Mind the gap: scaling women-owned enterprises

Women entrepreneurs are central to economic growth, job creation, and resilience in developing countries. Yet women-led firms remain disproportionately small, informal, and credit-constrained despite evidence of viable business models and strong returns.

This International Women’s Day event will move beyond the familiar story of women being recipients of development programmes and toward a bigger question: what would the global economy look like if women-led businesses had the capital to grow, expand, and create jobs?

Drawing on the International Growth Centre’s (IGC) research and policy engagement, the discussion will explore what holds women-led firms back, what works to support their transition to growth, and how policy, finance, and investment ecosystems must adapt?

The event will combine IGC evidence, policy perspectives, investment insights, and entrepreneurial lived experience, with a focus on practical implications for governments, donors, and investors.

Any questions?

You can contact us at a.b.wallace@lse.ac.uk.

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