In this challenging year, the power of women in leadership was brought into high relief. Female leaders across the world steered their countries with resolve and compassion through the pandemic crisis and many of the most successful responses emerged from women-led countries: Taiwan, Germany, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. But even with growing representation in leadership in some countries, women all over the world are still subject to discriminatory laws, unequal pay, lack of access to healthcare, education, business opportunities and may not participate in financial decisions within their homes. And yet, through it all, women still drive an enormous amount of the economic activity in the world (over $18T) with women-owned or operated small businesses playing a critical role driving economic growth and providing livelihoods for their communities and families. In partnership with One Young World and Lead2030, we want to continue to support and promote women in business because we know that women’s economic empowerment is crucial to realizing women’s rights, gender equality and driving sustainability.
Every year, AB InBev engages with millions of small business partners, many of which are women owned or operated, across its value chain, from small scale farmers growing crops to micro-retailers engaging with consumers. These small businesses often lack access to formal business skills, affordable financial products or business infrastructure that can limit their ability to grow and thrive, and to provide an adequate income for their families. In addition to supporting business and financial inclusion, women’s participation in solving environmental issues is essential both to the empowerment of women and our ability to find effective and inclusive solutions. Women and girls are more likely to suffer from water and sanitation issues, air pollution and environmental degradation.
100+/AB InBev is proud to support the Lead2030 Challenge for SDG 5. The Challenge aims to find and support solutions that will empower women and close the equality gap ensuring a prosperous and sustainable world.
The challenge welcomes solutions from innovative women-founded companies that provide solutions to or solves any of the following:
Infrastructure solutions that provide women-owned or operated small enterprises with opportunities to improve their access to energy, sanitation and security
Digital skills training solutions that measurably and lastingly improve the knowledge and practices of women-owned/operated small enterprises, with the potential for significant scale
Affordable, accessible financial products (e.g. low-interest loan products, insurance)
Renewable energy technology with super high efficiency for trucking, rail, ocean and air including biofuel, electric, wind, solar and water – that are accessible for the entire market
New packaging materials to eliminate/reduce plastic, increasing recycled content and/or new ways to incorporate our supply chain waste into our packaging materials
Alternatives to increase recycling and reuse PET
New solutions to improve water quality or availability in high stressed watersheds.
Awards:-
The winning solution will join the third cohort of organisations supported by the 100+ Accelerator. Participation in the program includes three key elements:
Pilot
The first three months of the program take place in-market (executing a pilot in a specific geographic zone). The start of the program will require three to five days in New York City for a minimum of 1 and maximum of 3 company representatives (preferably CEO/CTO).
Ongoing mentorship
Following this phase of the program, 100+ Sustainability Accelerator will provide in-person and remote corporate development and programming to further support startups as they scale. Pilot execution will continue, along with potential investment opportunities from AB InBev and partners.
Investment
100+ Accelerator will invest up to $100K in the winning solution through an uncapped convertible note. The goal of this investment is to bring startups into the AB InBev investment portfolio and help unlock the value that this can provide in terms of a closer relationship to AB InBev, globally, as well as the potential for future investment from AB InBev and its partners.
Deadline:- 18-02-2022
