Women's Forum Community

Launch of the 3rd Edition of WomenEntrepreneurs4Good Initiative

Published on April 17, 2023 by Prisca Appadourai

Following the success of the first and second program editions, the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society, in partnership with Bank of America and HEC Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, Paris is excited to launch the third edition of the WomenEntrepreneurs4Good program, which aims to support women’s entrepreneurship in social and environmental projects.

Encouraging women entrepreneurship and strengthening women’s businesses makes economic sense. Women are active, valuable agents for change; they are essential in making business more sustainable and in finding innovative, gender-sensitive solutions to social and environmental issues. As such, it is important to support women-led enterprise at its early stages, as well as throughout its development.

“WE4G supports innovative, female-led entrepreneurship to grow and develop. We are thrilled to launch the third edition of the initiative and invite applicants globally to apply and benefit from the specialist guidance and resources on offer. This year, through our partnership with HEC Paris and Bank of America, shortlisted candidates will gain from coaching, visibility, technical support, exposure and networking opportunities in order to bring their ideas to life.” Anne-Gabrielle Heilbronner, President of the Women’s Forum

This initiative is a unique accelerator program which offers an incredible opportunity for women entrepreneurs with early-stage projects to scale up their sustainable or social impact business ideas. It does this by providing coaching, resources, visibility and access to a network of professional contacts.

“HEC Paris is proud to collaborate with the Women’s Forum on the third edition of the WE4G initiative, supporting exciting women-led green and social projects by putting our experts, mentors, professors, students and staff at candidates’ disposal in order to accelerate their development. This year, we are pleased to add a global dimension to the program and encourage applications from wherever you are based in the world!” Eloïc Peyrache, General Director of HEC Paris

“At Bank of America, we know that women play a vital role in developing sustainable economies and driving responsible growth. Still, they continue to face challenges in accessing capital and resources. Through our partnership with HEC Paris and the Women’s Forum innovative program, we are working to invest in women so they can better lead, create, and continue to grow their own businesses. It is excellent to see the program going from strength to strength, growing internationally to include candidates and projects from different countries.” Vanessa Holtz, CEO of Bank of America Securities Europe and Country Executive for Bank of America in France

In 2023, the WomenEntrepreneurs4Good program is expanding its geographic scope, welcoming applications from all over the world. The program will provide tailored support and resources through our partner business experts to 10 shortlisted green and social projects.

“WE4G provides a unique opportunity to gain access to coaching, technical support, exposure to a global network of stakeholders and partners, and particularly women entrepreneur peers. Across the whole year, we had the chance to have numerous online meetings and learn from mentors, industry practitioners and investors. I would really recommend women entrepreneurs who are looking for an international community and structured support to apply for WE4G.” Wenru (Wendy) Shi, Laureate and Winner of Jury Prize, 2022, Founder, Fingreen AI

“WE4G is definitely an amazing program for green and impactful startups, and even more so for women-led startups. It is a unique program that gives women founders an unparalleled platform where their voices can be heard, their faces can be seen, and their actions can actually lead to change. We are proud to have been a part of WE4G, as it gave Fix That Shirt much-needed visibility, credibility and a quality network. I strongly recommend this program to any and every woman launching their startup” Saba Alvi, Laureate, 2022, Founder, Fix That Shirt

Who should apply?

  • You are a women founder or co-founders, with at least 2 people in your team
  • Your project generates a revenue of less than €20,000 per year
  • Your project is designed to tackle a social or environmental challenge

What’s new in the program?

  • This edition of the WomenEntrepreneurs4Good program will now be open to candidates from around the world. No matter where you are based, you can apply
  • This year WE4G will support projects that aim to achieve a social or environmental goal! If your project tackles one or more SDGs, this program is for you.
  • WE4G 3.0 will shortlist 10 varied projects for the final stage of the program, which will provide shortlisted candidates with a tailored support package and resources.