UVU Accelerate’s Post

📣 Are you interested in empowering women artisan entrepreneurs through weaving social capital? Dive into the profound impact of artisan cooperatives on women in Sub-Saharan Africa! The latest research paper sheds light on the transformative role of these cooperatives, showcasing the social and economic benefits they offer to women in the region. Using a phenomenological approach and insightful interviews, key partnerships, cooperative benefits, and the empowering experiences of women were uncovered. Don't miss out on this enlightening study that sets the stage for sustainable development goals. Check out the full paper for actionable insights: https://lnkd.in/eYPur96P #IJGE #entrepreneurship #journal #research #entrepreneurs #gender

🌟 Breaking the Mold: Bridging the Investment Gender Gap in Central and Eastern Europe 🌟 Did you know? Only 1 percent of funding for start-ups from Central Eastern Europe goes to female-founded companies. The gender gap in the start-up industry persists. A staggering 94 per cent of investments in start-ups from CEE are directed towards companies led solely by men. At Healthy Investment Central and Eastern Europe (HICEE) project, we're committed to reshaping this narrative. Our project partners believe that targeted efforts are essential to tackle the structural inequalities faced by women entrepreneurs in the region. Join us in advocating for change. Let's empower more female founders, diversify investments, and foster an inclusive ecosystem where every innovative idea has a chance to thrive. Together, we can make a difference! Read more at: https://lnkd.in/dcHaynYx 💪 #IWD2024 #InternationalWomensDay #WomenPower #HICEE #FemaleFounders #SheLeadsHealthcare #GenderEquality #StartupInvestment #CEE #EuropeanInnovationcouncil #EIC

Super excited to lead my team and our delegation of the Justina Mutale Foundation to the United Nations 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), taking place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Looking forward to convening the Justina Mutale Foundation’s United Nations CSW68 official Parallel Event titled, “Financing Female-Led Innovation and Entrepreneurship”. Our event will be an intergenerational dialogue, focusing on empowering women and girls through the financing of female-led innovation and entrepreneurship to drive gender equality and eradicate poverty by harnessing the potential of women-led initiatives. Speakers and participants will highlight the importance of investing in women and girls and share insights, opportunities, challenges, emerging trends and realities on the ground in paving the way for women and girls to embark on entrepreneurial ventures, innovation, and start-ups. At the Justina Mutale Foundation, we believe that investing in women is not just a commendable endeavour, it is an essential driver of progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. We also believe that empowering female entrepreneurs and innovators is not merely a moral imperative, but that it is a strategic investment for a more sustainable and equitable future for all. We believe that by unlocking the potential of women, we ignite a ripple effect of innovation, job creation, economic growth, human prosperity and progress for all. By so doing, we contribute to economic prosperity and tackle pressing social and environmental issues including poverty alleviation and climate action. This is a FREE in-person event at the United Nations in New York. However, all delegates are required to register in advance. You can join the conversation by registering on this link: https://lnkd.in/eAhDCA2h #csw68 #csw #csw2024 #unitednations #genderequality #womenleaders #worldleaders #innovation #entrepreneurship #femaleleaders #femaleentrepreneurs #femaleentrepreneurship #femaleleadership #newyork #newyorkcity #startup #venturecapital #investment #investors

🌟 Discover how our Driving Women's Economic Empowerment (DWEE) programme is transforming the lives of women in rural #Pakistan in our latest blog post. Learn how we’re creating a ripple effect of positive change in communities. https://lnkd.in/e5skp2wK #WomenEmpowerment #EconomicEmpowerment #Pakistan #BritishAsianTrust

Have you heard of the phrase, 'women don't support other women'? Not a good one, right? I had the incredible opportunity to sit down with 𝗠𝗲𝗶𝘀𝗶 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗿 for a powerful and enlightening conversation on the challenges and triumphs of women in business and entrepreneurship in Africa. 🌍👩🏽💼🎙️🎧 Join us as we delve into how African women, especially in Kenya, masterfully balance family, hobbies, business, and a long list of other roles. In this must-watch conversation, Meisi sheds light on: 💪 The struggles women face and their relentless determination to succeed 🤔 Addressing the stereotype: 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 👥 The 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 differences between men and women 📈 How governments can bolster the startup ecosystem 💸 Why a lack of funds shouldn't stop you from starting your business (Pro tips on funding!) 🌾 The immense potential of agribusiness and 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 "𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗻'𝘀 𝗷𝗼𝗯" 🏅 The rewards of entrepreneurship despite its challenges 🚀 Why young people should 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄 and 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 about their goals This episode is packed with insights, inspiration, and actionable advice for anyone looking to thrive in business and beyond. Don’t miss out on this engaging discussion! 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲: Many young people shy away from agribusiness, opting instead for 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲-𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀. This hesitation often stems from a lack of role models in agriculture. Meisi explains that many of us grew up watching our parents struggle with farming, which led them to push us towards education as a way to "do better." Unfortunately, this has caused us to 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆. #ImpactInvesting #Agripreneurship #WomenInBusiness #AfricanWomen #Entrepreneurship #StartupLife #BusinessInsights #WomenEmpowerment #Agribusiness #Podcast #Kenya #Leadership #Inspiration #ActNow #DreamBig Catch the full episode and let's continue the conversation in chat and comments! 🌟

Promoting rural women entrepreneurship requires interventions targeted towards both male and female members of the households if we are to tackle the sociocultural barriers existing in our country. Business is and will always be a team game. It is quite not possible to do anything alone. So teamwork necessitates all members of the households chipping in with support. This is only possible when the entrepreneurs and their families understand the value whilst utilizing the readiness available within the system. Read more in the given link. #RuralEntrepreneurship #WomenEmpowerment #AddressingBarriers #SystemReadiness

🌍 Inhlalo Yabesifazane | Women in the Informal Sector🌍 We’re starting a journey to empower 36 amazing women in the informal sector, growing this number to 5000 over the next 3 years! This initiative isn’t just local—it’s part of a global movement for women’s empowerment. Through entrepreneurship and the informal economy, we’re creating sustainable jobs and uplifting communities, one woman at a time. Together, we are building lasting change! #InhlaloYabesifazane #WomenEmpowerment #InformalSector #GlobalImpact #WearYourBrandFoundation #SustainableJobs #Entrepreneurship #CommunityEmpowerment #WeAreInternational #ImpactfulChange

Would you also like to witness gender equality in your life time? According to UN Women's most recent report, at the current rate of progress, it will take 286 years for the world to achieve gender equality. Per the World Economic Forum it will take another 132 years to close the global gender gap.

Business Development Services (BDS) providers play an important role in supporting women-led micro-enterprises, and helping them grow. 🚀 Women-owned and -led enterprises operating in developing countries tend to stay confined to small businesses in the informal sector, and face structural and gendered barriers in accessing resources to grow their enterprises. We studied three priority areas where BDS can play a key role in leveling the playing field for women entrepreneurs: access to #finance, access to #markets, and digital inclusion. UN Women and Value For Women Ltd.’s multi-country study, published in 2023, presents the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, and highlights solutions that BDS providers can offer in response. We also feature industry examples from organisations like INKOMOKO , We Can, The Asia Foundation, Sinapis, and others who are supporting women entrepreneurs through their programmes: https://lnkd.in/dP6eKeeN Helle Dahl Rasmussen Dr. Robin Bush Juliet Kasiita Alice Waweru Elizabeth Wells Angela Bageine Cherie Blair Foundation for Women TechnoServe Dr. Seema Bhatia - Panthaki Mara Bolis Trina Roy Luis Marquez Aparajita Agrawal Rebecca Fries #MSMEs #WorldMSMEDay #genderinclusion #genderlens #womenentrepreneurs #businessuccess #digitalinclusion

Happy #InternationalWomensDay. Today we reflect on the importance of inclusion, diversity and empowerment in all aspects of society. We reflect on where we came from, where we stand today and the road that is still ahead of us. Working in the #climateinnovation space, characterised by its commitment to innovation and renowned for its pioneering spirit, I was kind of surprised to see that here too there is still a huge gender inequity problem. Despite generating more revenue, being financially more sustainable, and having a greater focus on sustainability and social consciousness compared to their male counterparts, women entrepreneurs globally receive no more than 5% of venture capital funding each year. And, a 2022 study showed that women-founded enterprises in Europe accounted for only 10 per cent of total start-ups created. Let’s take time to think about what we all can do to shift the status quo. Investing in #women is financially smart and good for our planet.   Together with my colleague Wallis Grant, I collaborated on a series of insightful stories aimed at raising awareness and showcasing the gender work we do with our partners around the globe at EIT Climate-KIC. We developed a practical guide with 5 actions organisations can take to be gender smart. We proudly launched our campaign today. Each month, we'll be spotlighting one action through interviews and case studies. I’m looking forward to sharing these stories with you in the coming months. Are you already gender smart in your organisation? Check out our practical actions to start today below.