Declaring that ‘the future of tech is powered by women’, the Innovator Trust’s dynamic campaign video, the first in a series of videos set to be released in September, shines a light on female entrepreneurs that have completed the Innovator Trust SMME development programme. “These are women who have been resilient and shown great strength in the ICT environment and who have taken bold steps toward the growth of their businesses,” said Tashline Jooste, CEO of the Innovator Trust.
Established in 2014, the Innovator Trust has, over the last six years, supported and nurtured the growth of entrepreneurs in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, with the goal to develop competent SMMEs who are sustainable through providing coaching, training, infrastructure and technical support. A core focus within this agenda is Black, female-owned small to medium businesses.
According to the 2018/19 Women’s Entrepreneurship Report published by Gem Consortium, only 6.2% of established businesses globally are women-owned, making up just about two-thirds of the rate of men (9.5%). In South Africa specifically, the representation of female entrepreneurs in the ICT sector has historically been low with the industry experiencing a decline of 23.5% in female employees just last year alone.
The aim for the ‘Women In Tech’ campaign is to attract more women who are small business owners, to encourage them to submit their application for the opportunity to be a part of next year’s intake of programme beneficiaries. If you are a driven female entrepreneur, trading for two years or more, at least 51% Black-owned, and currently focussed on ICT products and services, then head over to the Innovator Trust’s website, www.innovatortrust.co.za to find out more or click on the link below to apply:
