Looking back at SHE LEADS 2022
On November 10th, female leaders, students, and (aspiring) entrepreneurs came together for SHE LEADS, an event that celebrates and promotes female entrepreneurship by connecting changemakers of today and tomorrow.
(Farshida Zafar, Director of Erasmus Centre for Entpreneurship)
SHE LEADS annual event has come to stay in the entrepreneurial events calendar of the Netherlands. With a packed audience of over a hundred people from different backgrounds, panels and workshops that catered to diverse interests in the field of entrepreneurship, SHE LEADS annual event 2022 brought together women striving to make a positive impact through inclusive entrepreneurship.
In an afternoon highlighting the diverse experience of women in entrepreneurship, we heard from the panellists and the audience what are some of the most pressing challenges of the entrepreneurial landscape and understood the creative ways our frontrunners solved them.
During the speed dating session, students and aspiring entrepreneurs received individual advice from the women who have made it in the entrepreneurial world, hopefully planting the seeds of many women-led business initiatives in the years to come.
(Karin van Lookeren Campagne and Annemieke Rijke, from Ondernemende Vrouwen Fonds, coaching students)
Whilst reflecting on the shockingly low number of female founders in the Netherlands and the amount of funding they get, SHE LEADS participants created a safe space for exchanging experiences, valuable advice, and contacts. In doing so, helping to foster the entrepreneurial landscape all would like to see: diverse, inclusive, and truly equitable.
The keynote speaker, Beth Massa (CEO Ozarka B.V. and General Manager DeliverZero Netherlands), closed the event with a profoundly inspirational talk about her unconventional journey towards creating a successful business that tackles one of the most significant challenges of the 21st century: microplastics in the ocean.
(Beth Massa, Ozarka founder and CEO)
The evening was wrapped up with a networking session where connections were made, opportunities were created, and perhaps new co-founders were found. By facilitating an afternoon where all could share struggles, solutions, and resources SHE LEADS invited every (fe)male participant to challenge the status quo, rethink structures, and hold the door open to those who need help claiming spaces and taking the lead!
Remember an incredible afternoon with the SHE LEADS 2022 aftermovie:
Curious for insights into female entrepreneurship in the Netherlands? Check out our SHE LEADS research page.
The SHE LEADS events are jointly organized by the Erasmus Enterprise community consisting of Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, YES!Delft, ERBS – Erasmus Research & Business Support and in collaboration with partners from the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem (Erasmus Centre for Women and Organisations (ECWO), O2LAB Rotterdam and Erasmus Trustfonds‘ Ondernemende Vrouwen Fonds & Jong Ondernemerschap Fonds).