Center launched to encourage female entrepreneurs
University-based education platform Tsinghua X-lab and Global Green Economic Forum, a Singapore-based subsidiary under Global Green Economic Consulting, jointly launched a “She Center”, in an effort to foster female entrepreneurship.
The place is a horizontal functional field center under X-lab that aims to encourage women entrepreneurs to start their own business in fields such as the internet, information technology, healthcare, consumption and service, cultural innovation, and education.
Mao Donghui, executive director of Tsinghua X-lab, said that currently, 17 percent of the members of the innovative teams at X-lab are women entrepreneurs, and female partners make up roughly 47 percent. Meanwhile, there are numerous teams offering goods and services for women.
“Women are an indispensable part of the entrepreneurial talent. However, they lack entrepreneurial resources and experience. The scale of existing women’s development organizations and the support they offer is limited. Therefore, it is more difficult for them to start a business,” Mao said.
“The She Center was started by women and for women. By last May, related projects in the center had attracted 106 million yuan ($16.64 million) of financing,” she said.
To further support female entrepreneurship, Global Green Economic Forum launched the Women Eco Game Changer Awards, the first award in Asia to recognize the outstanding performance of women in innovation and sustainable development.
The award covers innovation, renewable energy, green building, and pest control, and aims to encourage women to have innovative breakthroughs and to serve the sustainable development of the Earth.
To assist talented people in related areas, the firm allocates 20 percent of its gate revenues to support students’ sustainability programs. To date, it has sponsored more than 50 students to attend the summits, and three students to join an international Antarctic expedition, a leadership program to study the effects of climatic change and combat them.
One of the prize winners, Armelle Le Bihan, founder and director of green building company Technisoft (Thailand) Co Ltd, said that she felt honored to win the award. “The prize is a recognition, telling me that I am on the right track toward sustainable development.
“We need to value environmental social responsibility based on business, and corporate sustainability. Our team has already finished a green building project in Hainan, and I plan to do another one in Beijing. There is huge demand in China,” she said.
Christina Lee, founder and CEO of Global Green Economic Forum, said that “our original intention to establish GGEF is to assist and cultivate more leaders of the future. No matter for which industry, innovation is a must”.
“Also, sustainable development is the concept that we must pass down to our next generation. If a company only cares about economic benefits, it is hard to exist. Environmental and social benefits should also be considered, for an enterprise’s long-term development,” Lee said.
Women are an indispensable part of the entrepreneurial talent. However, they lack entrepreneurial resources and experience.”
Mao Donghui, executive director of Tsinghua X-lab