Bold ambitions create big results: Our 2023 Impact Report is here

In 2023, we committed to supporting one million women entrepreneurs by 2030. With our partners and supporters, we’re well on our way. Our 2023 Impact Report highlights the steps we took toward reaching this goal and what we’ve achieved as a result.

Together with partners, we supported 20,665 women entrepreneurs around the world to start, grow, and sustain their businesses in 2023. Their success rippled out to the world around them, creating immeasurable impact. Incomes were boosted, households were supported, jobs were created, and local economies were strengthened.

What’s more, we collaborated with 69 expert local partners to deliver our programmes in 44 low and middle income countries, bringing our total number of countries reached to 118. That’s 8 out of 10 low and middle income countries!

Women entrepreneurs saw great results…

…And many shared their stories with us!

We also reached some massive milestones. Here are the highlights: 

• We launched our bold new organisational strategy, Ready for Business, committing to reaching one million women entrepreneurs by 2030 with partners. 
• For International Women’s Day, we published our 2022 annual audit – key research with 718 women in 78 countries. Nine out of 10 told us the costs of living crisis and high inflation had negatively impacted their business. 
• We held a Parliamentary event with CARE International UK, advocating UK policymakers to address unequal unpaid care work that negatively impacts women entrepreneurs.  
• We took to the UN Commission on the Status of Women 67th Convening, advocating for women entrepreneurs.  
• After saying goodbye to our previous CEO, Helen McEachern, and Peter Sargent, who served as Interim CEO, we were pleased to welcome our new CEO, Dhivya O’Connor, who will lead us through our exciting new strategy period. 

We would like to thank all our partners, sponsors, donors and stakeholders, our staff and trustees, and our founder, who all supported the Foundation’s work throughout 2023. Above all, we would like to thank the 20,665 women who trusted us to support their entrepreneurial journeys over the year.   

The best is yet to come. In 2024, we have built on these successes and achieved great results. We look forward to sharing these with you in the future. For now, you can follow our progress in real-time on social media or by subscribing to our monthly newsletter.