Reshaping perceptions of where women belong

Visibility can shift perception

Women are increasingly building high-growth businesses in science and technology, yet public perceptions are proving slower to change. Showcasing these women challenges the usual association of women entrepreneurs with smaller businesses, and makes their presence in high-impact spaces more visible and normalized. 

When women are seen building and scaling businesses in areas like tech or science, it also expands what aspiring entrepreneurs believe is achievable. It gives them the confidence to turn their own bold ideas into real solutions for the world’s most pressing problems.

At the same time, their visibility signals to investors, policymakers and support networks that women are credible leaders in high-potential ventures. This shift in perception can translate into more equitable access to funding, talent and opportunities — helping to close the scaling gap by aligning how women entrepreneurs are viewed with the reality of their capabilities and ambitions.

Fueling innovation led by women

The Cartier Women’s Initiative launched a Science & Technology Pioneer Award in 2021, recognizing the need to fuel innovation led by women and publicize their pioneering businesses to the world. 

The 2026 fellows in this category, Isabel Pulido, Dali Rashid and Vida Gabriel, have all built businesses linked to climate action, but using very different methods. They provide a diverse cast of role models for aspiring women impact entrepreneurs passionate about applying STEM solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. 

In Colombia, Isabel’s business NanoFreeze creates natural refrigeration solutions based around bio-nanotechnology that can cut energy use by up to 50%. Based in France, Dali’s Genomines is a biotechnology company producing nickel from plants as a low-impact alternative to conventional mining for electric vehicle batteries. Meanwhile, in Canada, Vida created TerraFixing to capture carbon directly from the air in cold, wind-rich regions, supplying affordable carbon dioxide to remote communities while permanently removing emissions at scale.

Women entrepreneurs solving societal problems with AI

Although Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) found that women prioritized artificial intelligence (AI) 11% less often than men in their business activities, many women entrepreneurs are already leveraging AI to solve problems they understand and care about. They serve as role models for other entrepreneurs looking to use technology to take on hard challenges that society needs to address.  

One such role model is 2026 fellow Divya Kamerkar. Her business Pinky Promise is an artificial intelligence-enabled digital clinic providing fast, affordable access to sexual and reproductive healthcare for women in India. By boosting doctors’ efficiency via AI, for example by assisting with symptom triaging, suggesting diagnoses and drafting chat responses, Pinky Promise enables a single gynecologist to care for up to 10,000 patients. This dramatically expands access to care without compromising on quality. 

Another 2026 fellow, Jeklin Kim, develops immersive, joyful rehabilitation games powered by AI that help children with disabilities improve hand function. Using a simple smartphone or tablet camera, GemGem Therapeutics’ games track fine motor movements. The AI then adapts exercises in real time based on each child’s ability, to help them continue to progress. By making personalized therapy affordable and available at home, Jeklin is making it accessible to far more families. 

How storytelling can light the path

To actively inspire and support the next generation of entrepreneurs, women impact entrepreneurs can make their journeys more visible and accessible through social media. Sharing both success and failures, and speaking openly about setbacks like funding gaps, failed pilots and moments of doubt helps to normalize the entrepreneurial journey and allows others to learn from their experiences. Overly polished success stories can unintentionally reinforce the idea that struggling is due to personal inadequacy, instead of a normal part of the ups and downs of building and scaling a new business. Honest storytelling reassures others that uncertainty is part of the process — and that they can navigate it too.

The power of showcasing diverse definitions of success

Being a role model for others can feel like a weighty responsibility, but every visible founder helps redraw the mental picture of what an entrepreneur looks like. Each story challenges outdated assumptions, expands what others believe is attainable, and gives future innovators someone they can recognize themselves in. The most effective role models are not those who appear extraordinary, but those who make the path ahead feel possible.

Increasing women’s participation in entrepreneurship, and especially in more profitable, male-dominated sectors has innumerable benefits — and the World Bank’s Women’s Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative agrees that role models play an important role in doing so. Those with power and status should use it to shine a light on these boundary-breaking women founders. When we raise their profiles, we all benefit from the results. 

Read more about how role models play a crucial role in making entrepreneurship feel within reach in part 1 of this series of community stories.  

The Cartier Women’s Initiative collaborates with Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) to generate evidence on the global state of women’s entrepreneurship, including partnering with its annual Women’s Entrepreneurship Report.

This blog has been produced in partnership with GEM. It includes insights from GEM’s Executive Director Aileen Ionescu-Somers and the GEM Women’s Entrepreneurship Report’s lead author Dr. Amanda Elam.