WeHubs's aim is two folded. On one side it aims at 1) providing a strong support to Women web entrepreneurs (existing and potential) in Europe and 2) coordinating existing web entrepreneurs’ ecosystems to provide dedicated services to women. Project will foster the creation and scaling of web start-ups created or co-founded by women (impact on women), strengthen the existing web entrepreneurs ecosystems through networking and complementary services (impact on ecosystem) and support the emergence of a dynamic European ecosystem for women web entrepreneurs contributing to the formulation of relevant policies, support the implementation of Startup Europe initiative and the wider enforcement of the European digital sector (policy impact).
This aim was to be reached through the achievement of 3 main objectives:
1. To increase the participation of women in web enterprises;
2. To strengthen, encourage and guide existing web entrepreneurs’ ecosystems around Europe to support women web entrepreneurs and actively participate in WeHubs;
3. To inform women entrepreneurs about existing ecosystems and their benefits.
While the first objective was the main focus of the consortium during the first year of the project, the second and the third ones took most part of the efforts spent by partners in the second year. Thanks to the constant communication flow with Startup Europe advisors and the first inspirational review meeting, the consortium has been busy since January 2016 to narrow the focus and build a reliable network of business support organisations willing to or already providing tailored services (T2.3 T3.1 T3.2) and trained mentors (T3.4) to women web entrepreneurs, existing or potential ones. The consortium is confident that WeHubs will impact concretely the business path of many women in the web/digital sector.
While narrowing our focus, the consortium didn’t forget of course the most important players - the entrepreneurs. And if indirectly, we hope most of our activities will be of great benefit for women web entrepreneurs, two of them have been entirely dedicated to them: the launch of a call for app ideas for the web (T3.5) in order to showcase women creativity and talent in software design and web services; and the success stories promotion (T4.2) showcasing successful women entrepreneurs in the digital sector and the stories behind their success.
Results achieved so far:
• Number of women’s associations/networks that will be involved in the project: 145
• Number of organizations supporting/promoting web entrepreneurship that will be involved: 1021
• Number of women web entrepreneurs that will be involved in the project: 776
• Number of success stories promoted: 8
• Number of Women attending the WeHubs Ideas competition: 96
• Number of business ideas submitted in the ideas competition: 48
• Number of nodes connected to WeHubs network: 825
• Number of links/partnerships (in the form of common events/actions) established between different nodes through WeHubs encouragement: 36
• Number of existing nodes that provide targeted support to women: 61
• Number of nodes expressed their interest to support Women: 181
• Number of identified nodes that provide support to women: 98
• Number of links between women associations/networks and WeHubs partners to promote web start-ups by women and scale up their businesses: 41
• Number of mailing & social media campaigns to inform women associations and individual web entrepreneurs on WeHubs services and already existing good practices for supporting women: 28
• Number of advisory board meetings: 3
• Presence of WeHubs in relevant EU activities of Startup Europe: 12
The dissemination results achieved so far are:
• 637 registered users in the WeHubs online community.
• 353 registered women web entrepreneurs interested in developing synergies with peers and business support organisations.
• 113 business support organisations as members of the WeHubs local nodes in 15 partner countries, offering or interested in offering dedicated services to women web entrepreneurs.
• More than 100 participants during WeHubs Final Conference.
• 215 members on LinkedIn
• 626 followers on Twitter
• 2.971 likes on Facebook
• More requests for nodes and the request for sustain the network after the project completion
