Alliance supporting tech entrepreneurs
Referring to International Monetary Fund´s (IMF) statement that women are more likely than men to run businesses affected by the pandemic, tech communities WomenTech Network and Founder Institute are joining forces to support female entrepreneurship.
Founder Institute (FI) is a business accelerator with activity across 200 cities and 60 countries. WomenTech Network says it is the world’s largest community for women represented in161 countries.
The new collaboration is in line with the efforts of FI to improve the gender gap in technology through theReferring to International Monetary Fund´s (IMF) statement that women are more likely than men to run businesses affected by the pandemic, tech communities WomenTech Network and Founder Institute are joining forces to support female entrepreneurship. Founder Institute (FI) is a business accelerator with activity across 200 cities and 60 countries. WomenTech Network says it is the world’s largest community for women represented in161 countries.
The new collaboration is in line with the efforts of FI to improve the gender gap in technology through the Female Founder Initiative. “To improve the gender balance in technology worldwide, we must support female founders at the early-stage to launch, grow, and fund their companies,” says Rachel Sheppard, global marketing manager at FI and co-creator of the Female Founder Initiative. IMF says women are more likely than men to run businesses in areas hit hardest by social distancing and mitigation measures, including services industries, retail, tourism, and hospitality.
According to the IMF, female workers also tend to be employed in the informal sector in low-income countries, meaning that they are often compensated in cash with no official oversight and are left with lower pay, no protection of labour laws, and no benefits such as pensions or health insurance.
Early-stage founders are the main focus of the partnership between FI and WomenTech Network, who have made the program open to female entrepreneurs anywhere in the world in an effort to make the startup ecosystem more diverse. “We understand the importance of support and mentorship, especially in a time where the economic impact of Covid-19 has disproportionately affected women”, says Anna Radulovski, founder and CEO at WomenTech Network. With this structured program we want to enable founders to pivot traditional business models and to take advantage of the opportunities created.”
Participants will have access to over Euro1.5 million in partner deals and resources, mentorship and feedback from more than 100 top entrepreneurs and industry experts, and a local and global support network of corporates, investors, and advisors. Several fellowships will be awarded to the top applicants from WomenTech Network, allowing them to take part in the program for free. The application deadline is February 21, 2021. The program will run from March 3, 2021 until May 27, 2021. Female Founder Initiative.
“To improve the gender balance in technology worldwide, we must support female founders at the early-stage to launch, grow, and fund their companies,” says Rachel Sheppard, global marketing manager at FI and co-creator of the Female Founder Initiative.
IMF says women are more likely than men to run businesses in areas hit hardest by social distancing and mitigation measures, including services industries, retail, tourism, and hospitality.
According to the IMF, female workers also tend to be employed in the informal sector in low-income countries, meaning that they are often compensated in cash with no official oversight and are left with lower pay, no protection of labour laws, and no benefits such as pensions or health insurance.
Early-stage founders are the main focus of the partnership between FI and WomenTech Network, who have made the program open to female entrepreneurs anywhere in the world in an effort to make the startup ecosystem more diverse.
“We understand the importance of support and mentorship, especially in a time where the economic impact of Covid-19 has disproportionately affected women”, says Anna Radulovski, founder and CEO at WomenTech Network. With this structured program we want to enable founders to pivot traditional business models and to take advantage of the opportunities created.”
Participants will have access to over Euro1.5 million in partner deals and resources, mentorship and feedback from more than 100 top entrepreneurs and industry experts, and a local and global support network of corporates, investors, and advisors.
Several fellowships will be awarded to the top applicants from WomenTech Network, allowing them to take part in the program for free. The application deadline is February 21, 2021. The program will run from March 3, 2021 until May 27, 2021.
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