• Development Finance Institution or Donor Agency

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

Catalyzing Women's Entrepreneurship

The Catalyzing Women's Entrepreneurship programme aims to advance women entrepreneurship and market participation in the Asia-Pacific region, resulting in poverty reduction, improved livelihoods and economic growth. The programme works to create an enabling environment for women entrepreneurs to effectively start-up and/or expand their businesses. The programme takes a facilitative approach to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem, by enhancing women entrepreneurs' access and use of financial services; strengthening women entrepreneurs' use of ICT and digital solutions to support their business; and through policy and advocacy initiatives.

  • Stages of Support

    • Idea
    • Start-up
    • Early
    • Growth
    • Mature

  • Investment Instruments

    • Grant

  • Sectors of Focus

    • Sector agnostic

  • Services

    • Conduct research on the sector to disseminate publicly (such as an entrepreneurship research report)
    • Host events for entrepreneurs or entrepreneur support intermediaries
    • Provide financial support to entrepreneur-support intermediaries
    • Invest into funds targeting SGBs or entrepreneurs

  • Nonfinancial Services

    • Capacity development services
    • Investment linkages

  • Capacity development services

    • Access to networks and partners
    • Business strategy and planning
    • Performance or impact measurement and management support
    • Operations and technology development or adoption

  • Investment linkages services

    • Access to information/research
    • Pitch readiness
    • Technical support on term sheets or investment structuring
    • Access to investors

  • Program online

    • Primarily in-person

  • Focus Tech

    • No

  • Focus Population

    • Rural entrepreneurs
    • Base of the pyramid population
    • Women entrepreneurs
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