On May 2, a discerning group of female entrepreneurs from all walks of life will converge at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture in sunny San Francisco, California to take part in the awards ceremony for the Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI).
Established in 2006, the CWI provides a platform for female entrepreneurs who wish to impact society through their responsible business, while also inspiring other women to solve contemporary global challenges. For the 13th edition of CWI, 21 finalists were selected from almost 2,900 applicants from 142 countries. Below are their stories:
Vittude is a web platform that aims to remove the barriers to treating mental health by connecting psychologists and patients in Brazil through remote therapy sessions.
Siren produces Neurofabric, a special textile embedded with microsensors that constantly measure the temperature of the foot to warn of impending ulcers. These alerts are then delivered via a mobile app or landline through the company’s dedicated call centre.
Ananda Devices manufactures microfluidic devices for pharmaceutical companies which has the potential to dramatically accelerate the drug industry’s research and development.
EzyGain‘s goal is help people with reduced mobility. The start-up developed an affordable, space-saving gait rehabilitation device called ’ema’ which has since sold 60 devices and raised over $ 1.3 million in equity funding.
Vivid Edge offers energy efficiency as a service to large companies on a monthly fee basis, enabling energy-saving renovations that would not otherwise happen due to capital outlay.
SAY Global is an online Korean language platform that helps retirees in Korea gain income by training them to become language teachers and connecting them to students.
Sylke co-founded SUN bioscience to standardise the production of organoid culture that will make it easer to personalise treatments to a patient.
SHE Inc. is a Tokyo-based creative learning and co-working hub that offers a programme which provides training in fields such as web design, writing, editing, branding and e-marketing to help millennial girls in Japan assert and express themselves while priming them for jobs they will enjoy.
The Spica Tech academy founded a programme which fosters children’s interest in Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics disciplines by teaching them skills needed to make video games.
Holacode is an Edtech bootcamp that offers job opportunities to undocumented Mexicans by teaching them the fundamentals of software engineering.
Grassland Cameroon Ltd. offers asset-based financing, tools, training and market access to smallholder farmers in Cameroon which in turn allows them to purchase quality resources and farm equipment to yield better crops for future harvests.
Delee has developed a low-cost solution for detecting cancer-causing metastasis using blood tests capable of detecting CTC cells which travel in the blood stream after being shed from a tumour.
Named after the Arabic word for “skills”, the Maharat Learning Center covers a full spectrum of learning and support to special-needs children and youngsters in Dubai.
Founded in 2016, Mighty Well turns sickness into strength by making stylish clothes and accessories for people dealing with chronic health issues. It also helps patients facing chronic conditions to seek emotional support via a digital health community.
NaTakallam, which means “We Speak” in Arabic, connects displaced people and refugees with clients seeking language and translation services.
Frustrated with the lack of quality shoe-care options in China, Claire decided to develop a fuss-free online service called Cobbler’s Suggest which connects well-heeled urbanites with a curated team of skilled shoe artisans.
InvestEd is a student loan service which prioritises poor and low-income students and provides them with the opportunity to fulfil their dreams of higher education.
Launched in 2017, Flare connects people to emergency response services through a real-time digital map.
BrightGreen produces MOTO fuel briquettes made of post- harvest biomass waste used for cooking and heating. The company also partners with women micro-entrepreneurs to run individual kiosks to educate local consumers about the benefits of these briquettes.
UpTrade is an innovative company that helps rural communities in Pakistan to exchange their livestock for solar water pumps through a three-party-agreement. Future plans include building an electronic marketplace that will enable goat owners to trade using an app.
HealthSetGo offers comprehensive health services to India’s youth which includes annual medical assessments with doctors, storing and tracking student health records online, installing infirmaries and deploying medical practitioners and insurance.
For further details, visit www.cartierwomensinitiative.com
Images provided by Cartier Women’s Initiative