- The presentation was part of the events held to commemorate the International Women’s Entrepreneurship Day.
- Several women entrepreneurs shared their experiences and presented their projects as success stories.
- The talk was aimed at young people with the objective of «nurturing» their entrepreneurial side and giving them the keys and tools, they need to develop their project.
Brussels, 21.10.2022. On Friday the 18th of November, the Finnova Foundation decided to commemorate the «International Women’s Entrepreneurship Day», which was named by the United Nations and is celebrated every year on the 19th of November. To this end, the «Womenfortech» initiative, which aims to support innovative, disruptive projects and public-private partnerships for women, organised a training day on entrepreneurship for women aimed at young people. The speakers were entrepreneurs who told us about their experiences and talked about the steps to follow, what aspects are key in the development of a cutting-edge project and the subsequent «struggle» to obtain funding and the obstacles they have encountered on their way to getting their business idea off the ground.
The commitment to achieving equal opportunities in any sector and area is a concern for all institutions, whether they act at local, regional, national or international level. This is reflected in the goal of achieving the “Objectives of Sustainable Development”, specifically number 5 on “achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls”.
The conference featured two exceptional speakers: Lola Bordás, who is CMO of Finnova and she is also an entrepreneur and head of “Womenfortech”; and Ana Martínez Tanco, CEO of Yenxa by Almotech and winner of the last edition of “Premios #SigueAdelante” organised by Womenalia and Procter & Gamble.
Bordás presented data that makes us reflect on the current situation of female entrepreneurship. As she stated, “only 2% of venture capital is invested in women entrepreneurs”. This percentage needs to grow, because entrepreneurship is taking off. In order for your project to receive the necessary support, it is very important to be clear about certain aspects: the need to surround yourself with a good team, carry out a good analysis of the competition and the real needs of the market niche you want to reach, and be well informed about all possible types of financing. If you have a good idea that covers real needs of people and is a scalable, digital and sustainable project, it will be “fundable in venture capital”.
The second presentation was given by Ana Martínez. Almotech designs and develops technology to recover used oil at source, with the aim of incorporating circularity in different areas, the home, the horeca channel, etc. The first development is Yenxa, a small household appliance that transforms used oil into soap for different uses, using a kit of biodegradable capsules. It is currently in the industrialisation phase. Since its creation, the company has also considered it a priority to invest significant resources in RDI and IP protection.
In addition to her experience as an entrepreneur, Martínez also gave advice that everyone should take into account if they decide to become an entrepreneur. According to her, it is very important to differentiate oneself from the competition, to present an innovative project that can contribute something different and cover a need of the people that was not previously covered. It is also very important to be present in different entrepreneurial ecosystems. Having contact with networks of entrepreneurs can be a fundamental support when it comes to receiving advice, experiences, finding out about different calls for start-up prizes or funding opportunities. One example is the association Fundadoras, which works to support, connect and disseminate female entrepreneurship.
It was a privilege to receive the advice of two women leaders, empowered and determined to move forward with their projects despite the complications they encounter along the way.