Entrepreneurship in Chile has experienced significant growth in recent years, becoming a transformative force that drives the country’s economic and social progress. However, despite progress, significant challenges remain, especially when it comes to women’s participation and success in the business world.
The good results of the ventures can be leveraged through specialized units. In this context is the business incubator of the University of Concepción, IncubaUdeC, dedicated to promoting and supporting innovative entrepreneurship by providing resources, specialized knowledge and collaboration networks to promote the development of startups and business projects.
The Executive Director of IncubaUdeC, Beatriz Millán Jara, pointed out that there is a change in perception in the activity of entrepreneurship. In this framework, she pointed out that according to data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Chile 2023, “today more than 70% of Chileans see entrepreneurship as a desirable professional career. Therefore, it is no longer associated only with a lifestyle, but rather it is associated with a vocation and what I want to do with my professional life.”
Furthermore, he added, the same measurement indicates that around 27% of the adult population is willing to start a business, which reflects a growing interest in starting new businesses in the country.
However, despite this widespread enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, women face significant barriers to entering and succeeding in this field. “We know that about 12% of technology-based companies are led by women in Chile, according to the latest report made by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation. And furthermore, in the world it is not very different, it is about 14%. We are talking about a fairly low percentage,” added the Executive Director of IncubaUdeC.
The fight against this problem has different fronts, due to the numerous factors involved that have restricted women from being able to function in complete freedom in the entrepreneurial ecosystem: “There are factors oriented towards sociocultural issues, skills. That also includes education issues and also resources. I am not only talking about tangible resources, such as financial resources, but also, for example, others as relevant as the ability to network, contact networks, networks with other entrepreneurs, etc.”
Beatriz Millán stressed that the participation of women is important to impact the way in which businesses grow, contributing from diversity with positive effects in this environment and impacting the rest of society.
“I believe that diversity allows us to achieve much more integrated business growth, where not only are the results in performance metrics, but it is also associated with personal growth, with feeling very comfortable with what I am doing,” he expressed. .
In response to these challenges, IncubaUdeC together with the Alumni Network have developed “Conectadas TechEmpower”, a program that has financing from the Regional Productive Development Committee, Corfo Biobío, and that seeks to empower women entrepreneurs through a complete
training, networking and networks, with the aim of developing their potential and supporting the growth of their business projects.
“Making visible what is done, establishing joint action networks, collaboration networks with other institutions or with other areas, allows us to seek empowerment where it is necessary and to show that it is indeed possible. It is possible to undertake, for women to develop high-impact, sustainable technological entrepreneurship and also continue with all the role that many times as women we have to develop,” explained Beatriz Millán.
Closing the gender gap in entrepreneurship is a collective task that requires the commitment and collaboration of the entire society, through a collaborative approach that allows opening opportunities for the development of potential and contribution to all people and promoting diversity.
