Read the latest positive news, breakthroughs, and inspiring stories about women entrepreneurs, curated daily by BrightWire.
Over 200 market women in Kumasi, Ghana received government microloans to grow their businesses, with each trader getting $20,000 in support. The loans come without political strings attached, breaking down barriers many feared would block their access to funding.
A mother in rural India borrowed $250 in 2018 to trade raw cashews and built it into a thriving processing business earning $65,000 annually. Her story shows how small loans and determination can transform entire families.
A new Nigerian credit guarantee company helped 174,000 people access $40 million in loans during its first year, with nearly half going to women borrowers. The program created nearly 915,000 jobs by helping lenders say yes to borrowers they would have turned away.
The Small Business Administration just awarded $5.3 million to help women entrepreneurs access training, funding, and support in underserved states. Five organizations across Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia will create new hubs to connect women business owners with the resources they need to thrive.
A new center in Istanbul is helping women tech entrepreneurs access funding, mentorship, and investors while offering onsite childcare. Despite women leading one in four funded startups, they receive only 19% of investment dollars.
A new skills training program in Northern Ghana will teach women and youth how to make soap, bleach, and shower gels to start their own businesses. Hasat Bambra Enterprise is bringing practical entrepreneurship to four districts where economic opportunities remain limited.
A former college braider is creating a device that could save hairstylists from the eight-hour sessions and hand injuries that come with traditional braiding. Her invention automates the most tedious part of the process, and it's already turning heads in Silicon Valley.
A groundbreaking accelerator designed to fix a shocking funding gap just opened applications for ten more African women tech entrepreneurs. Despite running 58% of Africa's self-employed businesses, women founders received less than 1% of startup funding last year.
The African Development Bank is investing three-quarters of a million dollars to help 610 women entrepreneurs across Nigeria grow their businesses and create jobs. Three organizations will share the funding equally over three years to provide training, mentorship, and access to financing.
Two small business owners in Prince Edward Island are thriving thanks to enthusiastic local support that defied their expectations. Their success shows how communities can sustain new entrepreneurs when they show up for each other.
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A chance meeting with a struggling basket weaver in Malawi sparked a women-led enterprise that now employs over 70 artisans and exports handcrafted eco-friendly baskets worldwide. Akhada Baskets proves traditional crafts can build modern livelihoods.
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Two Johannesburg founders are rewriting who gets celebrated in African media by spotlighting the photographers, designers, and directors usually hidden behind the stars. After years of self-funding, their coffee-table magazine just landed backing to turn their annual celebration of everyday creatives into something bigger.