Insider Brief
- Applications are now open for She Wins Climate, a five-year initiative by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to increase access to capital for women entrepreneurs in climate-related businesses.
- Women-led businesses receive only 7 percent of private equity and venture capital in emerging markets, with just 9 percent of climate tech venture funding directed toward female founders, according to IFC.
- She Wins Climate aims to build on the success of She Wins Arabia, which has supported more than 150 women-led startups and 40 investment funds since 2021. The initiative will provide financial training, expand investor networks, and foster gender equity in climate action and sustainable economic growth.
Applications are now open for She Wins Climate, an initiative designed to expand opportunities for women entrepreneurs in climate-related businesses.
Announced in December by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the program aims at improving access to capital and addressing gender-specific barriers. The five-year initiative aims to strengthen entrepreneurship support organizations and promote gender equality in climate leadership.
“The accelerator program will be delivered in English and is open to women-led and founded climate startups based in Southeast Asia; South Asia; and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Türkiye,” according to the IFC. “To be considered a climate startup, businesses must target greenhouse gas emissions reductions, energy efficiency, adaptation or resilience, sustainable products or services, pollution reduction or prevention, conservation, and/or nature-based solutions.”
Women-led businesses receive only 7 percent of private equity and venture capital in emerging markets, with just 9 percent of venture funding directed toward women founders in climate technology globally, according to the IFC, a member of the World Bank Group. The IFC also cites mounting evidence that women’s leadership fosters more inclusive and effective climate action and She Wins Climate seeks to bridge this investment gap.
“The She Wins Climate initiative will support organizations that mentor, train, and finance entrepreneurs, so they can better address the challenges and needs of women-led businesses in the low-emission and climate resilient economy,” said Hela Cheikhrouhou Regional Vice President, Middle East, Central Asia, Türkiye, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. “We need investors to step up and fund women. It pays off for all of us.”
The program will focus on improving the capacity of accelerators, private equity firms, and venture capital funds to better support women-led startups working on climate solutions. Additionally, it will facilitate networking opportunities between investors and women entrepreneurs, increasing their visibility in the climate sector and raising awareness of the financial hurdles they encounter.
With She Wins Climate, IFC stated it wants to build on the success of She Wins Arabia, which launched in 2021 in the United Arab Emirates. Over two phases, She Wins Arabia has provided capacity-building support to more than 150 women-led startups and over 40 funds and accelerators. IFC aims to replicate and scale this success on a broader international level.
Women’s participation in the green economy is increasingly seen as critical to effective climate action, the IFC stressed. Studies suggest that businesses and initiatives led by women drive more inclusive economic policies and emphasize sustainability. However, barriers such as limited access to funding, investor biases, and a lack of networking opportunities continue to hinder their participation. IFC’s She Wins Climate will seek to break down these barriers by offering financial training, connecting women entrepreneurs with capital providers, and fostering an investment ecosystem more attuned to gender equity.
As a member of the World Bank Group, IFC is the largest global development institution focused on private sector growth in emerging markets. In fiscal year 2023, IFC committed a record $43.7 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing nations, with a mission to reduce poverty and boost shared prosperity amid ongoing economic challenges. The She Wins Climate initiative is part of IFC’s broader strategy to leverage private capital for sustainable development, ensuring women entrepreneurs play a central role in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
