White Paper: Power in Community - Women Entrepreneurs Driving Social Innovation
Every year, we're publishing a white paper on the needs and challenges of women entrepreneurs in emerging countries. The research findings aim to provide actionable insights so as to provide the best possible support for women entrepreneurs – empowering them in the ways they identify as most effective and accelerating their social impact. The data stems from a total of 1,763 applications, that were received for our annual Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award from applicants across Latin America, Africa and Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
The application included a combination of multiple-choice and open-ended questions, which created the basis for this
research. Applicant profiles and key themes were developed by analyzing both structured background information and open-ended responses to questions regarding challenges, needs, and motivations. By assessing the views voiced by applicants, the findings build on previous years’ insights and consolidate established and emerging trends in women’s entrepreneurship across these regions.
Two Key Insights
1. Addressing gender-based challenges:the importance of building networks and partnerships
Over the past three years, gender-based challenges have consistently been the most significant barrier reported by award applicants. Our analysis revealed a notable increase in the prominence of gender-based challenges over time. While the significance of other challenges has fluctuated, gender bias and discrimination have continued to rise, suggesting that this issue is becoming even more widespread and persistent.
Difficulties in accessing networks and partnerships were markedly more pronounced among this year’s applicants, increasing by 29% compared with the 2024 analysis and reported by just over half of the respondents. Yet, as shown in our multidimensional scatter analysis, networks and partnerships are effective and critical means for women entrepreneurs to overcome genderbased challenges. Women entrepreneurs particularly need the assistance of peers, role models, and broader networks.
2. Local context and women entrepreneurs’individual business stage significantly influence the nature of challenges faced and, consequently, the types of support needed to thrive.
While women entrepreneurs across all regions share common challenges and support gaps – particularly gender-based obstacles as well as limited access to skills and training – the specific ways these challenges are experienced, and the types of support needed, vary significantly according to local context, the business stage of the women’s own enterprises, and the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Factors such as cultural norms, sectoral focus, and the maturity of the entrepreneur and her business determine both the obstacles encountered and the most effective forms of support. This underscores the importance of designing tailored and contextsensitive interventions, rather than one-sizefits-all approaches, to truly empower women entrepreneurs and enable them to succeed.
Taken together, these insights highlight that policy and institutional interventions need to be both targeted and inclusive, reflecting the lived realities of women entrepreneurs in diverse contexts. Gender-based barriers and limited access to networks remain persistent obstacles. This is intensified by structural and cultural dynamics that vary across regions and business stages. To maximize the impact of support initiatives, policymakers need to move beyond standardized solutions and instead embrace approaches that are informed by local context and directly shaped by women innovators’ own experiences. This will enable institutional actors to not only help dismantle persistent barriers but also to unlock the immense potential of women-led social enterprises to drive social impact and sustainable growth across emerging markets.
Having recognized the untapped potential of women entrepreneurs, it is crucial to provide them with the support they need to scale and succeed. Bayer Foundation aligns with this mission, catalyzing advances in science and social innovation for a world with “Health for all and Hunger for none.” By investing in women entrepreneurs – individuals often marginalized but brimming with potential – the Foundation aims to drive systematic change in vulnerable regions. Through initiatives like the Women Entrepreneurs Award, Bayer Foundation spotlights the role of women Entrepreneurs as pivotal contributors to healthcare, nutrition, and climate innovation, both locally and globally.
This year's whitepaper marks the fourth edition for Bayer Foundation. You can find the white papers from 2022 - 2024 linked below:
