INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2023

Women Entrepreneurs Breaking Barriers: Innovation for Equality

According to a study by ONE, almost a third fewer women than men in the world’s poorest countries are connected to the internet and the gap is set to widen, limiting access to life-changing opportunities.

This year, the theme of  International Women’s Day (IWD) is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. The United Nations Observance of IWD will recognize and celebrate the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education. IWD 2023 will explore the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities, and spotlight the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence.

Women’s exclusion from the digital world has shaved $1 trillion from the gross domestic product of low- and middle-income countries in the last decade—a loss that will grow to $1.5 trillion by 2025 without action.  – UN Women

For IWD 2023, we are partnering with Accelerate2030,  the world’s largest scaling program connecting entrepreneurship and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — initiated by UNDP and Impact Hub — to host a campaign highlighting the women addressing the need for inclusive and transformative technology through entrepreneurship. From technological solutions that enable people with communication impediments of all ages to read, write, speak, and learn, to digital solutions for microfinance, these women are paving the way in transformative innovation, driving change around the world and creating an inclusive future for all. 

Entrepreneurs featured in this campaign are part of the Accelerate2030 top ventures, selected for their visionary solutions with impact on the SDGs, international scaling potential, and highly skilled and motivated team. In addition to spotlighting these women and their impact, we will also be hosting a special IWD event on the 8th of March on the topic Women breaking barriers through digital innovation” – an informal conversation on the role of digital technology and innovation in creating access to opportunities and leveling the playing field. Find out more about the event and sign up here.

Event Details

Meet Accelerate2030 Entrepreneurs

Daniela Galindo

Daniela is the co-founder and CEO of Hablando con Julis. Hablando Con Julis is proof that people with speech, writing, and learning disabilities can have the same opportunities as any other. This all-in-one technological solution enables people with communication impediments of all ages to read, write, speak, and learn by the use of images that are interpreted through written and voiced words.

Baraa Eisa

Baraa is a social entrepreneur, co-founder and COO of T.Joint, with +3 years of experience as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialist and project management expert — focusing on economic development, empowering rural women and striving for achieving digital transformation and financial inclusion. She is also a Sudan laureate and the East African representative for the Women in Africa initiative.

My true happiness comes from making a positive difference in people’s lives. I’ve been fortunate enough to have my basic needs met, a good upbringing and education, a family, and I’m not going to take that for granted.

Paola Santiago

Paola is a management engineer in charge of leading the value generation and sustainability in Unergy startup of which she is the co-founder and CFO. “Unergy cuts barriers to investment in renewable energy. Customers use their collaborative platform to invest in solar energy projects. These projects facilitate access to the cost-free instalment of clean energy generation for businesses.”

I am passionate about mobilizing people to take action and ideas to become a reality.

More stories will follow soon

Supporting female innovators on their journey to scale impact is crucial to building a sustainable future. Programmes like Accelerate2030 and organizations like Impact Hub are at the forefront of pushing for equality in entrepreneurship. Want to join us in supporting inclusive entrepreneurship? Explore the opportunities Accelerate2030 offers and join the Impact Hub global community!

Women Entrepreneurs Stories of Impact

Read our latest inspiring stories and interviews with women entrepreneurs.