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The Women's Entrepreneurship Foundation empowers women in Poland by providing crucial resources and networks to close the gender gap and foster an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.
While progress has been made in closing the gender gap in Poland, significant challenges still need to be addressed. Women continue to face barriers in accessing essential networks, mentorship opportunities, and career development resources compared to men.
30%
Location
Poland
Programme
Refugee Employment Initiative
in partnership with NESsT
Website
https://siecprzedsiebiorczychkobiet.pl/
Poland
Programme
Refugee Employment Initiative
in partnership with NESsT
Website
https://siecprzedsiebiorczychkobiet.pl/
Based in Poland, the Women's Entrepreneurship Foundation (WEF) is dedicated to supporting women's empowerment in entrepreneurship and business. The foundation runs several business lines—from acceleration programmes and educational courses to mentoring clubs—all unified by a common goal: to close the gender gap in employment and foster an inclusive business environment throughout Poland.
WEF's accelerator programme supports women in building and scaling their own businesses. Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the foundation introduced a new programme tailored specifically for refugee women from Ukraine looking to start their own ventures in Poland.
Since 2013, the organisation has supported over 500 women-led businesses through grants, personalised mentoring and coaching, guidance on scaling and international expansion, and regular networking events that foster collaboration. WEF runs a club specifically for female investors. Members pay an annual fee to access curated events and professional networks to build a strong community focused on financial education, personal and cultural growth, and valuable business connections with a focus on investing in women-led businesses.
The foundation also conducts research focused on women's entrepreneurship to ensure it continues to address the unique challenges faced by women in business and to build a more equitable and prosperous entrepreneurial environment.
Over the next five years, the Women's Entrepreneurship Foundation aims to identify over 270 employment opportunities for women facing displacement or migration. It will do so by supporting women in launching their businesses, including women facing displacement and providing job readiness training for women to enter the workforce.
"At Women's Entrepreneurship Foundation, we support women in building successful businesses by providing expert knowledge, essential tools, and a supportive network of like-minded women. Through our strong community, women uplift one another, fostering financial independence and creating a lasting impact on local communities."
— Anna Somorowska, Vice President of Women's Entrepreneurship Foundation
Programme support
Mentorship and business assistance from NESsT portfolio managers and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship will further support the Women's Entrepreneurship Foundation team in developing and refining its overall strategy, with a focus on growing both social impact and business results. Through the programme, the foundation will be supported in launching new online courses and training programs, and developing digital tools for outreach to generate increased sales leads and boost its long-term commercial growth.
WEF's accelerator programme supports women in building and scaling their own businesses. Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the foundation introduced a new programme tailored specifically for refugee women from Ukraine looking to start their own ventures in Poland.
Since 2013, the organisation has supported over 500 women-led businesses through grants, personalised mentoring and coaching, guidance on scaling and international expansion, and regular networking events that foster collaboration. WEF runs a club specifically for female investors. Members pay an annual fee to access curated events and professional networks to build a strong community focused on financial education, personal and cultural growth, and valuable business connections with a focus on investing in women-led businesses.
The foundation also conducts research focused on women's entrepreneurship to ensure it continues to address the unique challenges faced by women in business and to build a more equitable and prosperous entrepreneurial environment.
Over the next five years, the Women's Entrepreneurship Foundation aims to identify over 270 employment opportunities for women facing displacement or migration. It will do so by supporting women in launching their businesses, including women facing displacement and providing job readiness training for women to enter the workforce.
"At Women's Entrepreneurship Foundation, we support women in building successful businesses by providing expert knowledge, essential tools, and a supportive network of like-minded women. Through our strong community, women uplift one another, fostering financial independence and creating a lasting impact on local communities."
— Anna Somorowska, Vice President of Women's Entrepreneurship Foundation
Programme support
Mentorship and business assistance from NESsT portfolio managers and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship will further support the Women's Entrepreneurship Foundation team in developing and refining its overall strategy, with a focus on growing both social impact and business results. Through the programme, the foundation will be supported in launching new online courses and training programs, and developing digital tools for outreach to generate increased sales leads and boost its long-term commercial growth.