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Description
Women entrepreneurs encounter structural and societal barriers that prevent them from accessing the external funding needed to develop and grow their ventures, they lack access to networks and connections to potential investors, as well as lack know-how in business skills. This project will fill this gap of knowledge and provide business support to women entrepreneurs, mainly in remote areas.
The main idea of the project is the creation of an academy, including educational seminars and workshops that aims to promote female entrepreneurship with a focus on green innovation issues, in order to provide women the education to help them build their business capacity, develop soft skills, and help them build environmentally sustainable businesses, as well as create networking among the participants which could lead to future collaborations.
The project’s main goal is to train 35 female entrepreneurs in topics focused on green innovation, such as sustainability, circular economy, and digital transformation, and teach how to apply it to their businesses. Priority will be given to women who face geographical barriers and don''t have access to business educational opportunities.
The donor partner, WIN Network Norway AS, will provide 2 staff members from the promoter as well as 3 other experts with business skills and knowledge on how to access investment capital, in addition to share its expertise on topics offered in the academy, assist with training content development and organise a study trip in Norway whereby the promoter will meet with Norwegian businesses implementing similar programmes.
Summary of project results
Women entrepreneurs encounter structural and societal barriers that prevent them from accessing the external funding needed to develop and grow their ventures, they lack access to networks and connections to potential investors, as well as lack know-how in business skills. These barriers are even more in the forefront especially for women in rural isolation. Thus this project filled this gap of knowledge and provided business support to women entrepreneurs, mainly in remote areas.
The main idea of the project is the creation of an academy that aims to promote female entrepreneurship with a focus on green innovation issues, in order to provide women the education to build sustainable businesses.
The project trained 35 female entrepreneurs on leadership skills, business tools, budgeting, business model canvas, digital tools, fundraising, green entrepreneurship, sustainable development and sustainable economic growth etc. The training was provided through an online academy which was developed with weekly training sessions and workshops.
The trainers were trained by the donor partner. The donor partner also participated in the closing event of the project, during which the results of the programme were showcased and networking with matchmaking opportunities were offered.
A study trip to Norway was also organised. During the trip, 3 entrepreneurs and 2 staff members of the project promoter engaged with Norwegian businesses and investment experts, gaining valuable insights on entrepreneurial practices and investment opportunities.
Through the implementation of the project, 35 SMEs had the opportunity to develop their skills and expand their network in the business sector. They increased their business capacity and soft skills and expanded their network, which will contribute to enhancing their competitiveness. Moreover, the project had a significant impact on the project promoter as Women Do Business gained useful tools on how to promote effectively female entrepreneurship, increase the impact on more women and especially women in remote areas, and gain knowledge and experience through exchange of best practices from a Norwegian company.
Summary of bilateral results
The promoter partnered with WIN Network Norway, which imparted its knowledge and experience on how to build sustainable businesses, how to access investor capital for early-stage growth companies, as well as access to investment opportunities for angel investors. The bilateral collaboration was fundamental in order to achieve the project outcome of increased competitiveness of female entrepreneurs, as well as enhanced collaboration between Greek entities and entities from the Donor States.