THE ACADEMY FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS (AWE)

Founded in 2019, the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) aims to empower women with the knowledge, networks, and access they need to launch and scale successful businesses. By promoting women’s economic opportunities and ensuring women have the capabilities and resources needed to participate in the economy, the AWE program directly supports the U.S. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality. Implemented in nearly 100 countries, AWE has helped an estimated 25,000 women entrepreneurs around the world grow their businesses and reach their full economic potential.

PROVIDE KNOWLEDGE

to women through in-person guided facilitation, U.S-style online education, and localized mentoring with alumni from U.S. exchange programs, business leaders, and other local partners.

FOSTER NETWORKS

that support AWE participants’ access to peer- to-peer mentorship, strategic business relationships, and scaling opportunities with businesses in the region and in the US.

PROVIDE ACCESS

to educational and entrepreneurial resources through ongoing ECA programs and the Exchange Alumni network that will help women bring their business ideas to life.

AWE PARTICIPATION

AWE combines the online platform DreamBuilder with localized in-class mentoringand facilitation. Through AWE, participants learn core business skills like strategic planning, marketing, and financial management, and apply these skills both in and out of the classroom with mentors from the local business community and U.S. ExchangeAlumni network.

A GLOBAL IMPACT

The AWE program drives local economic growth. A 2021 evaluation of AWE showed that 74 percent of women who complete the program earn more money in their business, and 29 percent hire more people. What’s more, the AWE program empowers women; more than 90 percent of AWE graduates say they are more confident since completing the program, citing stronger skills in strategic planning and public speaking.

AWE IN NUMBERS

As of 2022, an estimated 25,000 women in nearly 100 countries have participated in AWE across the Western Hemisphere, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. The AWE program targets entrepreneurial women of all ages who either already own abusiness or aspire to, who live in urban and rural communities, and who work across a range of sectors.