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Asia Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit Fosters Female Leaders

The Asia Women's Entrepreneurship (AWE) Summit, held recently in the Indo-Pacific region, brought together female entrepreneurs from across the region to network, share experiences, and foster innovation.

The Summit was sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State. It highlighted the vital role that women entrepreneurs play in driving economic growth and promoting social progress. It also provided a platform for more than 200 ExchangeAlumni female entrepreneurs to showcase their products and services, connect with potential investors, and learn from experts in various fields.

One of the key themes of the AWE Summit was the importance of building networks and partnerships to support female entrepreneurs. Since the first AWE Summit in 2019, participants have been encouraged to connect, share their stories and experiences, and collaborate on new projects and ventures.

Another key focus of the Summit was innovation, with speakers highlighting the need for creative thinking and problem-solving in the face of complex challenges. Participants were encouraged to explore new business models, technologies, and ideas and think beyond traditional boundaries to drive growth and positively impact society.

“It was very inspiring to see that the State Department was trying to link women in tech from emerging countries to women in Silicon Valley,” said Angel Investor and Partner at Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund, Rekha Pai Kamath. “And for me, as a woman engineer, I felt like this was a way that I could connect, give back, share, and engage.”

In addition to these themes, the AWE Summit showcased a wide range of innovative products and services developed by female entrepreneurs across the Indo-Pacific region. These included everything from sustainable fashion to innovative healthcare solutions, demonstrating the diversity and creativity of women-led businesses in the region.

The keynote address was given by Nancy Wang, General Manager at Amazon Web Services and Founder and Board Chair of Advancing Women in Tech (AWIT), a global nonprofit with 35,000 members across three continents. Wang will also lead workshops on future-proofing businesses and creating sustainable companies with a good product-market fit. Kamath also plans to lead workshops on similar topics, such as young entrepreneurs trying to secure investment.