Cartier Women's Initiative

What Cartier Women's Initiative does

Cartier Women's Initiative (CWI) is a philanthropic entrepreneurship program founded in 2006 and operated under Cartier SA and Cartier International AG, both part of the Richemont luxury group. Registered at rue André-de-Garrini 3, Meyrin, Switzerland, the program is run by a small team (1–10 employees) led by Director Kiyo Taga, with Cyrille Vigneron (CEO of Cartier and Chairman of Cartier Culture & Philanthropy) as institutional sponsor. CWI does not sell a product; it runs an annual international awards program that selects, funds, and develops women impact entrepreneurs.

The core offering is structured as four interconnected programs: Regional Awards across nine global regions (selecting 27 fellows/year), the Science & Technology Pioneer Award for deep-tech founders (3 fellows/year), the Impact Awards recognizing former fellows (with $100K grants each), and a Fellowship Program providing leadership communications training, the INSEAD Women's Impact Entrepreneurship Program, and 8 hours of 1:1 executive coaching via the Women's Impact Alliance. Underlying technology is modest: Submittable powers online applications, and a private community platform hosts the lifelong 500+ member network.

The business model is a grant-based, philanthropy-funded structure rather than a commercial revenue model. Cartier/Richemont funds the program entirely; $14.1M has been disbursed to 330 fellows across 66 countries since inception, with current grant tiers of $100K (first), $60K (second), and $30K (third). Go-to-market is event-driven: an annual application cycle through Submittable, regional shortlisting, jury ranking, and a globally rotated awards ceremony (Dubai 2022 → Paris 2023 → Shenzhen 2024 → Osaka 2025 → Bangkok 2026). Customer segments are diversified across nine geographies and three award categories, deliberately capped at early-stage revenue ($50K–$5M) and under $2M dilutive funding to maintain the program's impact-entrepreneurship focus.

Name

Cartier Women's Initiative

Legal name

Cartier Women's Initiative

Website

https://cartierwomensinitiative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cartier Women's Initiative is a philanthropic program under Cartier/Richemont that funds and develops women impact entrepreneurs globally through annual regional and thematic awards ($30K–$100K grants), a fellowship curriculum, and a lifelong 500+ member community across 66 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Entrepreneurship & Impact Programs

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA), Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG)

Keywords

• Women entrepreneurship programs
• Impact entrepreneur grants
• Fellowship leadership program
• Social enterprise awards
• Sustainable development ventures

Headquarters

HQ city

Meyrin

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding Program: Cartier Women's Initiative is a philanthropic program funded by Cartier (Richemont). The program provides grant funding to selected fellows: $100,000 USD for first-place, $60,000 USD for second-place, and $30,000 USD for third-place awardees. Financial support totals $14.1M since 2006 across 330 fellows.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Cartier Women's Initiative is an annual international entrepreneurship program founded in 2006 that empowers women impact entrepreneurs through three integrated pillars: financial capital (grants of $100,000, $60,000, or $30,000 USD), human capital (fellowship programming including INSEAD leadership training, executive coaching, and customized business training), and social capital (lifelong community access with 500+ members across 66 countries). The program recognizes women founders/co-founders of for-profit businesses with strong social or environmental impact through Regional Awards (nine regions) and thematic awards (Science & Technology Pioneer Award, Impact Awards).

Product overview

Cartier Women's Initiative is an annual international entrepreneurship program founded in 2006 that drives change by empowering women impact entrepreneurs. The program operates as a unified platform combining multiple interconnected offerings: the Regional Awards (9 regional competitions) and Science & Technology Pioneer Award select and fund fellows; the Fellowship Program provides human capital support through leadership training, INSEAD partnership, and executive coaching; the Impact Awards recognize former fellows' achievements; the Community Platform offers lifelong access to 500+ members; and Insights/Research publishes data and partners with GEM. Together, these components provide financial capital (grants), human capital (fellowship/training), and social capital (community/networking) to women-run businesses from any country and sector with social/environmental impact goals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Regional Awards: Annual awards recognizing women impact entrepreneurs from nine geographic regions worldwide, with first-place winners receiving $100,000 USD grants.
• Science & Technology Pioneer Award
• Impact Awards
• Fellowship Program
• Community

Products and services

• Regional Awards Annual awards program recognizing women impact entrepreneurs from nine regions worldwide (Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, Europe, Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa, Anglophone and Lusophone Africa, Middle East and North Africa, East Asia, South Asia and Central Asia, Oceania). Each region selects three fellows receiving $100,000 (first-place), $60,000 (second-place), and $30,000 (third-place) grants plus fellowship program access. Open to women-run and women-owned businesses from any country and sector that aim to have strong social/environmental impact.
• Science & Technology Pioneer Award Thematic award launched in 2021 for women-led deep tech startups with disruptive solutions built around unique, protected, or hard-to-reproduce technological or scientific advances requiring heavy R&D, long commercialization cycles, and high capital intensity. Three fellows are selected annually from any country and sector, with first-place recipients receiving $100,000 USD in grant funding.
• Impact Awards Awards dedicated to former Cartier Women's Initiative Fellows who have achieved extraordinary impact over the years. Selected across three categories aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals: Preserving the Planet (SDGs 7, 12, 13, 14, 15), Improving Lives (SDGs 2, 3, 6, 11), and Creating Opportunities (SDGs 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 16). Awardees receive $100,000 USD grants each.
• Fellowship Program Human capital support program providing fellows with peer-, industry-, and academic-based educational programming for skills and leadership development and business growth. Includes leadership communications training (Stand & Deliver), INSEAD Women's Impact Entrepreneurship Program (3-day executive leadership program), 1:1 customized business training, executive leadership coaching (8 hours over 6 months via The Women's Impact Alliance), and a well-being journey.
• Community Platform Lifelong global community of 500+ active members including current and previous fellows, jury members, coaches, and program partners. Provides access to a private community platform, peer learning sessions, networking activities, and community events. Members include impact entrepreneurs and their supporters across 66 countries.
• Insights & Research Data sharing, storytelling, and research partnerships including annual reports, fellowship reviews, application statistics, and the partnership with Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) launched in 2021 for annual Women's Entrepreneurship Reports. Fosters meaningful conversations about women impact entrepreneurs through data and storytelling.
• Events Program Program of events including annual awards ceremonies (Bangkok 2026, Osaka 2025, Shenzhen 2024, Paris 2023, Dubai 2022, San Francisco 2019) and regional speaker series connecting impact communities across geographies (e.g., Southeast Asia across Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia).

Quantifiable outcome

• 330 entrepreneurs supported since 2006
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• INSEAD Hoffmann InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINSEAD Hoffmann Institute supports research on business and society, inspiring and equipping future leaders. INSEAD brings together people, cultures and ideas to develop responsible leaders who transform business and society. The partnership provides the INSEAD Women's Impact Entrepreneurship Program - a 3-day executive leadership program for fellows.
• Stand & DelivercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStand & Deliver is a consulting and training firm that primes organizations for high-performance communication and leadership. Through customized curricula and signature programs, they address skills that move teams toward growth, transformation, and innovation. They deliver Leadership Communications training to fellows.
• The Women's Impact Alliance (WIA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFormerly The Coaching Fellowship, The Women's Impact Alliance works to advance high potential women leaders in social and environmental change globally. Through WIA programs, more than 1,500 women from 80+ countries have received leadership development and coaching. They provide 8 hours of 1:1 executive leadership coaching to each fellow over 6 months.
• Acumen AcademyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAcumen Academy is the world's school for social change. Recommended courses for applicants include Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship, Social Impact Analysis, and Lean Startup Principles Social Sector.
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 WomenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGoldman Sachs 10,000 Women, in partnership with Goldman Sachs and the University of Leeds, provides a 10-course collection that builds on face-to-face business education enabling women to experience business growth.
• Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGEM is a research partnership providing the world's leading study of entrepreneurship. Cartier Women's Initiative partnered with GEM in 2021 to support annual publication of the Women's Entrepreneurship Report and Global Report, driving conversation about women impact entrepreneurs through data sharing and research.
• SubmittablecoreTechnology or IntegrationSubmittable provides the online application platform for Cartier Women's Initiative awards program. Used for managing application submissions, shortlisting, and communication with applicants throughout the selection process.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ashoka: Global network supporting leading social entrepreneurs with stipends, programming, and lifelong community access — a structurally similar fellow-based impact entrepreneurship platform.
• Acumen: Global impact investment and fellowship organization supporting social entrepreneurs (Acumen Academy is also a CWI resource partner); comparable mission in building the impact entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• Echoing Green: Provides fellowships and seed funding to social entrepreneurs, including dedicated support for leaders of color; closely comparable to CWI's fellowship-plus-grant model for impact entrepreneurs.
• Tory Burch Foundation: Luxury-brand-backed fellowship and capital program for women entrepreneurs, providing grants, mentorship, and networking — directly comparable to CWI's structure and mission.
• Women's Forum for the Economy and Society: Original founding partner of CWI in 2006; global platform convening leaders on women's economic empowerment and entrepreneurship — directly linked and mission-aligned.
• Women's World Banking: Nonprofit focused on financial inclusion and women's entrepreneurship in emerging markets — comparable in mission to support women entrepreneurs, though focused more on financial services access.
• WEConnect International: Global nonprofit connecting women-owned businesses to supply chains and corporate buyers — comparable in mission to empower women entrepreneurs globally, though via procurement rather than grants.

Broad incumbents

• Skoll Foundation: Major foundation supporting social entrepreneurs through grants, investments, and storytelling — comparable in scaling impact entrepreneurship, though broader in scope and asset size.
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women: Global initiative providing business education and access to capital for women entrepreneurs (a CWI resource partner) — broader in scale and incumbency, comparable in targeting women founders.

Emerging players

• Village Capital: Support organization for impact-driven entrepreneurs using peer-selected investment and programming; comparable in targeting impact entrepreneurs, with a venture-style model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cartier Women's Initiative