Friday, June 21, 2013

Join the Young Women Entrepreneurs Boot Camp 2013 #yweb2013

The Young Women Entrepreneurs Boot Camp 2013 (YWEB), organized by the Samahan ng mga Pilipina para sa Reporma at Kaunlaran (SPARK!) and the U.S. Embassy, which will run from September 23 to 25 in Metro Manila, will provide opportunities for young women entrepreneurs to be mentored by successful businesswomen and other experts.

Women who own their own businesses and have been operating for at least two years are invited to compete to be part of a three-day session designed to help improve their businesses. Finding opportunities for growth, learning how to effectively use social media, and improving budgeting skills, in addition to mentoring from other successful start-ups are some of the topics that will be covered in the lectures and workshops that comprise the Young Women Entrepreneurs Boot Camp.

Female business owners from all over the country will be selected to join the workshop and have the opportunity to compete for additional funding for their enterprises. Ten participants each from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao will be chosen to participate in the three-day training session. Of those 30, one will receive US$5,000 for the best and most innovative business plan. Three runners-up – one each from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao – will also receive US$1,000. Interested female entrepreneurs are invited to send in their applications by July 30.

SPARK! Philippines president Mel Alonzo and U.S. Embassy Economic Officer Katy Bondy observed that the Bootcamp aims to encourage more women to drive growth and innovation in the Philippine economy.

Women entrepreneurs, who want to be part of the Bootcamp, must submit a company profile describing their business, products or services, accompanied by a copy of their Department of Trade and Industry registration papers and their financial statements for the past two years. The paper must be from 3 – 5 pages in length using Times New Roman font 11 and must be emailed to yweb.manila2013@gmail.com.

Travel arrangements to and from the seminar, accommodations and training materials will be provided to those invited to attend the Boot camp. YWEB will provide women entrepreneurs with an excellent opportunity to connect to experts and advisors who can assist them in scaling up their small or medium scale enterprises.