Handmade jewelry, ergonomic swings, personalized birthday decorations and stone-baked pizzas are some of the products offered by the 70 winners of the fourth version of Despega Mujer. The program of the Entrepreneurship area of the Luksic Foundation began a new cycle at the end of this month through a virtual ceremony in which the participants of this new version were welcomed.
From now on, and for the next six months, the winners will receive mentoring with experts from the entrepreneurial ecosystem, training and learning circles with a gender focus. This, together with the $2,000,000 pesos in funding provided by the program, seeks to support them so that they can grow their ventures and move on to a higher business segment.
In its three previous versions, the Despega Mujer program has supported a total of 120 women entrepreneurs from the regions of Tarapacá, Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Ñuble, Biobío, Los Lagos and the Metropolitan Region (MR). During this fourth version, 30 women entrepreneurs from the Valparaíso Region, 30 from the Araucanía Region, and 10 from the Metropolitan Region, specifically from the municipalities of San Miguel, Pudahuel and Quilicura, will participate.
As in previous versions, the program seeks to support women who have demonstrated a good entrepreneurial profile. Therefore, the call was aimed at women entrepreneurs who had already participated in a Fondo Esperanza, Banigualdad or Impulso Inicial program.
Macarena Cea, director of the Evaluation and Development area of Fundación Luksic welcomed the participants during the opening ceremony and emphasized that Despega Mujer is a program that has been designed with women entrepreneurs at the center. “This program is the result of an exhaustive evaluation work. We have gathered evidence on female entrepreneurship and on how, with concrete, comprehensive support that includes financing and accompaniment, women can move forward not only with their businesses, but also with their families and have a positive impact on their communities,” she said.
To carry out this program, Fundación Luksic works in alliance with Corporación Simón de Cirene, which is in charge of developing training and mentoring programs, as well as with Corporación Construyendo Mis Sueños, which is in charge of developing learning circles, an instance of accompaniment among the participating entrepreneurs.
“We love this program because it is unprecedented in the sense that it is very complete,” said Solsiré Giaverini, executive director of Corporación Construyendo Mis Sueños. “In addition to the financing, the participants can generate networks, share experiences, and that is something that is very useful for them. The road to entrepreneurship is sometimes a lonely one, it is difficult to make decisions, and sharing with people who face the same challenges and fears is very valuable,” she said.
Alejandra Canessa, executive director of Corporación Simón de Cirene, also congratulated and welcomed the winners. “We share the enthusiasm for this program. The 70 entrepreneurs who were selected are women who stand out for their potential and because they have managed to lead good projects. As a Corporation we will make available all our knowledge, spirit and affection so that they can take advantage of the richness of this program.”
