founder Award 2023. 

The awards programme is aimed at women-led companies around the world, in the fields of financial and enterprise technology. The award is in collaboration with UBS Next, the firm’s venture and innovation unit, which invests in and partners with early-stage fintech and technology startups, and runs an incubator for innovation projects.

The award is in its third year, UBS said in a statement yesterday.

Mahony will receive a cash prize of $10,000 and the opportunity to join the 2024 cohort of Project Female Founder, a year-long investor readiness, networking, and mentorship programme created by UBS with partners Fortuna, Coralus, and Live True.

UBS also announced the 2023 Rising Star, which recognises an outstanding founder at the beginning of their journey. This was awarded to Mélanie Keita from Kenya, co-founder and CEO at Melanin Kapital, a blockchain company that helps African small and medium-sized enterprises improve their risk profile to access low-interest and collateral-free capital.

A panel of industry experts shortlisted over a hundred applicants for this year’s award down to 10, based on criteria including diversity, financial track record, growth potential, and leadership. Previous winners of the UBS Female Founder Award include Danielle Lawrence, co-founder and CEO of Freyda Limited in 2022, and Kimberley Abbott, founder and CEO of Vested Impact in 2021.