Cartier Women’s Initiative 2024: Impact Entrepreneurship at the Forefront
The Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI) recently unveiled the 33 fellows selected by the 2024 jury during an announcement on April 17th in Amsterdam. The leadership program dedicated to supporting female entrepreneurs worldwide continues to expand its exploratory scope. This year, the total grant amount remains at $2 million.
The Cartier Women’s Initiative community allows us to support each other, to speak openly. We share company figures, challenges faced
Nathalie Lesselin, founder of Kokoro Lingua
While the winners of the eleven awards will be revealed at the ceremony on May 22nd in Shenzhen, China, the Cartier Women’s Initiative convened press and startup ecosystems from Central and Northern Europe in Amsterdam to introduce the 33 contenders vying for the top eleven spots. Hosted by Hollis Kurman, writer and founder of, among other organizations, Human Rights Watch Netherlands, and moderated by jury member Dimple Sahni, the event highlighted two former candidates, Nathalie Lesselin and Jenifer Clausell-Tormos, whose ventures, founded a few years ago, are now experiencing notable success.
For me, education is the best factor for equality and knowledge on a large scale
Dimple Sahni, jury member
Since its inception seventeen years ago, measurable impact on a larger scale has remained at the forefront of the Cartier Women’s Initiative's concerns. This ethos guides the choices of jury member Dimple Sahni, currently the Managing Director of Impact Fund Portfolios at Anthos Fund and Asset Management. "I am somewhat more familiar with Jennifer's business model, as I was a jury member during her participation in 2021," Sahni notes. "Her focus on inclusion and diversity, articulated in written form, is innovative and can be implemented in other languages. Develop Diverse is an AI-powered software that functions as a spell checker to automatically detect social biases on an organization's communication platforms and suggest inclusive alternatives. Its program enables the implicit to become explicit, and this pertains to all sectors of activity."
Mental well-being: An Underestimated Essential Component
When you are an impact entrepreneur, the priorities of the business come before your own. It's a life mission. I didn't know how to listen to myself.
Jenifer Clausell-Tormos, founder of Divelop Diverse
Jenifer, elected as one of the CWI 2021 fellows, managed to develop her business and sell her shares. She says, "Today, we count clients like Dyson or Ikea who use it. Since 2021, we have secured several rounds of funding totaling 2.5 million euros. The company has been able to hire employees and grow. But I have now left the company by selling my shares. The reason? Unfortunately, I experienced a burnout that prevented me from engaging in any activity for six months. When you are an impact entrepreneur, the priorities of the business come before your own. It's a life mission. I didn't know how to listen to myself. My body forced me to stop. It was hard to accept, especially when the company was finally experiencing success. But today, after this incident, I decided to create a company that allows entrepreneurs to be aware of the dangers of burnout and develop safeguards at this level. This can help to be more productive in the end, as it creates a better balance between personal, social, and professional life. It's not a cliché. There are many mental barriers, biases that prevent us from thinking about our well-being when we are entrepreneurs."
We are now succeeding thanks to three business angels who have joined the company and through a fundraising process that I initiated
Nathalie Lesselin, founder of Kokoro Lingua
Also discussed by Nathalie Lesselin during the presentation, the lack of vigilance regarding mental well-being was a decisive step that allowed her to develop the idea for her startup. Having to relearn everything was a reality for her. She then founded the startup Kokoro Lingua, an "Ed-Tech" that allows children to learn a foreign language through videos made by other children. The platform's impact is now measurable among hundreds of thousands of children, and since her nomination to CWI 2023, her business has flourished. She explains, "We are now succeeding thanks to three business angels who have joined the company and through a fundraising process that I initiated. We quickly obtained the 200,000 euros I needed. We also received two bids, one from the Ministry of Education and one from the French Institute, which comprises 900 schools and organizations. Thus, we can expand our business to the French education system. It's a great gateway to the world."
Women are always too conservative in their development model. I always encourage them to aim higher
Dimple Sahni, jury member
The education sector linked to technology is also highly promising in the eyes of Dimple Sahani. "The business developed by Nathalie, which is an education model called peer to peer, in this case, from children to children, is a promising sector because it integrates education and technology. For me, education is the best factor for equality and knowledge on a large scale."
After seventeen years, the Cartier Women’s Initiative can rely on a large community of 700 members in 66 countries, an ecosystem that continues to grow every year. Nathalie Lesselin adds, "The Cartier Women’s Initiative community allows us to support each other, to speak openly. We share company figures, challenges faced. It's invaluable support, especially in moments of doubt. Regarding the issue raised by Jenifer on mental health, the Cartier Women’s Initiative introduced well-being sessions for the first time in 2023. This is important. We underestimate the dangers, especially among female entrepreneurs who are often excessively dedicated, with a high sense of responsibility, justice, and equity, while women also often take on household responsibilities. Not to mention that fundraising is more difficult to obtain for a woman, this has been proven." In addition to the grant amount per edition being raised to $2 million, fellows can also access CWI loan financing, up to $200,000.
Beyond financial support, the scholarship and mentorship program is central to helping women entrepreneurs develop. According to Dimple Sahni, "Women are always too conservative in their development model. I always encourage them to aim higher, but also to improve how they present themselves, pitch, and use their voice to capture attention in just a few minutes. It's a skill that can be learned."
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