Delivery of Diplomas to the “Women who Transform” graduates in Colombia

During the closing ceremony of  “Women who Transform,” in the company of the President of the Republic of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez, Vice President Martha Lucía Ramírez, the Minister of Information and Communication Technologies Carmén Ligia Valderrama, and the event’s moderator, Presidential Advisor for Digital Transformation, Management and Performance, María Lucía Villalba Gómez, I had the opportunity to grant completion certificates to 16 women selected from the 1,000 who participated in the trainings of ecommerce, remote work, and digital marketing.

These types of programs are of absolute importance for the public sector in Latin American countries, where women and minorities face the greatest difficulties. Bringing digital tools to emerging labor markets will make a real difference in the future of the region in the face of the fourth industrial revolution.

However, this transformation has been going on for a long time and technology has been a key element in this revolution: only during the first year of the pandemic did digitization evolve at the rate of 3 or 4 years under normal conditions, which showed governments around the world that there was another way to optimize the economy of their country.

Talent has no gender but the path is harder for women

“Talent has no gender” but women have a more difficult path. As the president said, “women are 50% of the population and the other 50% of the mothers of the remaining population.“ This shows how important it is for Colombia, being a Latin American country at the forefront, to lead and break down the barriers that women have in access and employment opportunities for the work of the future.

True female empowerment begins, without a doubt, with the portfolio, which is why it is important that governments bet on this type of educational programs in competitive positions.

This is why it is essential to “train women in technology with technology” as suggested by the Vice President. It’s also essential to take advantage of the opportunities that the post-pandemic era is offering us while working hand in hand with state leaders and opinion makers who understand that gender equality is achieved through education, opportunities and economic empowerment.

Opening global doors for Colombian talent

One of the most relevant aspects of this program is to be able to connect Colombian talent and export it to the world through digital skills, business entrepreneurship, and democratizing access to capital for companies led by women.

Hence the importance of investing in education and preparation for inclusion programs, especially in jobs that are in demand in the world of work so that women are competitive in the global market and do not have to choose between their profession and their family.

The closing ceremony highlighted the digital transformation the country is going through and the government celebrated the more than 1,000 women who are now prepared and who are part of a new market of job opportunities. It is a new generation of Women Who Transform.

“How do you build billion dollar companies?”

This was the central point of my presentation. I conveyed to the attendees the main fundamentals of attracting investment through alternative financing methods at a global level.

Today, we are going through a post-pandemic economy. It will without a doubt impact the world of work throughout the next year. As Chinese culture says, crises bring opportunities together, and technology has become the great equalizer, with it having the greatest impact on people’s lives and on global economies.

The limitations that we had for fear of changing the traditional business model has driven us at this time to cross borders and has opened opportunities for us to pursue new challenges in remote work following the digital transformation we are going through.

Remote Work: From an “exception” to a rule

2021 showed us that remote working was no longer an exception to the rule, but the key rule. What at first seemed a temporary solution showed great results – productivity, profits and simplification. The keys for companies to continue with their businesses and for successful ventures to emerge.

It is fundamental that entrepreneurs know these new business and employability models, which generate low cost and higher performance. They need to  understand that technology is the raw material that allows us to permeate a large number of sectors and equalize opportunities, regardless of gender or geographical location.

I had this ideology in mind from the moment I became the first Latin American woman to found a unicorn company – TransparentBusiness – in 2012, when business leaders still did not understand the benefits of remote work and during this year when producing the series of Unicorn Hunters, where we seek to democratize access to capital for entrepreneurs around the world.

The success of “companies of the future” and the inequity in access to capital

The companies that currently have the greatest impact are those that are at the forefront of markets such as fintech, climate tech, data and artificial intelligence, and biotechnology.

However, the lack of equity and access in terms of capital democratization for entrepreneurs and the lack of investment opportunities is what makes the path more difficult, especially for female entrepreneurs.

Only 12% of women are founders or co-founders of a company, highlighting business inequality due to gender.

That is why it is so important for women to bend the rules, without breaking them; and to think big. That’s why I created the global movement Skirt the Rules, a virtual community that seeks to display the entrepreneurial power of women by sharing contacts and valuable content, alliances, events, workshops and essential help when starting a business.

Skirt the Rules: For powerful companies led by women

Skirt the Rules was designed as a space where you can develop the skills of women: effective communication, the power of empathy, and the principle of community. Because women know that what makes a difference is to work with others, and that the more extensive our network is, the more visibility our capacity to raise capital.

In this era of unicorns, it is important that our businesses are thought of in a scalable way with a disruptive and innovative model, using technology as our ally, surrounded by a team of experts focused on generating results and growing our business. In addition, it is essential that women acquire sufficient tools to be able to lead this revolution: we are 50% of the population and it is time for us to have 50% of the opportunities.