On September 14, the Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative held a workshop on “Venture Capital Financing: How to Increase Funding for Women-led Ventures,” featuring a fireside chat with Mumzworld Co-Founder CEO Mona Ataya, which was moderated byCareem Pay Head of Strategy & Strategic Partnerships Madiha Sattar. There was also a panel discussion with Atlantic Council empowerME Director and Resident Senior Fellow Amjad Ahmad, RockCreek Managing Director Alifia Doriwala, and Blossom Accelerator Founder and CEO Emon Shakoor, which was moderated by US Development Finance Corporation Global Gender Equity Initiative Head Algene Sajery.
This workshop is part of the Igniting Women’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Saudi Arabia program led by the Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative in partnership with the US Mission to Saudi Arabia, the American Chamber of Commerce Saudi Arabia, and Quantum Leaps. The program brings US entrepreneurs, experts, and business leaders together with their Saudi counterparts to build relationships, share knowledge, and develop partnership opportunities via hybrid workshops and networking sessions.
Key takeaways: Women’s entrepreneurship and funding for women-led startups is improving, but more needs to be done
This workshop is part of the Igniting Women’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Saudi Arabia program led by the Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative in partnership with the US Mission to Saudi Arabia, the American Chamber of Commerce Saudi Arabia, and Quantum Leaps. The program brings US entrepreneurs, experts, and business leaders together with their Saudi counterparts to build relationships, share knowledge, and develop partnership opportunities via hybrid workshops and networking sessions.
Key takeaways: Women’s entrepreneurship and funding for women-led startups is improving, but more needs to be done
- Mona Ataya pointed to the “seismic shift” in the Gulf Cooperation Council region: more women are entering a diverse array of jobs and jumping on the bandwagon of entrepreneurship. One reason for this, she believes, is that “success breeds success.” Success creates confidence as well as resources that other entrepreneurs can tap into. Moreover, the infrastructure is changing, with more venture capital firms entering the region. Ataya noted that at Mumzworld, 70 percent of the leadership team is made up of women and 60 percent of the employee team is also made up of women.