Cartier plans $100,000 grants for Nigerian women entrepreneurs, others

Nigerian women entrepreneurs have been called to apply for the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards for Women Entrepreneurs 2017, in which the winner would win $100,000 to support and grow her business. Deadline for this application is August 31, 2pm Paris time (CET).
The Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards are an international business plan competition created in 2006 by Cartier, the Women’s Forum, McKinsey & Company and INSEAD business school to identify, support and encourage projects by women entrepreneurs, according to the information gathered by Entrepreneurship+
To apply for this opportunity, women entrepreneurs are required to head “initiatives with the potential to grow significantly in the years to come” and their businesses, at the initial phase, which must not be more than two to three years old, must be an original for-profit business and is led by a woman.
Those applying the “for-profit” category, their business must be designed to generate revenues and must have a new concept, “conceived and imagined by the founder and her team and not a copy or subsidiary of an existing business,” the organisers said. The women entrepreneurs are expected to have the main leadership position in their businesses filled by a woman, who has good command of English.
Other criteria for selection include innovation and the uniqueness of the project on the market or country where it is being developed, sustainability: that is the financial impact of the business, its revenue model, development strategy and other aspects indicating its chances of long-term success and future growth; impact: the effect of the business on society, in terms of jobs created or its effect on the immediate or broader environment; and the overall quality and clarity of the material presented: that is, “motivated and committed entrepreneurs who are passionate about their initiatives.”
The selected 18 finalists, representing the top three projects from each of the six regions, will receive: one-to-one personalized business coaching prior to the awards week, series of entrepreneurship workshops, knowledge sessions and networking events during the awards week, media visibility, a place on the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship 6-Day Executive Programme (ISEP) and networking opportunities through the Cartier Awards community.
Six winners will receive $100,000 in prize money and one-to-one personalised business mentoring, while those in the second prize categories, 12 finalists, will receive $30,000 in prize money.
Those interested in applying for the opportunity are can find details on the company’s website.