The University of Iceland received over 80 applications for participation in the Academy for Woman Entrepreneurs (AWE), now held for the fourth time. Twenty-four business ideas were chosen to participate in the programme, and the 33 women behind them start their journey this week, developing their ideas under the guidance of an experienced group of women from the Icelandic business community.
A call for participation was sent out after an introductory meeting last November, and the number of applications shows that a programme such as this one is in great demand. This year’s participants come from all over Iceland, and special emphasis was placed on reaching women of foreign origin in Iceland. To our distinct pleasure, it was a success.
AWE aims to support women in further developing their business ideas and increasing their presence in innovation and entrepreneurship. This creates a knowledge-based community where experienced women in innovation and entrepreneurship mentor participants to build businesses, network, and strengthen work development and professional competence. It has never been more critical than now to increase the number of startups and strengthen innovation in the Icelandic economy, thus increasing women's participation in this field.
Fida Abu Libdeh, CEO and co-founder of GeoSilica, and Sandra Mjöll Jónsdóttir Buch, a serial entrepreneur and an innovation-focused leadership coach, will share their vast experience in innovation and entrepreneurship as mentors in the programme.
Furthermore, a dynamic and experienced group of specialists from the University community, industry and the innovation sector in Iceland is involved in training and teaching. Participants also take the online training programme DreamBuilder, organised by Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management.
The kickoff meeting for AWE will be on 23 January, followed by work sessions tailored to Icelandic conditions. These sessions will cover topics such as marketing, company formation in Iceland, networking, grant acquisition, intellectual property, and social media. The accelerator will conclude on 30 April with a graduation and closing ceremony.
The Academy for Woman Entrepreneurs (AWE) is organised in collaboration with the American Embassy in Iceland. Other collaborators are the Association of Business Women in Iceland (FKA), Young Professional Women (UAK) and Women of Multicultural Ethnicity Network in Iceland. AWE is an initiative from the United States offered in over 80 countries all over the world and Iceland is the first of the Nordic countries to participate.
Further information on AWE can be found on awe.hi.is and the AWE Facebook page.