It is a platform of the Center for Inclusive and Sustainable Leadership of INCAE Business School that offers Latin American businesswomen tools and knowledge to improve their business strategy, in order to grow their businesses, generate employment and contribute to the socio-economic conditions of their countries.
Why LEADS Academy for Women - Industrial Bank 2023?
This is the second edition of the program, carried out in partnership with Corporación Banco Industrial, which will provide scholarships to 40 women entrepreneurs from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua to provide them with the tools and knowledge they need to improve their business strategy.
This robust, multi-phase training program consists of training, mentoring to realize and implement an acceleration plan, networking with women entrepreneurs regionally, and provides strategic skills training.
To apply for one of the 40 scholarships of this program you must complete and submit the application form found on this site, before May 7, 2023. The selected candidates will be announced on May 20, 2023.
More than just a partnership, the LEADS Academy for Women program of INCAE and Corporación Banco Industrial arose because both organizations share purposes and values focused on the development and promotion of the Central American region.
The first edition, which took place in the period 2021 - 2022, concluded with the graduation of 35 women from Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama, who reported a significant increase in sales (71% reported increases), reaching an average of $195,000 in 2021 and the generation of 87 new formal jobs in the region, during the 6 months following the completion of the program.
In addition, more than half of the women entrepreneurs took advantage of mechanisms such as networking and created alliances with their peers, 83% developed new solutions and 34% exported products and services.
It is because of these good results that this second edition of the LEADS ACADEMY FOR WOMEN program was created at INCAE in alliance with Corporación Banco Industrial.
The selected participants will carry out a self-diagnosis and will receive training from the Entrepreneurship Center at INCAE, in order to improve the competitiveness of the companies and deepen the participants' business knowledge on topics such as growth strategy, marketing, operations, team management, corporate governance, innovation and finance.
It will take place between May and June 2023.
In this virtual module, the entrepreneurs receive training and tools for business strengthening such as: innovative business models, operations, sales and marketing, marketing, digital transformation, finance and growth strategies. They receive tutorials to apply the knowledge acquired in the reality of their businesses and participate in training and exchange sessions to facilitate networking among entrepreneurs.
It will run for 5 weeks in August 2023.
After completing the academic module, participants receive one-on-one mentoring sessions and supervision to develop a project plan to take their business to the next level.
For three months, in a personalized way, expert mentors help them develop a clearer vision of their company's future and strategies for growth and internationalization.
The entrepreneurs attend the Campus of INCAE for a week to receive training in communication and access to financing. In addition, they will put their knowledge into practice by presenting their acceleration project to a jury composed of professors from INCAE, company executives and representatives from Banco Industrial, who will evaluate them and select the 3 most outstanding projects.
Transportation, lodging, breakfast and dinner at INCAE must be paid by each entrepreneur. To be held in January 2024.
In the final stage of this program, each participant receives personalized follow-up for 3 months by their mentors.
The purpose of this mentoring stage is to measure the success in the implementation of your acceleration project, make adjustments and an accurate measurement of improvements to your business. This stage will take place between February and April 2024.
The LEADS Academy for Women program, aimed at women entrepreneurs, is structured in 5 phases and seeks to provide tools to develop competencies and skills that encourage them to think creatively and accelerate their businesses.
To participate for the scholarship, entrepreneurs must comply with:
"At LEADS Academy for Women I learned to connect, see and create new opportunities. It taught me to create a strategy with a vision for growth in all areas of the company, and above all to make the right decisions to safely accelerate the business".
"Since my incorporation to the Leads Academy for Women program, the company has grown considerably; by providing the tools and advice, it has been able to grow by more than 40% in sales, installed capacity and new job creation. Through the program we were able to manage the plan for the construction of a new industrial plant. The program encouraged me to discover new leadership skills, I entered the program as an entrepreneur and I graduated as a successful and visionary businesswoman".
"The Leads Academy program helped me to trust my judgment as an entrepreneur, after Covid-19 I was afraid to open branches, now I see the growth of my Cherry's Healthy Eating branches. We are having more and more organizations requesting our services."
"LEADS Academy for Women gave me that push to leave behind the uncertainty of growing, innovating, modernizing and investing. Since I managed to give that Pitch in 4 or 6 minutes, with a high level jury in front of me, professionals guiding us and colleagues who became friends, Gaby Salazar Jewelry was ready to grow, thanks to Banco Industrial and through INCAE. If I had to do it again, I would definitely do it 100 times more."
"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Leads Academy for Women program. Participating in this program was an enriching experience, I have acquired new skills and tools that allow me to more effectively address the challenges and opportunities that arise in my daily work; without a doubt, this experience is a turning point in my career and in my life, and I will always be grateful for having had the opportunity to participate in it."
