Work Sample: AWEC

Problem: Women created businesses in Africa at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world, but many do not have access to the knowledge, network and funding needed to grow their companies. While business incubators and accelerators were on the rise in Africa, most were designed with men in mind and did not offer solutions that met the unique needs of women business owners, who not only need to balance competing family priorities but also must overcome generations of societal norms that prevented women from achieving advanced degrees, owning property, and controlling their finances.

Solution: I co-founded the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative (AWEC) to enable women across the continent and its diaspora with the business management and peer network needed to accelerate their companies. My team and I designed, funded, and launched an innovative blended learning model that used technology to connect women entrepreneurs with best-in-class experts from within Africa and around the world. These relationships developed through our online learning platform were bolstered by large-scale in-person summits that brought learning and networking to life in Rwanda, Tanzania, Egypt, and Kenya.

Results: During the five years that I led AWEC, I built a 13-person international team that collectively accelerated more than 800 women-owned businesses across 53 African countries. We established AWEC as a leading brand that champions women leaders, built a website and thriving social media presence, and created a network of partnerships and donors that supported both AWEC and the women we served. 

On average, 80% of AWEC participants completed the 12-month program and they reported the following outcomes:

• 67% grew their annual revenues
• 45% hired more employees
• 81% increased their business management skills