The last two years have been marked by a complex and difficult economic scenario for entrepreneurs in Chile. However, in these challenging and pandemic times, it has also been demonstrated how women in our country see entrepreneurship as a real and necessary option to generate income, allowing them to have the possibility of managing their own time and family spaces, improving their quality of life.
According to the study “Female entrepreneurship in times of pandemic” published by Cadem, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Ministry of Economy, 53% of women entrepreneurs created their business during the pandemic and 60% declared to be very or very interested in entrepreneurship.
Convinced that women are fundamental for the growth of our country’s economy, the Luksic Foundation, in alliance with the Simon de Cyrene Corporation and the Building My Dreams Corporation, created the Despega Mujer program, which to date has supported 120 women entrepreneurs in Chile to strengthen their businesses through support, financing, mentoring, training and learning circles with a gender focus.
“We are convinced that providing the right tools for women entrepreneurs is key to enhance their personal and professional development, and we are sure that along with their growth, so do their families and communities. We are proud that more than 80% of the beneficiaries of our Entrepreneurship programs are women from all over the country and we will continue working to provide more and more opportunities,” explains Constanza Arcos, coordinator of the Entrepreneurship programs of the Luksic Foundation.
Despega Mujer Program
As a result of the health emergency, the three versions of Despega Mujer, which has benefited women entrepreneurs in the regions of Tarapacá, Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Ñuble, Biobío, Los Lagos and Metropolitana, were conducted online, so the Luksic Foundation invited the winners of the regions of Coquimbo and Biobío to meet in person to learn about the progress of their businesses, share experiences and celebrate, as part of the week of the entrepreneurial woman.
Mariela Monsalvez was one of the winners of the second version of the program with her bakery “Legado con amor” in the Biobío Region. With the support she was able to finance infrastructure to set up a store and develop her business, which has enabled her to increase her sales by 60%. “For me, entrepreneurship is synonymous with economic and spiritual freedom and a great joy; all women have some gift or capacity that deserves to be exploited. My business has shown me that women can achieve great things,” says Monsalvez.
Jeannette González, an entrepreneur who sells at different fairs and one of the 50 winners of the second version of Despega Mujer with her business “Yunimatic” in the Coquimbo Region, acquired new work tools, such as a computer, awning, table, merchandise, as well as working on the design of her brand.
“Thanks to the program I had the opportunity to grow, empower myself and achieve things I never thought I could do. As an entrepreneur and as a woman it opened doors for me,” said Jeannette proudly.
The Entrepreneurship area of Fundación Luksic has three programs: Impulso Inicial, Impulso Chileno and Despega Mujer, and from 2018 to date has supported more than 9,000 entrepreneurs in the country, where more than 7,000 of the beneficiaries are women from all regions of the country.
