Are you aware of what the resources for women entrepreneurs in Chile with whom you have? Initiatives that support this population are on the rise, although the gap with respect to male business owners is still quite wide. Then in Hispanic Entrepreneurs we offer you more information.
Situation of women entrepreneurs
If we review the last decade we can see how the landscape of women entrepreneurs in Chile has changed. The figures indicate that much progress has been made in female participation, yet the gap remains wide.
Although it is necessary to continue working, the situation is encouraging compared to what it was a few years ago. The numbers indicate this:
- 32,5% of the people who undertake are women (X-ray of the Asech Entrepreneur 2018).
- 83,4% of Chilean women use their own resources to undertake (Asech 2018).
- From 10% to 48% was the increase in female entrepreneurship between 2016 and 2017 (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Chile).
- Women have a greater participation in microenterprises.
- Most of the female entrepreneurship is concentrated in the commerce and service sectors (Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism).
What difficulties do women face when undertaking?
Despite the increase in percentage of women entrepreneurs in Chile, they still have many difficulties to face.
Access to financing is the main drawback, as we saw above that most of them use their own resources. Besides this they have other challenges ahead such as lack of training. To have your own business you have to educate yourself in various areas, learn how to make a plan, how to run the business, learn about finances and more.
These are the main difficulties, but we also need women who dare to undertake. If you take that step you will see that there is initiatives such as Corfo and even organizations that are dedicated to promoting women's projects. Later we will talk about some of them.
Resources for women entrepreneurs in Chile
Do you want to start your own company and do not know where to start? Here are some resources to help you take your first steps and strengthen yourself in the industry in which you have decided to start your business.
Woman Undertakes
The Mujer Emprende program is aimed at women who already have a business running, with at least one year of experience. Its purpose is to improve skills and competencies to ensure that enterprises are strengthened and that participants achieve autonomy.
For this it has the Mujer Emprende school, which is aimed at professionalization. On the other hand, it seeks to generate contact networks between entrepreneurs to share experiences and advice.
Tourist Businesswoman Woman
It is an initiative of the National Tourism Service that is already 10 years old. It seeks to support businesses that are related to this industry and that offer unique experiences to visitors. It can be in any area, such as accommodation, gastronomy, among others.
The projects for women entrepreneurs Participants must have been in operation for at least 6 months and be within the categories of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
The S Factory
This exclusive program for women is run by Corfo's Start-Up Chile. Through The S factory you can get financing for technology projects.
It has been in operation since 2015 and, in addition to financing, participants can access work space and consultancies.
Support communities
By this we refer to a series of organizations that were born with the objective of supporting women and promoting their business projects. The existence of these has favored the female presence in this area. Some of the ones we can mention are:
- Geniuses. This organization educates, inspires and connects female entrepreneurs. It offers tools, consultancies, workshops and digital content for those seeking support.
- Enterprising women. It is a community that brings together female entrepreneurs of various profiles. Its purpose is to promote female entrepreneurship, it seeks collaboration and not competition from its members.
- Business Women. She has been offering training programs to businesswomen for more than 20 years. Provides advice and fosters contact networks. It focuses on innovative, scientific and technological ventures.
- Pacific Women. It offers training to women who want to start or have already done so. She has projects such as The Entrepreneur's Journey, supported by Corfo.
An entrepreneurial woman grows
This is a financing program for women entrepreneurs from Banco Estado. It seeks to promote the participation of women in the Chilean economy.
It has been active since 2015 and is not limited to offering financing, but also training and the necessary tools to promote its projects. You can participate regardless of whether or not they are clients of Banco Estado. These are some resources for women entrepreneurs in Chile that you can take advantage of to start your company. There are others like Capital Abeja Emprende from Sercotec or Laboratoria, which you can turn to for support.
