Aware that the pandemic has had a greater impact on female labor participation, in 2021 the Luksic Foundation opened the Despega Mujer program, which aims to support the growth of women who have an outstanding entrepreneurial profile and need support for their businesses to continue to scale. This initiative of the Foundation’s Entrepreneurship area has already awarded 120 women entrepreneurs in its three versions.
Paola Luksic, president of the Luksic Foundation, sent a message to the 50 winners of the third edition of the program: “We know that it has not been easy, that these last two years have been marked by the effects of the pandemic and a difficult economic scenario. But it has been precisely you, the women, who have played a very important role in the recovery of the economy, fighting and working every day to get ahead”.
In this third edition, there were 50 winning women entrepreneurs from the regions of Tarapacá and Ñuble. They ranged in age from 24 to 64 years old and the most important areas were related to food (40%), esthetics (16%) and textiles (14%).
In order to bring the experience closer to the entrepreneurs, Paola González, owner of the business “Las recetas de Julita” from the Coquimbo Region and winner of the second version of the program, shared her testimony: “It has been a gift and it is really a blessing. This award will help them a lot as women, people and entrepreneurs. I knew what my shortcomings were and this program helped me to realize what I had to strengthen. Be patient, because everything will come when it has to come. I am very grateful for the opportunity they gave me, because you really learn a lot, and if you have problems, don’t doubt that they will always support you and give you a hand”.
Comprehensive support: financing, training, personalized mentoring and learning circles.
Each winner will receive 2 million pesos and training on entrepreneurship with a gender focus, digital marketing, leadership, formalization, innovation in products and services, application for public funds, digital tools and business management. In addition, throughout the program, the entrepreneurs will be accompanied by professional mentors from the entrepreneurial ecosystem with more than 10 years of experience in the working world, and will participate in the so-called “learning circles”, which aim to create a local support network among the winners to accompany each other and share their experiences in this important learning process.
The program is developed together with Corporación Simón de Cirene, the organization in charge of training and academic support, and Construyendo Mis Sueños, in charge of the “learning circles”. Fondo Esperanza and Banigualdad are responsible for inviting women entrepreneurs to apply to the Despega Mujer program.
The ceremony was also attended by Alejandra Canessa, executive director of Corporación Simón de Cirene, Solsiré Giaverini, executive director of Construyendo Mis Sueños, Roberto Orellana, Networks and Associativity analyst of Fondo Esperanza, and Erwin Schalper, microfinance manager of Banigualdad.
120 women entrepreneurs awarded in its three versions
In addition to the 50 women entrepreneurs awarded in this version of Despega Mujer, another 70 women from the regions of Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Biobío, Los Lagos and Metropolitana, who have acquired knowledge and tools to promote the growth of their businesses, will receive awards in 2021. All information and further details of the program will be published on the Luksic Foundation’s social networks and the website www.fundacionluksic.cl.
