In 2024, 33 fellows were selected across nine regions: Europe; North America; Latin America and the Caribbean; Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa; Anglophone and Lusophone Africa; the Middle East and North Africa; East Asia; South Asia and Central Asia; and Oceania. Many of these regions were added in recent years to ensure well-rounded representation from
different parts of the globe. As well as a financial grant and access to the CWI loan fund, which can advance them up to US$200,000, the awardees are part of a one-year fellowship programme which some say is even more powerful than the money.

“I learnt and grew tremendously under the guidance of the mentors and coaches,” says Jiwon Park from South Korea, this year’s fellow and founder of SAIB, a sexual wellness brand helping women take charge of their sexual health and combat stigma. “But most important of all is meeting all the other women who are doing amazing things to create change or fight prejudice. It makes me feel I am not alone on this journey.”

The year-long programme includes workshops led by Insead, a renowned business school with campuses in France, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and the US, focusing on management and financial skills. It also offers customised training based on fellows’ business needs and, more importantly, well-being.

“We formed a community that somehow became the fellows’ support system,” says Vigneron. “Many of them are not only challenged by outsiders but also by their family members, who think they are crazy to do what they do. The CWI community makes them feel less lonely and often provides new networks and solutions for their businesses.”

The Science & Technology Pioneer Award and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award were created in 2021 and 2023, respectively, to address issues Vigneron and the team had observed.

“While reviewing the applications, we noticed very few from the tech sector. We realised that our judging criteria, which required at least two years of business activity records, were not always applicable to the industry. You have to fund these [science and tech] projects from their inception to allow them to develop and grow.”

Applications from the science and technology sector have grown significantly since. This year, three fellows received awards in this category: Lynne Lim from Singapore, founder of NousQ and creator of CLiKX, the world’s first handheld device for treating glue ear; Monika Tomecka from Scotland, CEO of uFraction8, which produces eco-friendly lab- grown food; and Ninna Granucci from France, founder of Green Spot, which turns food waste into nutritious by-products.

While the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award celebrates fellows such as American recipient Erica Cole, founder of No Limbits, which tailors clothing for people with disabilities, the initiative goes far beyond giving winners the limelight. “We realised the cost for mothers with infants and young children to participate in the programme is often higher,” says Vigneron. “They either have to hire babysitters or ask family members to help look after their kids while they are away. Therefore, we started to offer special allowances to ‘mompreneurs’, so they don’t have to choose between family and the programme.”

The benefits for the fellows are intangible. “I am the first person in my country to be chosen for CWI,” says Marina Tran-Vu from Vietnam, founder of EQUO, a company that produces plastic-free, and compostable cutlery. “Being recognised by an international brand has made a huge difference in both market and social perception.”

And while in Asia, many women still feel restricted by social mores when it comes to building their own businesses, the decision to hold the CWI award ceremony in Shenzhen this year should drive significant momentum. “CWI has been a very exciting journey and is relatively new to China,” says Naour. “That’s why we decided to bring the ceremony here for the very first time, to give more visibility and resonance to the programme, and to have a high impact among Chinese entrepreneurs and beyond.”

Language is the primary barrier for the programme in reaching Chinese female entrepreneurs, so creating a localised programme became a priority. In 2023, the Ripple Effect programme was launched in collaboration with Impact Hub Shanghai, exclusively dedicated to Chinese-speaking entrepreneurs. The programme aims to help them enhance their skills in impact measurement, business models and financial understanding. “There is already a striving entrepreneur community here—we believe that CWI can bring an important boost to the on-the-ground development of female entrepreneurship in China,” says Naour.

Building on this approach, CWI has announced a new partnership with the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business to further support women entrepreneurs in China. “The programme focuses on leadership, empowerment and innovative business strategies tailored to female founders,” says Naour. “Through joint planning and research, we aim to enhance women-led businesses in China and promote lasting social and environmental impact.”

With the ceremony due to take place just a few hours after our conversation, emotions were palpable among both the CWI committee and this year’s awarded fellows. “Growing up, not seeing someone like me doing what I do made me believe it was not possible,” says Xintong Du, a fellow from China this year and founder of VoiceChanger—an in-person and online speech therapy platform for children with speech difficulties. “I hope our stories will inspire the next generation to pursue whatever they set their minds to.”

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