Written by Inforum accelerates careers for women and boosts talent initiatives for companies. While networks and mentorship are beneficial for all entrepreneurs, Inforum found that they are critical for women entrepreneurs. As featured in the 2020 Detroit Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Report and 2020 Ann Arbor Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Report, President and CEO of Inforum, Terry Barclay, describes how Inforum provides these types of resources for women to grow the entrepreneurial community.
Guest Post by Terry Barclay, President and CEO, Inforum
A recent analysis by the Boston Consulting Group shows that if women and men participated equally as entrepreneurs, global GDP could rise by about 3% to 6%. Making that happen requires several elements, but a critical one is the provision of networks that effectively support and mentor women entrepreneurs.
Inforum’s inGAGE™ Master Class helps meet that need – supporting women who are serious about growing their companies, even when those companies are still small. Master Class’s confidential peer-to-peer forum helps women entrepreneurs form a supportive network and learn to assess the operations, management, finances, and personnel of their companies to examine strengths and challenges.
Each eight-month cohort offers customized support to the self-identified needs of entrepreneurs who are generating revenue and are striving to scale their businesses. Participants gain traction working in a facilitated, peer-learning environment to identify and seize new market opportunities, and are provided with individualized resource mapping, access to mentors, industry advisory and subject matter experts. The structure helps participants stay focused, develop new ideas, gain the tools to realize new opportunities and position themselves for investment.
Since the launch of inGAGE™, 123 women have participated in Inforum’s entrepreneurial programs; those women have incorporated 58 new companies, created 510 jobs, and been granted 45 patents. Additionally, inGAGE™-supported women founders have raised over $62.6 million in new capital.
Through funding from the New Economy Initiative and additional support from Inforum, women selected for the program attend at no charge.
Visit http://www.inforummichigan.org to learn more about Inforum.
Read more in the 2020 Ann Arbor Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Report and the 2020 Detroit Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Report
