WomenEntrepreneurs4Good: Welcome to the 2022 cohort!
Empowering and supporting women entrepreneurs who can contribute to a better world is what the WomenEntrepreneurs4Good was created for. Launched in 2021 by the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, in partnership with Procter&Gamble and HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, the program encountered such success in its very first edition that it doubled the number of its participants for its second edition. The new group, which has just been selected on June the 1st, happens to be a very promising one.
Fostering women’s creativity and entrepreneurship works
The WomenEntrepreneurs4Good program seems to be here to last, and to grow. This initiative was a beautiful bet and turned out to be a success in just one year. If you missed the launch of the program last year, here is a quick refresher. Created by the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, Procter&Gamble and the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, this 7-month online accelerator program aims to encourage women entrepreneurs into the green transition. How? By delivering concrete support to help their sustainable business scale up.
New edition, more laureates
The success of the first edition of the WomenEntrepreneurs4Good program led to the acceleration of the program itself! Victim of its own success, the program received 99 applications - twice as many as the year before - and included 200 participants from 46 countries. Among the applicants, 66% of the businesses were at their early stage and 33% included a circular economy model, as required to participate in the program. This year, for its second edition, the WomenEntrepreneurs4Good program welcomes 18 finalists instead of nine in 2021!
What makes the program so attractive is its online format, its practical application but mostly the opportunity to join the Incubateur HEC Paris online, for 3 months. This means even more business coaching, technical support, connections and networking opportunities to accelerate their startup development. Laureates also get the chance to participate in the 2022 Women's Forum Global Meeting.
Overview of the 18 laureates
2022 is undeniably a turning point for the program, which is expanding its geographical scope by welcoming ambitious laureates from 8 different countries. Let’s take a look at this new group of green businesses.
38-60 Out of The Box (Italy) wishes to meet the demand of customers in the 'plus size' category who now require modern and fashionable clothing.
Abambou Wellness (France) is an all-in-one platform to find wellness products and practices to improve overall health.
AI for Sustainability (France): Thanks to their ImpACT tool, the most relevant CSR data and objectives can be communicated to the right stakeholders in just 1 click.
Canari (France) improves indoor work environments to maximize occupants' well-being, health, concentration and creativity while facilitating building management and quality of work life issues.
Dataphoria (Greece) provides a data-driven solution (Analytics-as-a-Service) for companies, organizations and cities to help them effectively measure, optimize and communicate their sustainability transition.
Ecogenia's Youth Climate Corps (Greece) engages youth to promote sustainable development solutions for a resilient Greece.
FINGREEN AI (France) leverages innovative Explainable AI and API technologies to inform current financial decisions based on projected future ESG impact.
Fix That Shirt (France) helps users to quickly find affordable and trustworthy tailors within their budget, timeline and locality.
Impacti SDG (France & USA) is an agile impact management platform for engaging suppliers and investments.
Mercati & More (France) is a one-stop shop for a more direct order cycle resulting in an optimized global food supply chain.
Nelson (France) aims to turn electrification into an opportunity for companies’ car fleets.
OILI (UK) is the first waste management company for used cooking oil (UCO) in the UK.
Ost. (France) gives a second life to old textiles sleeping in closets and stocks, by dyeing it naturally, in dedicated laundromat concept stores.
Seeds of Colour (United Kingdom) aims to offer 100% plant-based cosmetics for the face and body, using pigments from wasted fruits and vegetables.
Soil Doctors (Sri Lanka) provides a quality organic fertilizer to reduce environmental pollution.
Sprout Africa (South Africa) Facilitates access to market while incorporating aspects
of business and agricultural training.
Terr_estre (France) seeks to solve local sustainability issues by creating perennial ecosystems and employment on Isère territory (France).
WE-REUNIFORM (Denmark) allows parents save and protect the environment by buying out grown school uniforms.
These 18 laureates have just embarked on their WE4G journey and will do their utmost to grow their project and contribute to make a positive impact in the world.