Global Women’s Forum 2024 Highlights Need For Initiatives To Support Female Entrepreneurs' Funding

The Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2024 hosted a session titled ‘WIn Fellowship: Driving Tomorrow’s Innovations Through Entrepreneurship’. Sabrin Rahman, Managing Director and Head of Sustainability at HSBC Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, spoke about the unique ideas women bring to the investment space. She noted that these ideas enhance entrepreneurial projects but pointed out a funding gap favouring male-led ventures.

Rahman emphasised HSBC's efforts to unite stakeholders on a single platform. This initiative aims to support women-led startups by offering incentives for their sustainability. Despite progress over the past five years, she stated that more needs to be done to encourage investors and accelerators to provide financial and technical support for female-managed projects.

Jumana Al Darwish, a UAE WIn Fellow and Founder of The Happy Box, highlighted the achievements of female entrepreneurs over the last decade. However, she stressed that social and cultural barriers still impede their progress. These barriers can affect the agility of female entrepreneurs. Al Darwish shared her experience of facing family objections when she left her government job to follow her entrepreneurial passion.

Today, Al Darwish collaborates with peers in the WIn Fellowship to empower women-led startups. They focus on creating partnerships, social enterprise platforms, and digital access points to offer essential support. Her efforts aim to address socio-cultural challenges while fostering an environment where female entrepreneurs can thrive.

The forum underscored the need for continued efforts in bridging gender disparities in entrepreneurship. By addressing funding gaps and socio-cultural barriers, stakeholders can create a more inclusive environment for women in business. The discussions at the forum highlighted both progress made and areas needing further attention to ensure equal opportunities for all entrepreneurs.

With inputs from WAM