Strong female founders: Hesse promotes women in business!

Strong female founders: Hesse promotes women in business!

The role of women in the economy is becoming increasingly important, especially in the area of ​​entrepreneurship. Numerous initiatives today support the founding of companies by women and promote their visibility and networking. These developments are urgently needed because demographic change shows that the skills of qualified women must be better used to make the economy sustainable. As Hessische Wirtschaft reports, projects such as the Women & Economy Coordination Office in Hesse are committed to making it easier for women to become self-employed.

The objective is clear: female entrepreneurship should be considered a natural part of our society. Women should be encouraged to become active through new business ideas and the takeover of existing companies. The coordination office organizes events, such as the Hessian Entrepreneur Day, to offer women from business networking opportunities. Lectures and discussions on various business topics are offered here. The coordination office also acts as a contact point for female founders and provides contact with regional networks.

The current trend in entrepreneurship

A look at the current figures shows: More and more women are deciding to start their own company. The proportion of female founders has risen to 44%, a notable increase compared to 38% in 2020, as documented by the Federal Ministry of Economics. Young women in particular are showing a growing interest in starting businesses, a sign of changing perceptions of entrepreneurship.

In the craft sector, 25% of businesses are now owned by women and in the freelance professions the proportion is as high as 54%. However, there is also a decline in women's teams founding start-ups, where the proportion has fallen to just under 19%. Interestingly, women with an immigrant background are just as likely to start a business as their male counterparts and more often than women without an immigrant background.

Diverse support for female founders

There is a wide range of support for aspiring female entrepreneurs. The “WOMEN in business” program offers over 250 volunteer role models who talk about their careers at events. There is also an impressive database with information on over 2,000 regional networks and mentoring programs. The EXIST Women program, which has been founded at universities and research institutions since 2023, is also an in-depth support offer. Here, 1,000 aspiring founders test their ideas, supported by an annual funding volume of 6.5 million euros from the federal government.

Looking into the future, it is clear that commitment to women in business has the highest priority. The aim is to encourage women to realize their entrepreneurial dreams, particularly through networking and exchanging experiences. As the Hessische Wirtschaft and the Federal Ministry of Economics show, the path to self-employment is no longer just a male goal, but a promising endeavor that is strongly influenced by women.