The conference on 5 Nov. 2024 brought together 80 participants from the business and political sectors from the Danube Region in Zagreb and online.
Organized by Priority Area 8 “Competitiveness of Enterprises” of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (Croatian Ministry of Economy and Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism), the event was held in collaboration with the Technology Park Varaždin (Croatia), the International Business Women’s Network (Croatia), and the Regional Agency for Entrepreneurship and Innovations (RAPIV) – Varna (Bulgaria), who coordinates PA 8 working group on “Female Entrepreneurship”.
The conference commenced with opening remarks by Robert Blažinović, Head of the Directorate for Entrepreneurship and Crafts at the Croatian Ministry of Economy. Helia Kovačević Grčić and Carmen Hawkins, Coordinators of EUSDR Priority Area 8 from Croatia and Baden-Württemberg respectively, welcomed the attendees. They highlighted that the PA8 will continue to systematically support development of an efficient system that gives women the opportunity to improve their business, focus on sustainable green, smart and digital growth and strengthen the innovative and digital capacities of female-led-SMEs and start-ups as a macroregional value.
Participants were presented with insights into the Croatian and EU perspectives on entrepreneurship, with a specific focus on female entrepreneurship. Discussions explored new opportunities for women in business within the Danube Region.
At the European level, there are already numerous efforts and initiatives aimed at specifically supporting women in entrepreneurship. These initiatives are designed to overcome existing barriers and improve opportunities for women in the business world. During the conference, it became clear that the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in the Danube Region often share similar structures and causes. At the same time, a wide variety of approaches and innovative initiatives were presented to address these challenges. Notably, many of these initiatives focus on overcoming obstacles related to financing, training, mentorship and networking opportunities for women in business.
Am example of such an initiative is Start-Up BW Women from Baden-Württemberg. As part of the larger Start-Up Baden-Württemberg campaign, Start-Up BW Women focuses specifically on female founders, female start-ups and women entrepreneurs. A key component of this initiative is the Start-Up BW Female Accelerator, which acts as a central hub to coordinate and consolidate existing support programs for women entrepreneurs in Baden-Württemberg. The accelerator promotes the exchange of best practices, creates synergies, and works to structurally improve the entrepreneurial environment for women. The aim of this initiative is to strengthen long-term support for female founders and make a lasting impact on the landscape of female start-ups in the region.
The expertise and experience of the speakers and panelists enriched four inspiring panel discussions, enabling high-value interdisciplinary and cross-sector linkages and encourage the successful implementation of the set goals and steps on the way to strengthening regional cohesion in women entrepreneurship in the countries of the Danube region.
Interactive panel discussions included an overview of the perspectives that companies and trades led by women have in future, identifying advantages and specific obstacles, stereotypes that women face, establishing a balance between the private and business domains of life, recognizing the need for more synergy, support, mentoring , spreading excellence and networking in overcoming traditional obstacles in business models and bridging the digital gaps, providing inclusive environment and prevention of brain drain.
The conference itself featured four dynamic panel discussions on topics, each addressing key challenges and opportunities for female entrepreneurs:
- Women in Business
2. Circular Economy: A New Business Model for Growth and Innovation in Female Entrepreneurship
3. Enhancing the Potentials of Digitalisation: The Role of Digitalisation and AI in Overcoming Barriers to Women’s Entrepreneurship
4. Financing Opportunities for Female Entrepreneurs
The Ministry of Economy, Croatia, as the Implementing body in the OP Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020, implements measures with the aim of stimulating the development of the economy and entrepreneurship, primarily intended for SMEs, including strengthening competitiveness, digitalisation, internationalization and innovation, and improvement of the business environment. It has also planned a financial instrument intended exclusively for female entrepreneurs, start-ups and small loans for these two target groups under significantly more favourable conditions.
This event provided a valuable platform for networking, sharing best practices, and exchanging knowledge, contributing significantly to the promotion of female entrepreneurship across the Danube Region.
The conclusion of the conference is the further effort of all stakeholders to encourage the sustainable growth of women entrepreneurs, based on efficient use of resources, circular economy and digital technologies.
