Supporting women entrepreneurs is critical to promoting greater economic empowerment of women in Southeast Asia. Accordingly, this project aims to encourage Entrepreneurship Support Organizations (ESOs) and investors across the region to incorporate a gender lens in their work. To this end, this project will update the “Gender Lens Incubation Acceleration Toolkit” (GLIA Toolkit) for ESOs, which was developed in collaboration with the Australian government in FY 2019, while also strengthening the GLIA partner network that we formed with ESOs working across the region. Further, in order to deepen investors’ awareness of gender issues, this project will support training and network building among investors with a focus on those interested in supporting early-stage enterprises with a gender lens. We will also hold gender-inclusive events and trainer education, thereby providing opportunities to share practical knowledge and build networks, while also supporting the development of communities committed to resolving challenges faced by women entrepreneurs.

Ayaka Matsuno