Cherie Blair Foundation for Women

What Cherie Blair Foundation for Women does

The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women is a UK-registered charity (No: 1125751) founded in 2008 by Cherie Blair CBE KC that supports women entrepreneurs in low and middle income countries to start, sustain, and grow businesses. It has supported approximately 300,000 women across more than 100 countries since inception, with annual throughput of roughly 30,885 women in 2024 across its programmes. Its core delivery assets are the Mentoring Women in Business online platform, the HerVenture award-winning mobile learning app (available on iOS, Android, and Huawei), and a suite of structured training programmes branded Road to Growth, Road to Finance, Road to Leadership, and Road to Markets. The technology stack includes a bespoke online mentoring platform with video conferencing and a matching algorithm that pairs mentees with mentors across time zones, plus a content library delivered via personalized swipe-able learning tracks with offline capability. The Foundation's business model is philanthropic: all programmes are provided free to beneficiaries, funded by donations, corporate and institutional partnerships (including Bank of America, Marsh McLennan, DHL, Salesforce, Google, PayPal, ExxonMobil Foundation, EBRD, and USAID), and high-net-worth donors convened through the Accelerate Circle. Distribution combines direct digital channels (app stores, online platform), a 50+ organization non-profit referral partner network sourcing mentees, and local programme delivery partners (FATE Foundation, GIBS, SEDA, EDC) in priority markets spanning Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East.

Name

Cherie Blair Foundation for Women

Legal name

Cherie Blair Foundation for Women

Website

http://www.cherieblairfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women is a UK-registered charity that supports women entrepreneurs in low and middle income countries through free training, mentoring, and a mobile learning app, funded by donations and corporate partnerships, and has reached roughly 300,000 women across 100+ countries since 2008.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Entrepreneurship Development and Training Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

Keywords

• Women entrepreneurship programmes
• Business skills training
• Mobile learning applications
• Women mentoring services
• Nonprofit foundation programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations from Individuals and Organizations: The Foundation operates primarily through charitable donations from individual donors, corporate partners, institutional funders and government aid agencies. Donors have supported approximately 300,000 women through the Foundation's work.
2. Mentor Programme Contributions: Independent mentors are asked to donate £1,100 to cover their participation and mentee's involvement. Corporate partners cover this cost for their employee mentors.
3. Corporate and Institutional Partnerships: Purpose-designed collaborations with corporations, governments, institutions, trusts, charitable foundations and international development agencies to deliver women's entrepreneurship programmes while meeting partner objectives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Foundation delivers free training, mentoring, and mobile learning programmes to women entrepreneurs in low and middle income countries to help them start, sustain, and grow successful businesses. Its offerings include the HerVenture mobile learning app, the Mentoring Women in Business cross-border mentoring programme, and the Road to Growth, Road to Finance, Road to Leadership, and Road to Markets training programmes. The Foundation also conducts research and advocacy to address systemic barriers to women's entrepreneurship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HerVenture: Award-winning mobile learning app for women entrepreneurs offering business skills training and support on the go
• Mentoring Women in Business
• Road to Growth
• Road to Finance
• Road to Leadership
• Road to Markets

Products and services

• Mentoring Women in Business Online cross-border mentoring programme matching women entrepreneurs in low and middle income countries with experienced business mentors worldwide for 12-month mentoring partnerships. Delivered via a bespoke platform with video calls, messaging, goal tracking, and a matching algorithm that aligns mentor-mentee pairs based on skills, topics, and timezone compatibility. Gold-accredited by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (2021). Free to mentees; independent mentors contribute £1,100 annually.
• HerVenture Mobile Learning App Award-winning mobile learning app delivering bite-sized business skills training via swipe-able cards with personalized learning journeys, offline capability, quizzes, and community features. Available free on Android, iOS, and Huawei app stores in Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Guyana, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mexico, and Egypt. Features learning tracks on launching a business, product innovation, accessing finance, expanding market access, e-commerce, mobile money, and business resilience.
• Road to Growth Seven-week intensive business skills and financial literacy training programme for women with existing micro or small businesses seeking to develop skills in business planning, digital marketing, networking, and growth. Delivered in-person in partnership with local organizations including FATE Foundation, EDC, GIBS, SEDA, and SRC. Free of charge to participants.
• Road to Finance Four-week face-to-face training programme with additional self-paced online learning, supporting women entrepreneurs to build skills and confidence to access business finance, compile required documents, and pitch to lenders and investors. Currently delivered in Nigeria, Guyana, and South Africa. 100% of 2024 participants felt able to compile documents for financing applications. Free of charge to participants.
• Road to Leadership Leadership and influencing programme for women entrepreneurs seeking to grow their confidence, voice, and decision-making as business leaders and changemakers. Delivered online or face-to-face in two or three sessions across Guyana, Kenya, and South Africa. Free of charge to participants.
• Road to Markets Six-month coaching and training programme designed for alumnae of Road to Growth and Road to Finance programmes, equipping women entrepreneurs with the knowledge, confidence, networks, and pathways needed to improve access to markets. Currently delivered in Kenya. Free of charge to participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300,000 women supported since 2008
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ActioninvestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting women's economic empowerment initiatives
• Asia Pacific Foundation CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian foundation supporting Asia-Pacific focused programmes
• Bank of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner10+ year partnership delivering mentoring and entrepreneurship programmes. Bank of America employees serve as mentors, supporting women entrepreneurs globally.
• BlackstonecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlackstone Charitable Foundation partnership supporting women entrepreneurs
• CARE International UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on advocacy projects including unpaid care work policy advocacy
• DHL ExpresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported launch of HerVenture in Kenya and South Africa. Corporate mentors from DHL support the mentoring programme.
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership supporting women's entrepreneurship in EBRD regions
• GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner supporting digital skills and entrepreneurship
• IntuitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership on AI adoption by women entrepreneurs. Co-produced 'Adopted not embedded' report with Intuit and World Bank's Women, Business and the Law project.
• Marsh McLennancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner10+ year partnership supporting women's entrepreneurship programmes globally
• PayPalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting financial inclusion and digital payments for women entrepreneurs
• Qualcomm Wireless ReachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partner supporting HerVenture launches in Vietnam and Indonesia through WEAVE project. Five-year collaboration demonstrating lessons learned in mobile learning.
• SalesforcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate mentors from Salesforce support the mentoring programme. Partnership for employee engagement in women's entrepreneurship.
• World Bank Women, Business and the LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership on AI adoption by women entrepreneurs supporting policy advocacy
• Women's World BankingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal NGO partnership on women's digital financial inclusion advocacy

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Global Fund for Women: Foundation funding gender justice movements worldwide through grants to women-led organizations. Comparable model of a private foundation funding women's economic empowerment and rights programmes globally through grants and capacity-building.
• Women's World Banking: Global nonprofit dedicated to women's financial inclusion and economic empowerment, with similar corporate-partnership and advocacy model. The Cherie Blair Foundation has a direct partnership with Women's World Banking, and both serve low-income women entrepreneurs globally.
• Tory Burch Foundation: Foundation supporting women entrepreneurs with business education through the Tory Burch Foundation Fellows Program and capital access. Comparable focus on entrepreneurship skills training, mentoring, and corporate partner network for women founders.
• Vital Voices Global Partnership: Global nonprofit investing in women leaders and entrepreneurs through mentoring, training, and networks. Comparable model of pairing corporate leaders with women entrepreneurs across emerging markets and using convenings (e.g., Vital Voices Summit) to amplify impact.
• Cartier Women's Initiative: Annual awards programme supporting early-stage women entrepreneurs worldwide with funding, mentoring, and training. Comparable model of combining grants/prizes, mentoring, and business education for women impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets.
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women: Goldman Sachs Foundation initiative providing business education, mentoring, and networking to women entrepreneurs in developing markets. Comparable mission of equipping underserved women entrepreneurs with skills and networks via multi-country programmes.

Broad incumbents

• TechnoServe: International nonprofit working with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. Comparable in delivering entrepreneurship training and market access programmes in low and middle income countries, though with broader sector coverage.
• Kiva: International nonprofit enabling crowdfunding microloans to underserved entrepreneurs globally, with a strong focus on women borrowers. Comparable in supporting women entrepreneurs in low and middle income countries through financial inclusion and capital access.
• Women for Women International: Global nonprofit serving women survivors of war and conflict with vocational training, rights awareness, and economic support. Comparable in working with marginalized women in developing markets, though focused more on conflict-affected populations.
• Ashoka: Largest global network of leading social entrepreneurs, including women. Comparable in supporting social entrepreneurship through networks, fellowship, and capacity-building, though Ashoka operates more broadly across all social-impact themes and geographies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cherieblairfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/Cherie-Blair-Foundation-Women-4239958
• Instagraminstagram.com/cherieblairfndn
• Xx.com/CherieBlairFndn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cherie Blair Foundation for Women