Women are increasingly gaining more prominence in leadership positions, however, there is still a long way to go to close the gender gap.
Aware of the barriers that exist for women when it comes to being leaders of their own companies, Iris Parra, founder and director of Enlaza, assured, in an interview with Portafolio, that through her startup she seeks to create valuable connections, promote these women and demonstrate to companies the advantages of being inclusive and diverse in their organizations. They are in eight countries and hope to expand their network this year.
(Also: Number of startups in Colombia increased by 30% in the last year).
Why a startup focused on gender?
At Enlaza we promote gender investments and we are focused on raising awareness of what it means to work with diversity, inclusion and equity in the world of startups in Latin America. In fact, we are present in eight countries: Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Spain and we hold events to identify pipelines for investors who want to invest with a gender focus.
We are also developing programs to promote women’s entrepreneurship in a more equitable and diverse world, in the sense that it is possible to be a woman, to be a leader and to be CEO in a tech-startup.
When did you notice that there were gaps in the sector?
Just when I was leading an organization that supports startups to raise capital. I realized that the majority were startups led by men and raised capital with men, investors. There I identified the opportunity to support the ecosystem, to have more women in leadership positions, not only as country managers, but as co-founders, who have equity, who have decision-making power and who, above all, also have their face. at the forefront of the funding process for investors.
(Read: How to survive the roller coaster that is entrepreneurship).
What figures exist?
In Latin America, only 5% of startups are co-founded by women and only 2% of the capital that goes to startups in the world of venture capital goes to firms led by women. There is still much to do to find a balance. I believe in the power of diversity, not only in groups of women or only in groups of men, but in diverse teams and it has already been proven that diversity is profitable and attractive for investment funds.
What can you tell women who want to balance being a mom, maintaining their home, and being a leader?
Sometimes women want to do everything at the same time and we should believe more in moments. There are times to succeed in your career, to succeed as a mother, to succeed as a couple and there are times to succeed as a woman. You don’t have to do everything at the same time and be successful at everything, because that can also cause you a lot of personal problems if you fail.
In fact, I have had to talk to many women who are just starting their career as startup founders and they want to do everything and they want to be successful at everything, and as soon as there is a failure, they feel bad. We all fail and we get up and I think that’s the key, knowing what we can be good at, at what moment and enjoying the process.
What are the challenges that prevent more women from reaching management positions?
The challenge now is to have male allies, because they need us as much as we need them, that is very clear. Just as in the corporate world it was men who opened the doors and women who led the opening of doors so that other women can be leaders.
Sometimes I have heard many cases in which men say, “no, what happens is that there are no women who want to raise capital or who want to be co-founders” and no, there are women who have these skills, who are prepared the same way and that they simply have it as an option.
(You can read: Colombia will host an important meeting for women leaders in the ‘fintech’ world).
What is Enlaza’s goal this year?
We want to reach 10 countries this year, including Brazil. We are also very interested in reaching Argentina or Chile. We know that there are many needs in the community to grow and support more women. We want to have a community of 1,000 founders, we have close to 600 now.
Through the events, we also want more investors to be able to invest with a gender lens or with a diversity approach. And not only gender in women, but also gender in the LGTBI community, which is also a minority in the world of startups.
How is your reading of Colombia?
I love Colombia because every time I go I see many women participating in events, making their speech, talking with investors. I see more women investors there too. I feel that it is one of the markets in Latin America that has grown a lot in terms of equity and diversity. I love it. But just like Latin America, we still need to grow a lot.
I feel that it is also a market that has had a lot of support from the Government. For example, in Medellín they were doing different activities to support women’s entrepreneurship.
And I feel that it is a good precedent for Latin America, but there is still a lot to do.
What advice can be given to a woman who wants to start a business?
Don’t be afraid. That you can learn a lot about the industry you want to start in and that you seek to have that experience you need. Furthermore, it is very important for someone who wants to lead a team and be a co-founder to know how to sell, it is one of the skills that is generating success. They have to know how to sell their product, their service, regardless of whether it is an investor or a client, they have to know how to sell.
(Also: Plenti, another option on the market to save and make payments with digital dollars).
I’ve seen a lot of women who are a little shy who are very good at the technical, they don’t know how to reach clients and sometimes they outsource it. I think that is a skill that they have to develop if they want to enter this world.
PAULA GALEANO BALAGUERA
Portfolio Journalist
