UK-Brazil Tech Hub partners with Future Females Business School
Helping Brazilian female entrepreneurs build and develop successful tech-enabled businesses creating positive social and environmental impact
Women are under-represented in the Brazilian technology and innovation ecosystems: according to research by Abstartups (Associação Brasileira de Startups), only 12.6% of Brazilian startups have at least one woman among their founders, and these companies receive less than 3% of all VC funds. Only 3% of Brazilian MSMEs reach international markets, thereby excluding the majority of female-led startups from the benefits of increased productivity, competitiveness, and revenue of going global.
Programme
The Future Females Business School is a three-month virtual incubator supporting aspiring female entrepreneurs to develop the technical and personal skills needed to transform their ideas into profitable and sustainable tech-enabled businesses with a positive social or environmental impact. It plugs participants into a supporting global network of successful business owners, mentors, investors and experts.
The Programme will support 200 Brazilian female founders of tech-based enterprises across four cohorts in 2021. Following an online application, shortlisted candidates are invited to interview with Future Female specialists who evaluate the project’s maturity and alignment with the programme.
The first cohort received over 700 applications, resulting in the selection of 50 female Brazilian entrepreneurs based in 26 different cities in Brazil or abroad with projects or early-stage startups in tech for good.
Taking part in the programme has improved my performance and growth as an entrepreneur. The presented methodologies have helped me improve many aspects of my company, including a fresh perspective on analysing competition and doing market research.
Letícia Araújo, founder of @ treinarmaisad and Future Females Business School Brazil participant
Tech Hub leadership
The UK-Brazil Tech Hub will provide full bursaries for all 200 selected female entrepreneurs to participate in the Future Females Business School throughout 2021. Bursary winners have access to a world-class 3 month virtual incubator programme offering 10 modules of content to help transform their ideas into practice.
Through this partnership, the Hub is tackling gender and regional inequality in digital access, promoting emerging tech and AI for good, fostering a vibrant digital economy, and enabling digital innovations to break into global markets thereby boosting trade.
As part of a global network, the UK-Brazil Tech Hub connects participants with five other countries with thriving tech ecosystems as well as with the UK, creating future prospects for partnerships. Alumni will also benefit from access to the Future Females community, present across 12 countries and including 70,000 female entrepreneurs.
Looking to the future
After graduation, participants will receive continued support from the UK-Brazil Tech Hub team to boost their market exposure, and access matchmaking, partnership and internationalisation opportunities. Alumni will be invited to mentor female entrepreneurs who were longlisted for the programme, as well as to participate in UK in Brazil organised events.