How to Think About and Design Systems That Work for Women Entrepreneurs

It’s time to invest in women, who hold up half the sky.

Here's a story that sounds familiar:  A single mother walks into a bank hoping to get a loan for the small business she wants to start as a caregiver. Her business will add value to her community, but she doesn’t have enough collateral to secure the loan. The projected returns in her business plan also don’t meet the bank’s requirements. She walks out without the financing she needs.

This is a pervasive system that is not designed for women entrepreneurs.  

The funding gap is by no means a measure of women’s entrepreneurial potential. Rather, it often shines light on the structural barriers they face when launching and growing a business.

By designing systems that work for women entrepreneurs, we can enable them to thrive, and businesses, communities, and economies can realize the significant returns that come from investing in them. 

Know Your Value

Women are building businesses at remarkable rates. Women entrepreneurs now account for nearly half – 49% – of all new businesses, a 69% increase from 2019 to 2024. But new research from HSBC, in partnership with Know Your Value, shows that even as women build with confidence, they face a unique set of financial challenges. 

Know Your Value and HSBC discuss those challenges at their third "Women and Wealth" event in New York City.  Women are on the rise. Check it out.

Investing in Women Entrepreneurs Isn't Charity

Stamford has long been a place willing to embrace new ideas and bring people together to make them work. I know firsthand how powerful that can be.

Nearly 30 years ago, Fran Pastore was searching for a different path. After years of commuting to New York City, she wanted more time with her two daughters and began exploring the idea of starting her own business. 

Discover how she went from a 'kitchen cabinet" group of people to co-founding the Women's Business Development Council (WBDC) in Connecticut.

Elevating Jewish Women Entrepreneurs Since 2010

The Jewish Women Entrepreneurs (JWE) is a nonprofit community that supports Jewish women entrepreneurs with education, networking, and resources to grow sustainable and values-driven businesses.

JWE has been empowering and elevating Jewish women entrepreneurs and executives since 2010.  They believe ambitious Jewish women can build extraordinary businesses and careers while staying true to their families and communities.

Learn, connect and lead: JWE.  And "Shanah Tovah U'Metukah."

Gloria Steinem: A Model for Women Entrepreneurs

Gloria Steinem was an entrepreneur – just not the Silicon Valley kind.

She didn’t raise venture capital or chase billion-dollar exits. She created something far more powerful. As an entrepreneur of social change, she built media, philanthropic institutions, and movements to disrupt a culture and economy that historically benefited men. Her work transformed media and the lives of generations of women.

“I became aware I could no longer just write about something. I also had to act on it,” Steinem said.

Her conviction to turn her frustration with a world that fought to hold women back from their careers is what made Steinem a model for women entrepreneurs.

An Overlooked Growth Engine: Experienced (Older) Women Entrepreneurs

The startup world loves a young disruptor, but experience may be one of the most valuable assets when building a business. Women entrepreneurs over 50, however, continue to face both gender and age bias that can affect how customers, investors, and business leaders perceive their expertise and potential.

Older women can bring industry knowledge, professional networks, management experience, and a clearer understanding of the problems they are trying to solve.  

Discover that youth is not the determining factor for success. 

Launch Lab for Women Entrepreneurs

The Women's Business Center at Canisius University is launching a new program – a 15-week boot camp course built to support both product- and service-based businesses – this fall designed to help women entrepreneurs turn their business ideas into reality.  Enrollment deadline is Sept. 29.