This project seeks to provide Central American businesswomen with tools and knowledge to improve their business strategy, evaluate the direction of their companies, rethink, forecast, budget, stabilize their supply chains and use new technologies to their advantage.
This project seeks to provide women entrepreneurs in Central America with tools and knowledge to improve their business strategy, evaluate the direction of their companies, rethink, forecast, budget, stabilize their supply chains and use new technologies to their advantage.
With the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, equipping women entrepreneurs with these tools is more important than ever. According to the World Bank, in Latin America, SMEs led by women are 11% more likely to close in the face of the crisis than those led by men. In total, businesses led by women are 40% more likely to close at this time. The issue of women entrepreneurs becomes relevant because if their businesses improve, the economy of our countries will undoubtedly improve.
In this context, a powerful alliance that will benefit women entrepreneurs is born: Banco Industrial and the Women's and Collaborative Leadership Center of INCAE launch the LEADS ACADEMY FOR WOMEN program that will provide a select group of 40 Central American women entrepreneurs with training, mentoring, personalized follow-up and regional networks in order to accelerate or grow their businesses.
"Banco Industrial has the purpose of leading, supporting and promoting the development of Guatemala and Central America. Through our alliance with INCAE we continue to innovate to boost the region's companies. We are very proud to present today the Guatemalan scholarship recipients of the LEADS ACADEMY FOR WOMEN 2021 program, we know that each one will gain valuable tools and knowledge to continue accelerating and developing their businesses for the benefit of the economy of Guatemala" said Mr. Luis Lara, corporate director of Banco Industrial.
"Today is a very special day for the INCAE family, because we are announcing the 40 Central American women winners who will gain tools to consolidate their leadership skills and strengthen the entrepreneurial capabilities needed to accelerate their businesses. At INCAE we continue to work to foster collaborative leadership and promote the development of women in the Central American region" concluded Roy Zúñiga, professor at INCAE Business School and academic director of the LEADS Academy for Women.
Thanks to the powerful alliance between Banco Industrial and the Center for Collaborative and Women's Leadership at INCAE , which was created to provide training, mentoring and networking to women entrepreneurs in the region, the Central American winners of full scholarships for the LEADS ACADEMY FOR WOMEN 2021 program, whose main objective is to accelerate and grow their businesses, are announced today. In this context of pandemic, boosting women entrepreneurs takes relevance because if their businesses improve, the region's economy will undoubtedly improve.
Banco Industrial, a member of Corporación Bi, one of the largest banks in Central America. It is a technological leader and has defined several standards in the provision of services in the financial sector. It also supports Guatemala's development, which is why it has been characterized by creating accessible solutions for MSMEs, which are the engine of the economy.
The Center for Collaborative and Women's Leadership at INCAE promotes collaborative leadership between men and women in the workplace, generating value for organizations and society, while fostering inclusion and equal opportunities for women executives and entrepreneurs. All this through an integrated approach comprised of research, leadership development and impact activities.
40 women from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama will be selected to participate free of charge in a virtual program taught by INCAE on strategy, upside down marketing, finance, operations, personal branding, networking, marketing and sales. They will also receive guidance on how to initiate the development of an acceleration project adjusted to the current situation of COVID-19.
After the academic module, the 40 participants will receive mentoring sessions and supervision of their acceleration project. For three months, expert mentors will help them develop a clearer vision of their company's future and strategies for growth and internationalization.
The 40 entrepreneurs will present their acceleration project to a panel of professors from INCAE, potential investors and BI Corporation executives, who will evaluate them and select the 3 most outstanding projects that will receive a financial award for the growth of their businesses.
In the final stage, each participant will receive personalized follow-up for six months by their mentors, to measure the success in the implementation of their acceleration project, make adjustments and an accurate measurement of the improvements for their business.
LEADS Academy for Women is a 4-phase program that will provide a select group of women entrepreneurs with the tools to develop competencies and skills to foster creative thinking and accelerate their businesses.
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