From north to south and east to west. Women’s initiatives to create groups and networks that encourage entrepreneurship are becoming widespread across the country. The founders of these groups insist that their main purpose is to create referrals, but they also ensure that they are useful spaces for emotional support, network connections or resolving doubts. These associations have many times served as catalysts for the creation of new alliances and businesses. According to the Entrepreneurship Observatory’s latest GEM report, although the gender gap in entrepreneurship is decreasing, some differences are still detected. “The number of start-ups founded by women in Spain is 12%. The main obstacles for women are internal (such as lack of jobs). Although the most important is financial, women only get 3% of the investment”, WstartupCommunity It includes the Innovative Women’s Entrepreneurship II Report, which has not yet been published and will be published in a few weeks, conducted by Teresa Alarcos, together with the University of Malaga.
According to WstartupCommunity Startups or the Observatory of Women Entrepreneurs, start-ups founded or co-founded by women are more profitable, use less leverage, and when they do, they pay back their loans more quickly. Desire to gain economic independence According to the research conducted by Micro Bank, CaixaBank’s social bank, in collaboration with Stone Soup Consulting, this is the main factor that drives women to become entrepreneurs. The most common profile of a female entrepreneur is someone who is between the ages of 36-49, has a bachelor’s degree, and operates an activity that aims to provide professional services.
This is exactly the case of Aranzazu Egusquizaga, who provides human resources services to companies and has been a member of the ‘Euskadi Entrepreneurial Women Association (EmakumenEkin)’ for three years. This network was created about ten years ago and had its origins in meetings between several entrepreneurs in an Ikea in Bilbao.. “They met in the cafeteria to share their concerns. The first women to join the group were experts in the field of economics and tax consultancy. They thought it was necessary to support women entrepreneurs, especially in pricing their services. Unlike men, they tend to underestimate themselves,” says its president, Izaskun Rama. ‘EmakumenEkin’, which currently brings together approximately 150 members.
Egusquizaga entered the group with the help of her partner Ana Martínez. start Bluelook is dedicated to team organization. “I was self-employed and providing services to other companies for many years. In 2019, I decided to start another project and joined the association to find support for this journey. And I found a network where I could discuss my doubts, get customer testimonials…“, he notes. He met Nuria Crespo within the entrepreneur network. “In this way, we included issues related to occupational risk prevention and conflict mediation in our services. “This way we can offer our customers a more complete service,” he assures.
Gehisy Hernández also found her current partner, Belén Loredo, in ‘Businesswomen’, a network of freelancers, businesswomen and professionals from Asturias (born in 2021).He started the Be Sostenible project, which provides consultancy services on sustainability issues for small businesses. “Asturia’s productive fabric consists of very small companies, but they will need to implement all the new sustainability regulations, so we want to help them,” he notes. Hernández underlines the importance of such associations to make women’s work visible and valued. “Sometimes it seems like it’s frowned upon for women to talk about money,” she says.
Another initiative for entrepreneurs has developed in the province of Alicante. ‘Red Juntas’ were formed in 2021 to bring together all business women and entrepreneurs in the province. “We realized that it was necessary to bring all businesswomen together to unite against management. The most important thing to do in these complicated times is not to be alone. This is the spirit of our completely collaborative initiative.says Marcela Fernández, president of the Alicante Association of Businesswomen, Professionals and Managers (AEPA), which supports the creation of the ‘Red Juntas’.
in Barcelona, Approximately 600 women make up the ‘Juno House’ club. According to Irene Juárez, this is a private initiative born in 2022 by a team of American and Spanish women. “Juno House was born to be a springboard for female talent. Its mission is to help women reconcile and thrive,” explains Natalie Batlle, co-founder of the initiative. One of the goals is for businesswomen to obtain investment among themselves or from outside. And make professional connections. “We women are late to the party. The men have done business among themselves, networkinghe takes care of his friends,” Batlle reflects.
digital entrepreneurs
According to the latest GEM 2022-2023 report by the Entrepreneurship Observatory, business ventures have traditionally been run by men, but this trend is changing and men and women are now taking on jobs equally. “There is no difference between men and women”” says the document.
Esther Molina, co-founder of the ‘Women Startup Leaders’ association, one of the few associations representing women establishing technological startups, thinks so. “I don’t think women’s entrepreneurship is different from men’s entrepreneurship. I believe there is a cultural bias, but it’s all about generations. Women are ambitious and competitive, that’s good” she says. Molina promoted Women Startup Leaders because she believes it is necessary to create references for healthy and accessible female entrepreneurs. “What we want is to show that entrepreneurship is within the reach of those who follow it. “You don’t have to be Bill Gates or invent the iPhone,” she says.
in case initiatives led by women, The average age is 36 to 45, slightly higher than that of men heading such companies.According to WstartupCommunity’s report. “A new generation of women who consider entrepreneurship as their first professional choice is timidly emerging. 75% had previous professional experience in companies, and of these 49 percent have developed a professional activity in middle management or senior management positions,” she notes . Document.
‘Female Startup Leaders’ focuses on promoting the creation of companies with a strong technological and digital component, a sector where the presence of women is still a minority. “Financing is the key gap. Sectors where women tend to work are less funded, such as those related to grooming or fashion. Therefore, it is necessary to allocate special resources for women entrepreneurs,” says María José Blanco Gutiérrez, head of Barcelona Activa Business Creation Programs, a public initiative of the City Council that offers training and co-working networks to women entrepreneurs. Teresa Alarcos, founder of Wstartupscommunity, says, “Creating female references, providing training , it is important to mentor and also strengthen finances,” he explains.
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Women Startup Leaders was born amidst the pandemic and digitally. “Locked at home was a very difficult time for entrepreneurship. I decided to create a WhatsApp group to help and included some entrepreneurs in this group.” Molina remembers. This chat continues to be a tool that members, numbering around 100, use to collaborate. This includes personal activities, training and an awards ceremony held once a year at the Ateneo de Madrid.
“The WhatsApp group helped us share our doubts during the quarantine. It was a tool to show other entrepreneurs that it is normal to be there for us in bad times and to do business despite all the difficulties. Entrepreneurship,” says Laura Lozano, founder of Chargy and one of the supporters of Women Startup Leaders. In the case of Alba Rocafort, founder of FabBRICK, who has been part of this group for a year, her contact with the association helped her establish new business alliances. “My company designs clothes and we carry out the entire process digitally through an application. As ‘Female Startup Leaders’ I have been able to contact other companies that need this service”he assures.
rural entrepreneurship
Rural centers are also suitable scenarios for women’s entrepreneurship. This is also reflected in the presence of groups in these environments. Born in 2018, the Entrepreneurs in Movement Network consists of women living in the Sierra de Madrid. “There was nothing like this in this region. We came together to hold workshops and support each other. We thought of establishing an association, and at the first event we established the Torrelodones meeting hall, we were surprised that this hall was so small,” says he, who is responsible for the communications of the association, which currently has approximately 170 members. Yolanda Larrumbide.
Another of these initiatives can be found in Aragon. Women’s Institute of the autonomous community introduced the virtual network Rural IAM Network We aim to help women who want to start a business in rural areas. “The Aragon region is complex, the population is highly dispersed and resources are difficult to find. The aim of the initiative is to offer digital support and advice to people who want it. It also makes the work of other women visible.” Describe the resources of the organization, which has approximately 150 women registered.