Research consistently shows that increasing women’s participation in entrepreneurship can boost GDP, expand household income and build more resilient and inclusive economies. And the story is no longer hypothetical — it is gathering pace worldwide.

In 2024, over 10% of adult women across 51 countries were engaged in early-stage entrepreneurial activity, the highest levels recorded in years. In Ecuador, nearly one in three women are starting businesses. In Argentina, Canada, Chile, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia and Thailand, the rate exceeds 20%.

The momentum is undeniable. But the mandate is equally clear: if we want the full dividend of women’s entrepreneurship, capital, policy and culture must evolve to match women’s ambitions.

Here are three major takeaways from this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2024/25 Women’s Entrepreneurship Report.

Takeaway #1: Recognize women as drivers of innovation and impact.

High-potential women entrepreneurs operate in innovation-driven sectors, focus on bigger markets and employ larger teams. Around the world, they are creating business solutions grounded in their lived experience. And many are using cutting-edge technology to solve social and environmental challenges at scale.

In Bermuda, Kyla Bolden grew up wondering why she could find coaches for track but not for coding. Her frustration became Wiz Learning, an edtech company bringing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (known as STEM), artificial intelligence and coding to thousands of students worldwide — nearly half of them girls. Her story illustrates how women founders are not only adopting technology but leveraging it to empower future innovators. She calls for “funding systems without built-in bias” and urges policymakers to design grants and investments that actively support women-led businesses.

Corina Huang, too, turned a personal challenge into a global solution. After seeing her grandmother struggle to swallow pills, she founded Boncha Bio, "candy capsules" that are easier to take and absorb. Her company has since produced more than 20 million capsules and partners with nutraceutical brands across Asia, Europe and the United States. Drawing on her own experience navigating regulation, Corina now calls for faster, science-based approval pathways that help innovative health products reach people sooner.

Turning promising ventures into industry-defining businesses requires the right conditions: capital that fuels scale, digital infrastructure that unlocks markets, and social support that frees founders to lead. Too often, those pieces are missing, leaving talented women to build in spite of the system rather than being supported by it. The Cartier Women’s Initiative aims to change that by championing high-potential women founders to grow their impact globally. 

Takeaway #2: Unlock capital and markets for inclusive, sustainable growth.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM)’s 2024/25 Women’s Entrepreneurship Report shows that women entrepreneurs consistently place sustainability at the heart of their businesses. Whether they are solopreneurs, leading retail businesses or innovation-driven startups, they share a desire to make a difference. There is good reason for this: sustainability is not just ethical, it is strategic. It drives resilience, customer loyalty and innovation.

Despite this commitment, many women-led ventures struggle to access the growth capital needed to scale their green solutions.

In Morocco, Salma Bougarrani watched untreated wastewater poison rivers near her father’s village. Today, her company GREEN WATECH installs soil-based filtration systems that recycle wastewater for agriculture, serving more than 80,000 people in rural communities. “We don’t need charity. We need the chance to compete fairly,” she says, urging policymakers to open procurement to women-led firms.

Indeed, the ability to grow these ventures ultimately depends on investment systems that recognize their value. Closing the gap is not about women funding women alone; it is about everyone investing in women-led ventures, enabling more sustainable businesses to thrive, and more communities to benefit.

Takeaway #3: Build ecosystems that match women’s realities.

Even as inclusive investment can open new doors, systemic barriers continue to hold many women back. Access to capital is only one piece of the puzzle — the broader ecosystems around finance, market access, care and culture must evolve too.

Women are 10% less likely than men to say starting a business is easy, and 17% less likely to feel they have the skills. They are 50% more likely to shut down businesses for family or personal reasons, even though profitability and finance remain top challenges. The result is a cycle: care responsibilities cut into growth, which reduces profitability, which makes securing finance harder.

Breaking this loop requires policies that match the reality of women’s lives: affordable childcare, flexible business support and founder-friendly benefits. Just as important are cultural shifts, with visible role models and entrepreneur communities that validate challenges, strengthen resilience and inspire more women to see themselves as founders. Male allies who step up to support women’s leadership are also essential to ensuring founders can flourish.

Together, these findings reveal a path forward: empower women’s innovation, unlock inclusive finance for their impact businesses, and build ecosystems that reflect their realities.

The evidence is clear: women entrepreneurs are not just participating in economies — they’re redefining them. But momentum is not enough. Systems must rise to meet the moment.

That means:

• Financing women’s innovation for a sustainable future: investing in gender-responsive capital and opening markets to women-led impact ventures.

• Building ecosystems that work for women’s realities: affordable childcare, flexible support and mentorship that enable growth without penalty.

• Engaging role models, allies and networks: connecting women and men as mentors, investors and champions who normalize women’s leadership and challenge bias.

Women are already doing the hardest part, turning lived challenges into scalable solutions, often using cutting-edge technology. The next step lies with policymakers, investors and institutions: will they design systems that let women’s entrepreneurship deliver its full GDP, household, and resilience dividend? After all, championing women’s entrepreneurship is no longer optional — it is the key to building stronger economies and fairer futures.

Read the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM)’s 2024/25 Women’s Entrepreneurship Report here.

Aileen Ionescu-Somers is the Executive Director at Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.

Wingee Sin serves as the Global Program Director of the Cartier Women’s Initiative, an annual international entrepreneurship program that aims to drive change by empowering women impact entrepreneurs.