PARIS, 25 MARCH 2021 – The Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, in partnership with Procter & Gamble (P&G) and the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, launches today #WomenEntrepreneurs4Good, an ambitious initiative designed to inspire and foster female creativity and entrepreneurship across Europe. The accelerator program will equip women entrepreneurs and minority women’s enterprises with unique resources and capabilities to innovate and grow their businesses aligned with the European Green Deal strategy.
The Covid-19 crisis is magnifying many economic obstacles and challenges faced by women worldwide. Women-led businesses have been particularly vulnerable, with 90% of these businesses having experienced a significant decrease in revenues. In Europe, the severity of the impact is rendered invisible by a lack of data on business ownership. Now, more than ever there is an urgency to support women’s entrepreneurship to deliver a more inclusive and sustainable recovery.
In the framework of the Women4Business Daring Circle, the #WomenEntrepreneurs4Good is an annual program, offering women entrepreneurs business coaching, networking opportunities, technical support, connections and access to an ecosystem of stakeholders and global partners with a variety of resources and business opportunities.
For this 1st edition program in 2021, the initiative will target and train (free of charge) more than 100 teams (2-3 members per team) which are led by women entrepreneurs from France, Germany and Italy. The program will be as follows:
- Each team is set the challenge to create and deliver innovative solutions addressing the climate and environmental crisis.
- In the second phase, a jury of experts will select 9 teams of high-potential women entrepreneurs and provide them with a 5-month customized and tailored incubation curriculum in various fields related to business development and management.
- At the end of the program, these enterprises will also be ready to apply for funding from the European Green Deal. In the coming years, the program will expand to other European countries, supporting more women entrepreneurs to power our societal transition towards sustainability.
Chiara Corazza, Managing Director, Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, affirms:
“When women and men participated equally as entrepreneurs, global GDP could rise by up to 6%, or $5 trillion. Therefore, women must be at the heart of our recovery from the pandemic. The Entrepreneurship4Good program is our immediate effort and part of our long-term commitment to promote women’s economic empowerment in business and supply chains.”
Jamila Belabidi, Purchases Director, Global Women Economic Empowerment, Procter & Gamble, shares: “Supporting and accelerating the growth of women-led business is crucial not only to promote women’s economic empowerment, but also to foster green innovation and competitiveness in Europe. The Women’s Forum provides the platform to implement concrete actions in support to such enterprises who have a role to play in the transition to a green economy.”
Inge Kerkloh-Devif, Senior Executive Director, HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, adds: “In a world in transformation, innovation is at the center of everyone’s thoughts. Entrepreneurship plays a major role in the economic development of tomorrow. It has also been in HEC Paris’ DNA for many years. With the Women’s Forum and its partners, the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center will put its professors, students, alumni and its incubator at StationF at the disposal of women who are building the world of tomorrow.”
We are calling for innovative female entrepreneurs in France, Italy and Germany for this first edition who are driven by purpose to apply to this initiative.
Applications are now open. Please apply here:
- You are a female founder or co-founder
- Your revenue is less than €50,000 per year
- You are at least 2 people in the team
Media Contact: Julie Dobiecki - dobiecki@hec.fr