enterprise development policies and capacity-building...
TRANSCRIPT
Multi-Year Expert Meeting on
Enterprise Development Policies
and Capacity-building in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI)
(Fourth session)
Geneva, 16-18 January 2012
UNCTAD's Research Project on Women Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Field Study in Sweden
by
Barbro Fransson
CEO – Power Lake AB
This view expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of UNCTAD.
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
PRESENTATION
SWEDEN
Unctad Multi-year Expert Meeting on
Enterprise Development Policies and
Capacity-building in Science,
Technology and Innovation
17 January 2012
09/01/2012 1 Women´s Entrepreneurship and Innovation
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
UNCTAD
09/01/2012 Women´s Entrepreneurship and Innovation 2
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
SOURCES: LISTS FOR SELECTION
OF ENTREPRENEURS
A. Promise: A business network for ICT companies working with eLearning
in Sweden (http://www.promise.se)
B. eHandel, a business network with ICT companies working with eTrade in
Sweden (http://www.ehandel.se)
C. The Chamber of Commerce; in the County of Västerbotten and in the
County of Stockholm.
D. The County Board of Administration of Östergötland
E. The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket)
database of Women ambassadors http://www.ambassadorer.se/search
F. Beautiful Business Award network for women entrepreneurs
G. Kista Science City AB industrial centre in Stockholm
H. Municipal registers for industries in rural areas
I. Private lists containing entrepreneurs that PLAB have collaborated with.
09/01/2012 Women´s Entrepreneurship and Innovation 3
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
INTERVIEWS WOMEN
09/01/2012 Women´s Entrepreneurship and Innovation 4
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
RESULTS SWEDEN
09/01/2012 Women´s Entrepreneurship and Innovation 5
Entrepreneurial motivation
Women: passion or being feed-up with their present job situation.
Men: were more focused on the aim of the business and on making money.
Broader definition of the word “innovation”
Female entrepreneurs: more focused on introducing or developing new
products or services, men were more focused on new technologies or
processes.
Background both in academia and previous work important!
It influences innovative level of the company as well as the growth rate and
risks.
Women had to grow more slowly than male entrepreneurs to be able to cope
with the “life puzzle”.
Important issues for entrepreneurs were social security (for micro SMEs) and
to find and to keep qualified employees.
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
RESULTS SWEDEN
09/01/2012 Women´s Entrepreneurship and Innovation 6
Growing organically from what the company actually earns and not by bringing in
investors or by funding from public support system was not always a realistic
option, especially if the product or service demanded an investment in physical
objects and if women did not have their own capital to invest.
Networking is important and it is something that male entrepreneurs want to
learn more about from women.
Women entrepreneurs taking part in this study were ahead of men in usage of
ICT tools, services and devices (laptops, web sites, social networks and
information feedback systems).
The overall conclusion is that despite the financial and other challenges, female
entrepreneurs hardly have any negative experience from being a woman
entrepreneur. On the contrary, they express that they have been favoured with
positive attention.
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
MIDDAGSFRID AB
09/01/2012 Women´s Entrepreneurship and Innovation 7
Middagsfrid AB offers distribution
and sale of grocery bags.
“ I´m an atypical entrepreneur” says
Kristina Theander. “I had no
experience, and no one in my family
was an entrepreneur.”
Kristina Theander,
CEO Middagsfrid AB
http://www.middagsfrid.se/
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
SOLVATTEN AB
Solvatten AB´s business idea
is to develop, produce,
market and sell the Solvatten
patented household water
treatment unit.
“My motivation is empathy,”
Petra Wadström, CEO
Solvatten AB
http://www.solvatten.se/
09/01/2012 Women´s Entrepreneurship and Innovation 8
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
POLARBRÖD AB Polarbröd AB offers traditional bread, baked
and distributed in a sustainable way.
“A motto would be to give the employees
inspiration to love change so they feel
Proud and alert but not proud and
satisfied.”
Karin Bodin, CEO at Polarbröd AB
http://www.polarbrod.se/
09/01/2012 Women´s Entrepreneurship and Innovation 9
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
MONGARA AB Mongara AB offers organization, management
and personal development including ICT
development with Web 2, social media and
communication training.
“I cannot go into a store and find that the
store´s logistics is not working without
seriously suggesting how to improve it. I
think that all entrepreneurs have
this personal “defect” in their character.”
Liselotte Norén, CEO Mongara AB
http://www.mongara.se/
09/01/2012 Women´s Entrepreneurship and Innovation 10
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
AHA LODGE
AHA LODGE offers outdoor
tours on horseback into the
wilderness.
“To get a business profitable
this far from airports, main
roads and population centres
you really have to be
innovative.”
Viola Gaw, Manager Aha Lodge
http://www.reiten-in-lappland.de/
09/01/2012 Women´s Entrepreneurship and Innovation 11
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
www.powerlake.se
Mobil +46 (0)70 6730790
Barbro Fransson
Power Lake AB
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS • Concept of innovation needs to be shown and taught .
• Increased information and training for young school pupils.
• Further research about innovation and entrepreneurship.
• The financial support system specially at early stages of the innovation
process needs to be reviewed. It is sometimes unclear when and how the
innovator can get national or funding or funding from European
Commission.
• Social security systems for entrepreneurs needs to be improved
(particularly micro companies with less than 5 employees).
• Avoid overlap in the network support “sector” (networks for entrepreneurs
and SMEs). This includes both the support that is given by governmental
agencies and the European Commission and voluntary support (business
networks, etc., not funded by governments).
09/01/2012 Women´s Entrepreneurship and Innovation 12