Dubai: The Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2024 hosted a pivotal session titled ‘WIn Fellowship: Driving Tomorrow’s Innovations Through Entrepreneurship’. During the event, Sabrin Rahman, Managing Director and Head of Sustainability at HSBC Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, emphasized the unique contributions women bring to the investment space, including the introduction of new, resilient, and authentic ideas that enhance entrepreneurial projects.
According to Emirates News Agency, Rahman pointed out a significant disparity in funding between male and female-led ventures, with a tendency for funds to favor projects managed by men. She outlined HSBC’s initiatives aimed at uniting stakeholders to support women-led startups, providing them with necessary incentives to secure their long-term viability. Despite improvements over the past five years, Rahman acknowledged that more efforts are required to motivate investors, incubators, and accelerators to offer both financial and technical assistance to female-m
anaged ventures.
Jumana Al Darwish, a UAE WIn Fellow and Founder of The Happy Box, recognized the remarkable progress female entrepreneurs have made over the last decade. However, she highlighted ongoing social, traditional, and cultural obstacles that continue to impede their progress. Al Darwish shared her personal journey of overcoming familial objections when she decided to leave her government position to pursue entrepreneurship. Currently, she collaborates with peers in the WIn Fellowship to empower women-led startups by forming partnerships, establishing social enterprise platforms, and creating digital access points to provide essential support.