Jakarta, 21 March 2025: ERIA, in collaboration with GEN Indonesia, successfully hosted the ‘Knowledge Café for Women in Entrepreneurship.’ The event brought together women entrepreneurs and key enablers of the business ecosystem to explore the unique challenges faced by women-led businesses and the tailored support they need. 

Empowering Women for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth 

Empowering women is crucial for fostering inclusive and sustainable development. Research suggests that women-led businesses have significant potential to boost global GDP by 3% to 6% if properly supported. However, systemic barriers continue to hinder their success. Women entrepreneurs face harmful stereotypes, gender-based expectations, and a lack of representation, which affect their access to opportunities. 

One of the starkest disparities lies in funding. Globally, only 2% of venture capital goes to all-female teams in Europe and North America, with even lower rates in low- and middle-income countries. Even when women-led businesses secure funding, the amounts are typically smaller than those received by their male counterparts. 

Inequality has long shaped the entrepreneurial journey for marginalised groups, including women. Many women face longer and more complex processes in starting and growing their businesses, often exacerbated by power imbalances with men in positions of authority. The lack of gender-disaggregated data also makes it difficult to design and implement targeted policies and programs to support women entrepreneurs effectively. 

Challenges in Indonesia’s Women Entrepreneurship Landscape 

In Indonesia, these challenges are compounded by fragmented policymaking, which creates silos in policy design, implementation, and evaluation. While numerous capacity-building initiatives and mentorship programs exist, assessing their long-term impact remains difficult. 

Another key challenge discussed was the gap between social and business-oriented enterprises. Many women entrepreneurs engage in Social Enterprises (SEs), yet these ventures often receive less attention and funding. Additionally, many Indonesian SEs are registered as ‘Yayasan’ (foundations), which legally prohibits them from generating profit – limiting their growth and sustainability. 

Beyond legal and policy barriers, women entrepreneurs struggle with limited access to information, financing schemes, and professional networks. This often results in a lack of confidence when seeking investment opportunities and navigating the business world to scale up their ventures. 

Collaboration, Mentorship, and Mindset Shift as Key Solutions 

To overcome these challenges, collaboration and partnerships emerged as crucial strategies. Participants emphasised that connecting with the right stakeholders – including investors, policymakers, and support organisations – would increase access to capital, knowledge, and resources. 

Mentorship was also highlighted as an essential factor for success. Many participants attributed their achievements to guidance from experienced mentors, reinforcing the importance of structured mentorship programs. 

However, the most critical takeaway from the event was the role of mindset in driving change. Societal attitudes toward gender deeply influence perceptions of women’s capabilities compared to men’s. Breaking gender-related stigmas and prejudices is a top priority. Moreover, fostering an entrepreneurial mindset – one that embraces multidisciplinary learning, adaptability, and resilience – is essential not just for current entrepreneurs but for nurturing future generations of women leaders. 

A Call to Action: Breaking Barriers for Women Entrepreneurs 

The event concluded with a strong call to action: 

1. Break gender-related stigmas and prejudices 
2. Promote gender-inclusive policies and entrepreneurship support systems 
3. Continue championing equal opportunities for self-development and growth 

By addressing these challenges and fostering an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem, women entrepreneurs can unlock their full potential, contributing to economic prosperity and social progress. 

The event was supported by Lina Maulidina Sabrina, Adelia Rahmawati, Atika Mutiara Insani, and Mudhya Razanne Tiara of ERIA.