What Empow'Her does

Empow'Her is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2013 by Soazig Barthélémy and headquartered in Paris, with operating hubs in Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The organization delivers entrepreneurship support programs for women across the full venture lifecycle, from ideation (Women Dare, Women Rise, Boost'Her) through scale-up (Fellowship, Women Act) and sector-specific tracks (Women Grow for sustainable agriculture, SEGIE for social-economy incubation). Delivery combines in-person training, individual coaching (16 hours per Fellowship participant), peer communities organized by locality, and self-paced digital resources (Start'Her Pack video tutorials), anchored by a network of feminist third-place spaces called Sist'Her (Paris, Abidjan, Sarajevo). Underlying intellectual property includes codified methodologies such as the Practical Guide for Developing and Managing Feminist Safe Spaces and the Empowerment Compass evaluation framework developed through the Feminist Opportunities Now (FON) project.

Revenue is generated primarily through institutional and public grants from funders including the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), the Fonds de Soutien aux Organisations Féministes (FSOF), Erasmus+, the Fonds Social Européen (FSE), Ville de Paris, and JP Morgan, supplemented by individual donations, modest participant fees (Fellowship €290 against a €4,000 program cost, Women Dare bootcamp €80), and a fee-for-service consulting line called Empow'Her Lab launched in 2019. Marketing and beneficiary acquisition rely on community-led motion through Sist'Her spaces, event-driven outreach including the annual Festival Empow'Her and weekly Sist'Her programming, and direct-to-consumer online enrollment, supported by an active social media presence across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Bluesky, and YouTube.

Name

Empow'Her

Legal name

EMPOW'HER

Website

https://empow-her.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Empow'Her is a French non-profit founded in 2013 that runs entrepreneurship support programs and feminist third-place spaces for women founders across France, West Africa, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and broader Europe, funded primarily by institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Entrepreneurship Support Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD), Gender Equality & Women’s Rights (BPADAGAF), Entrepreneurship & Freelance Employability (Self-Employment Readiness) (EDAAAKAM)

Keywords

• Women entrepreneurship support
• Entrepreneurship training programs
• Feminist safe spaces
• Social enterprise incubation
• Gender equality programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Empow'Her solicits donations through its website to support operations and programs for women entrepreneurs. The organization is registered as a non-profit association (SIRET: 802 356 295 00047).
2. Public and Institutional Grants: Major project funding from government and institutional donors including AFD (Agence Française de Développement), MEAE (Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs), FSOF (Fonds de Soutien aux Organisations Féministes), Erasmus+, FSE (Fonds Social Européen), and Ville de Paris.
3. Program Participation Fees: Modest participation fees for specific programs: Fellowship Program €290 for 6-month program (valued at €4,000 with partner subsidies), Women Dare bootcamp €80. Fees represent a small fraction of total program cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Empow'Her is an international non-profit network that supports women entrepreneurs through a portfolio of staged support programs (Women Dare for ideation/launch, Women Act for social entrepreneurship, Women Rise for vulnerable populations, Women Grow for sustainable agriculture, and the Fellowship for scale-up), complemented by feminist co-working spaces (Sist'Her), free online entrepreneurship resources (Start'Her Pack), international donor-funded projects, community building, and consulting services via Empow'Her Lab. Programs are delivered free or heavily subsidized to individual women entrepreneurs across France, West Africa, and Eastern Europe.

Product overview

Empow'Her is an international network dedicated to women's social and economic empowerment through entrepreneurship, operating as a multi-program platform. The organization offers signature support programs at different entrepreneurial stages (Women Dare for ideation/launch, Women Act for social entrepreneurship, Women Rise for vulnerable populations, Women Grow for agriculture, and Fellowship for scale-up), supplemented by third-place spaces (Sist'Her), digital tools (Start'Her Pack), international projects (Towards Equality, Coop4Equality, FON), awards (Women Future Makers), and consulting services (Empow'Her Lab). The portfolio includes community-building initiatives, publications on gender equality, and annual events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Women Dare: Program aimed at all women wishing to embark on an entrepreneurial adventure, looking for support in the ideation, structuring and launch stages of their project.
• Women Grow
• Women Rise
• Women Act
• Empow'Her Fellowship
• Sist'Her
• SEGIE
• Coop4Equality
• Towards Equality
• Feminist Opportunities Now (FON)
• We4Change
• FAME
• Boost'Her
• Start'Her Pack de l'entrepreneure

Products and services

• Women Dare A 12-month entrepreneurship support program for women at the ideation, structuring, and launch stages of their project, available in France (Île-de-France), Côte d'Ivoire (Abidjan, Bouaké, San Pedro, Yamoussoukro, Daloa, Gagnoa), and Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, Banfora, Léo, Réo). Includes 2-day bootcamps, collective training, individual support, and networking sessions. Bootcamp format is €80; Pass Entrepreneur#Leader format in Île-de-France is free (funded by Île-de-France region).
• Empow'Her Fellowship Program A 6-month acceleration program for women social entrepreneurs in the growth or scale-up stage, offering an intensive bootcamp, 16 hours of individualized coaching, online webinars, and access to a community of more than 30 international coaches and experts. Valued at €4,000 with a participant fee of only €290 (7% of total cost, with remainder subsidized by partners). Achieves a 90% satisfaction rate for individual coaching.
• Women Rise Program for women in vulnerable forms of entrepreneurship or economic uncertainty, enabling them to move toward entrepreneurial opportunity and build economic resilience through basic training, coaching, and group governance training.
• Women Grow Program supporting women in sustainable agriculture development, offering training on agro-ecology techniques, land access, leadership development, market access, and group governance. Has trained 340 women and sensitized 2,080 people on sustainable agriculture topics.
• Women Act Program supporting women engaged in social and/or environmental entrepreneurship who are developing initiatives with the primary ambition to solve social or environmental problems.
• SEGIE - Parcours d'incubation
• Boost'Her
• Start'Her Pack de l'entrepreneure
• Sist'Her feminist third-place spaces
• Towards Equality (project)
• Coop4Equality (project)
• Feminist Opportunities Now (FON)
• Women Future Makers Award
• We4Change
• Empow'Her Lab (Consulting)
• Empow'Her Communities
• Practical Guide to Developing and Managing a Feminist Safe Space
• FAME (project)
• Empow'Her Festival
• Communities (Project)

Quantifiable outcome

• Women entrepreneurs supported are 60% more likely to pass the 5-year mark with Empow'Her support
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles8 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Helena RubinsteincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2024Strategic partnership for the Women Future Makers Award, calling for applications from women entrepreneurs in Europe working in science and environment sectors. Winner receives €10,000 and placement in Empow'Her Fellowship Program. Third consecutive year in 2026.
• Žene za Žene InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Bosnian partner organization for Towards Equality project aimed at strengthening gender equality dynamics in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Eastern Europe. Joint creation of Sist'Her Sarajevo feminist center and entrepreneurship support programs.
• Planning Familial International (IPPF Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in the Feminist Opportunities Now (FON) consortium. Project focuses on strengthening feminist organizations in 10 countries through funding desks and capacity building, with 14 million euros total budget.
• Médecins du Monde FrancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFON consortium partner contributing to strengthening feminist organizations fighting gender-based violence worldwide through the 14 million euro project (2022-2026).
• FIDH (Fédération Internationale des Droits de l'Homme)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFON consortium partner for feminist organization strengthening across 10 target countries with focus on human rights and gender equality.
• CreamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFON consortium partner from India contributing to feminist organization support in target countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Mexico, and Colombia.
• Universidade Nova de LisboamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoop4Equality consortium partner leading the 2.5-year Erasmus+ project (January 2024 - July 2026) to create gender-equal social economy ecosystem across Germany, France, Belgium, Romania, Greece, and Portugal.
• Digital Leadership InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner for Coop4Equality (Erasmus+) and lead organization for We4Change project on digital skills and climate entrepreneurship for young women aged 15-25.
• Stimmuli for Social ChangemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner for Coop4Equality and We4Change, contributing to gender equality methodologies and entrepreneurial training content.
• Ashoka RomaniamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoop4Equality consortium partner working on social entrepreneurship ecosystem gender lens integration across 6 European countries.
• Euclid NetworkminorOthersAssociated partner in Coop4Equality project connecting European social entrepreneurship ecosystem actors.
• Ghett'UpmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for We4Change hackathon in Saint-Denis, France, bringing leadership and cultural programs to young changemakers from Parisian suburbs.
• TEKEDU (Romania)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWe4Change consortium partner focused on digital skills and innovation for young women entrepreneurs.
• ZERO Associação (Portugal)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWe4Change consortium partner focused on sustainable development and climate action entrepreneurship.
• ADIEmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom entrepreneurship support project for women creators, with 68 entrepreneurs supported over 2 years through collective workshops on confidence, leadership, time management, networking, and public speaking.
• WEConnect InternationalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization connecting women entrepreneurs with corporate supply chains, co-hosting events at Sist'Her Paris.
• Link'EllesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization supporting women entrepreneurs' access to major corporations, co-hosting training events.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Vital Voices Global Partnership: Global nonprofit investing in women leaders and entrepreneurs across sectors and geographies. Direct comparable to Empow'Her: similar mission, multi-country programs, fellowship-style support for women social entrepreneurs, and emphasis on network-building.
• WEConnect International: Global nonprofit connecting women-owned businesses to corporate supply chains. Already a partner of Empow'Her via Sist'Her Paris, making it both a peer and collaborator; comparable mission of mainstreaming women entrepreneurs and overlapping customer base in France.
• Cherie Blair Foundation for Women: Foundation supporting women entrepreneurs in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through training, mentoring, and access to markets/funding. Direct comparable: similar target beneficiary (women entrepreneurs in emerging markets), programmatic focus on business skills and digital inclusion, and donor-funded model.
• TechnoServe: International nonprofit working with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. Highly comparable to Empow'Her's Africa-focused programs (e.g., Women Grow in Côte d'Ivoire), with similar emphasis on sustainable agriculture and women's economic empowerment.

Broad incumbents

• Kiva: Global nonprofit enabling crowdfunded microloans to underserved entrepreneurs, with strong female borrower share. Comparable on supporting underbanked women entrepreneurs globally, but Kiva's model centers on capital access rather than training programs like Empow'Her's.
• Acumen: Global impact investor supporting entrepreneurs addressing poverty. Comparable on social-entrepreneurship capacity building and Africa exposure; Acumen's Academy and fellowship-style programs parallel Empow'Her Fellowship in structure and philosophy.
• ANDE (Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs): Network of organizations that support entrepreneurship in emerging markets. Comparable on ecosystem-building and capacity-building for entrepreneurship support organizations — overlaps with Empow'Her's work on gender lens integration in social entrepreneurship (Coop4Equality, SEGIE).
• Ashoka: Global network supporting leading social entrepreneurs including women changemakers. Comparable through its Fellowship program model (Empow'Her Fellowship mirrors this structurally), though Ashoka operates at much larger scale across all social issues, not just gender.
• Endeavor: Global organization supporting high-impact entrepreneurs with mentoring, network access, and funding connections. Comparable on scale-up-stage entrepreneurship support (parallel to Empow'Her Fellowship) but with broader sectoral scope and a more venture-adjacent model.
• Grameen Foundation: Nonprofit focused on poverty alleviation through microfinance and women's economic empowerment. Comparable mission on women entrepreneurs in emerging markets, especially through West African operations, though with a more microfinance-oriented methodology.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/empow_her
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@empow_her
• Facebookfacebook.com/EmpowHerGlobal.Association
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empow'her
• Instagraminstagram.com/empow.her
• TikToktiktok.com/@empow_her

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Empow'Her