SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH 1 Esbri seminar – Estrad Attitudes and role models Promoting women´s entrepreneurship November 16, 2009 Gunilla Thorstensson, programme manager

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH Sustainable economic growth – More new enterprises – More growing enterprises – More strong regions Challenges – Low proportion of entrepreneurs – Few enterprises grow in size

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH www.tillvaxtverket.se Going on in Sweden Promoting women´s entrepreneurship ambassadors, Vinnova: research programme Almi Företagspartner: 200 women future board members

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH www.tillvaxtverket.se Promoting women´s entrepreneurship Three year programme million SEK 2009, in total 250 million SEK during  More new, viable businesses and more growing businesses  Making visible, making possible and providing the tools ´ Make possible, make visible

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH www.tillvaxtverket.se 880 Ambassadors for women´s enterprise Make women entrepreneurs more visible Role models for others – If she can, I can! Increases knowledge about running a business Tell their story 12 EU Ambassadors from Sweden

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH Beautiful Business Award Service Developer of the Year Beautiful Business Award nominees 30 finalists, three regional finals – Umeå, Örebro, Malmö Finals in Stockholm, January 19, Årets Tjänsteutvecklare 2009: Kristina Theander, Middagsfrid

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH Role models on film YouTube.com Tillväxtverket filmer Hanna Bruce Växbo Lin Hanna Johansson Mellby Bissgården Remziye Inanc Järva Tolk och Översättning Gunilla von Platen Xzakt Kundrelation Cecilia Boman BA Konsult

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH www.tillvaxtverket.se Media a key player Dalarnas Tidning: Annette hjälper andra kvinnor att ta steget uppåt. Annette Stoltz, Hedemora Sotaren DN: I Gnosjö investerar man sig ur krisen Solveig Fransson, Gnosjö Automatsvarvning AB TV 4, P4 Västerbotten Kvinnliga ambassadörer vill ändra bilden av den typiske företagaren

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH www.tillvaxtverket.se More media … Debattartikel Newsmill, Jeanette Bohman, Skivarps Gästgivaregård Vi tänder stjärnor - ni släcker dem! ”Under senare delen av 1800-talet fanns det flera framgångsrika affärskvinnor, även om de oftast hamnade i skymundan av männen.” SvD: Företagarkvinnor inget nytt

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH www.tillvaxtverket.se Facts and statistics affect attitudes Facts, not fantasies Knowledge increasing among business advisers, players and authorities Report from Tillväxtverket – The Government´s funding initiatives from a gender perspective

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH businesses – most of them small 5-9 employed5% employed 3% employed2% > 50 employed1% 68% 22% 1-4 employed

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH More women set up businesses Källa: ITPS 62% 31% 7% 61% 32% start-ups (2008) - 32% by women in % by women in 90´s About ¼ of SMEs are run by a woman

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH www.tillvaxtverket.se Women´s entrepreneurship more visible Women less invisible as entrepreneurs; role models important – If she can, I can! Entrepreneurship more female; a heterogenous group running businesses in all sectors Services growing in economy; business opportunities for women entrepreneurs Persistance; takes time to change

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH www.tillvaxtverket.se

SWEDISH AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC AND REGIONAL GROWTH For more information: Gunilla Thorstensson, programme manager Phone: Internet: – –