Dr. Shima Barakat

Women Enterprise

“An Entrepreneur is a person with vision …Commitment leads

them to identify opportunities that others do not, to seek

information and perspectives, to integrate them in a new and

innovative fashion, and to accumulate the necessary

resources to see the vision through to completion”

Keogh and Polonsky 1998

“Entrepreneurship has never been as important as it

is today when the world is confronted with big

challenges that extend well beyond the global

economy…

Image © Sue Flood www.sueflood.com

….Entrepreneurship is a tremendous force that

can have a big impact in growth, recovery, and

societal progress by fuelling innovation,

employment generation and social

empowerment.” World Economic Forum

Image © Sue Flood www.sueflood.com

Why bother with women and their enterprises?

Disclaimer:

It is neither possible nor desirable to categorize all women entrepreneurs,

across different countries, as the same

Women-owned businesses are one of the

fastest growing entrepreneurial populations

in the world…

…Innovators, job creators, providers of economic security… supporting Multinationals with products, business services, design..socially responsible” Jalbert (2000)

Vision

“Create an environment and culture that encourages more women to start and grow businesses, and where every woman with the desire to start or grow a business has access to appropriate help and support”

DTI Small Business service (UK), a strategic Framework for Women’s Enterprise

Economic Potential of Women Entrepreneurs

£5 Billion + 240,000 Jobs (UK)

10s of Billion of Euros to Europe + 100s of Thousands jobs

Billions of Euros and Millions of jobs Globally

Entrepreneurial Eco-system

Source: World Economic Forum report 2009

SME importance

Elevating the

Entrepreneur

Sector , Motivations & Characteristics

Sector:

Majority in Healthcare, Wholesale, Education, Services including Real Estate, Insurance.

Some cottage industries

Motivations:

be their own master, control their destiny, flexibility, increase their economic situation

Characteristics:

Most are married, with children (dual responsibility)

Generally less business experience than men

Tendency to be “one person” only businesses

More innovative

Less active in large state sector areas

Sensitive to freedom of movement restrictions

14

Risk adverse, Ethical, Focused

Dangers of Stereo Type

Elevating masculinity :

„natural‟ that men are attracted

„natural‟ that men are good

Sense of „specialness‟ that only extraordinary people can be

„true‟ entrepreneurs

Alienating those who don‟t „fit the mould‟

Deficient

Needing to change

Rejection of the term? „Just running a business‟

Inadequately designed policy and programmes

PROBLEM?????

So what‟s the problem?

Until 1985

1986-1990

1991-1995

1996-2000

2001-2002

Cambridge

University

Acorn Hermann

Hauser

Acquired by

Olivetti

Olivetti

Research Lab Andy Hopper

Adaptive

Broadband

Cambridge

Broadband Acquired by American

Microwave

Acquired by

Western

Multiplex

Corp

Andy Hopper

Peter Warton

IPV (Telemedia

Systems)

Andy Hopper

Virata(ATML)

Hermann Hauser

Andy Hopper

Merged with

Globespan

Acquired by AT &T

RealVNC

Virtual Network

Computing Level5Network Andy Hopper

ANT Alex van Someren

Nicko van Someren

nCipher Alex van Someren

Nicko van Someren

Netchannel Hermann Hauser

Jack Lang

Acquired by

NTL

ARM Element 14

Stan Boland

Simon Knowles

Acquired by

Broadcom

Amadeus Capital Partners Hermann Hauser

IQ Bio Hermann Hauser, Chris Keightley

Part of DAKO

Diagnostics DakoCytomation -

Merged with

Cytomation Inc

CDT

Richard Friend

Richard Friend Plastic Logic

Analysys

David Cleevely

Cambridge

Network

David Cleevely

Hermann Hauser

Alec Broers

Cambridge

3G

David Cleevely

CPS Peter Duffett-Smith

Polight

Technologies

Stephen Elliott

Pavel Krecmer

ART

Daniel Hall

Pilgrim Beart ActiveRF

Pilgrim Beart

Antenova

Zeus

Technology

Adam Twiss

David Reeves

Cambridge

Semiconductor

Gehan Amaratunga

Florin Udrea

Muscat John Snyder

Martin Porter Enterprise

Accelerator John Snyder

John Snyder Webtop

Smartlogik

Acquired by Dialog

Small

World

Richard Green

Authur Chance

Dick Newell

CAD

Shape Data Charles Lang

Acquired by

GE

Tensails Richard Green

VBN

online

TerraPrise

Ubisense

Andy Hopper

Steve Pope

Andy Hopper

Andy Ward

Pete

Steggles

Simon Elliott

David Cleevely

Electronic Share

Information Acquired by

E* Trade

Hermann Hauser

Jack Lang

Top

express Jack Lang

Splashpower

Lily Chang

James Hay

Saviso Group

Adam Twiss

Bryan Amesbury

Innovia

Collin Ager

Garraint Davies

Cambridge Interactive Systems

Hermann Hauser

Mike Muller

Tudor Brown

Jamie Urquhart

Dick Newell, Tom Sancha

Figure 1 - The hi-tech start-ups associated with the Cambridge University

Stan Boland

Simon Knowles

Icera

Laser-Scan R. O. Frisch

M-Spatial

Adrian Cuthbert

Jon Billing

version (Sept 2005) Not to be used or copied without permission. Copyright – Y.M.Myint and Vyakarnam

(Sept 2005)

Employee numbers

Vast majority of businesses don’t employ anyone

19

Challenges to overcome

1. Provision, Visibility & Access to Start-up support &

“whole journey” support

2. Visibility & Access to skills development

3. Visibility & Access to Capital

4. Access to Markets

5. Access to Mentors & networks

6. Competing demands-work life balance

7. Policy and institutional framework

Self-efficacy

Entrepreneurship education

Course increase the ESE of both

men and women

Men consistently have higher

levels of ESE except in the

interpersonal dimension

Men maintain their ESE advantage

regardless of course type –

Institutional failure?

Conclusion and Key Issues

Women - potentially a multi-billion pound opportunity

(Policy and programme) Challenges to overcome

Need to challenge the stereo-type of the entrepreneur

Growth model assumptions need to be critically revisited

Success measures may need revisiting

Beware of Language

Education, training and support need to be tailored to the

specific needs of women - socially and contextually

situated

My contact info:

Dr. Shima Barakat

Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning

Judge Business School, University of Cambridge

10 Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1QA

Email: s.barakat@jbs.cam.ac.uk

Direct Tel: +44 1223 766924

Twitter: @valuesdoc

www.cfel.jbs.cam.ac.uk