Aspire Activate Accelerate
Strengthening Women Entrepreneurs in Value Chains
How We Do It
This endeavor, called WE3A, takes its name from the three pillars of collaboration it’s built upon—Women Entrepreneurs who Aspire, Activate and Accelerate. The project will provide participants in six Latin American countries with world-class training and access to resources, networks and development opportunities.
The project focuses on providing women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with the tools they need to access value chains and support networks. WE3A will facilitate world-class training, access to the value chain, resources, networks, and growth opportunities for participants.
WE3A empowers women who own small and medium-sized enterprises in Latin America to grow their businesses through educational resources while connecting them with an expansive network of providers and like-minded women entrepreneurs.
Our three-tiered approach allows us to help business women at any phase of development grow their skills in leadership, operations, strategic planning, finance, and more.
Aspire
- Creating the enabling environment for women entrepreneurs in nascent ecosystems.
- Strengthening the business case for investment in women owned businesses
Activate
- Building the capacity of early-stage small and medium women owned businesses to better access value chains
- Providing access to training, mentoring, business tools and networks
- Access to DreamBuilder, a free online business training and certification program Sponsored by Freeport-McMoRan
Accelerate
- Integrating WSMEs into corporate value chains through an accelerator program that includes training, resources and networking.
- Supporting WSMEs with high-growth potential to succeed as regional and international businesses
Who We Are
WE3A is a collaborative initiative of the Inter-American Development Bank, IDB Lab, with key financial support from WeFi (Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative). Our goal is to help women overcome obstacles caused by their newly developing financial ecosystems with uncertainty surrounding technology, competition, demands, and more.
Over the next three years, Thunderbird School of Global Management, with partners WEConnect International, will create and manage the innovative initiative to strengthen women entrepreneurs in all business phases. WE3A will work with women in Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, and Honduras, with support from key local partner organizations, to catalyze leadership in local value chains, certify women-owned businesses, and enable access to finance through capacity building opportunities.
Interested in learning more about how WE3A operates?
Participant Countries
WE3A is currently active in 6 countries to provide new opportunities for women in Latin America.
