It is through valuable partnerships that the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) is able to support women entrepreneurs around the world and provide them with the knowledge, resources, and network necessary to overcome the many challenges of establishing and scaling successful businesses. In Brazil, the U.S. Department of State recently collaborated with Amazon to expand its reach. This partnership allowed AWE Brazil to more than triple the size of its cohort, from about 25 to 90 women entrepreneurs. These women come from very diverse socio-cultural, regional, and business backgrounds, representing 25 of the 26 Brazilian states!
The AWE was launched in 2019 by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and supports multiple U.S. government efforts to empower women worldwide. Thanks to AWE’s public-private partnerships, the three-month program consists of a combination of online learning using the 100 Million Learners BootCamp on Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation, developed by the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.
Thunderbird School of Global Management includes weekly facilitated sessions to help localize the content, workshops, and presentations by experts in the field, as well as pitch practice and competitions. In Brazil, AWE’s collaboration with Amazon also provided over 200 AWE alumni and program mentors with workshops and access to Amazon learning products that highlight the value of e-commerce, and more specifically Amazon Market Place, in a rapidly developing and technology-influenced economy. Although the women and businesses participating in the AWE program vary greatly, the nuances of e-commerce and how to successfully market a business online prove to be universally valuable.
Ana Peres Nascimento, the first-place winner of the AWE program’s pitch competition, co-founded and is co-owner of Pretas na Ciência, a company dedicated to combating sexism and racism in the field of science. As a Black chemist working in cosmetics development, she lamented how her demographic has little representation in STEM careers, despite women making up the majority of the population with college degrees in Brazil. Nascimento described how Pretas na Ciência started as a project, but AWE taught her how to turn it into a business. As the winner of the AWE pitch competition, she is currently developing, with Amazon’s help, a website that will create a larger network of women in STEM. The site will guide and empower these women through the challenging job market, providing them with useful workshops and connecting them with potential employers. Since completing the AWE program, Pretas na Ciência has expanded its reach internationally and has partnered with the United Nations and Garnier on valuable women’s empowerment initiatives.
Another member of the most recent cohort of AWE Brazil alumni is Anna Karolina de Sousa Bernardes, who is also a pitch competition winner. Her company, Uai Português, is a language school focused on teaching Portuguese to speakers of foreign languages. De Sousa Bernardes began working as a language teacher at her local university in 2018, but when the COVID-19 lockdown shifted teaching online, she was inspired to start her own independent business, primarily focused on online instruction. She credits the AWE program with the confidence and training needed to see herself as an entrepreneur. Uai Português now has over 300 students from around the world, including many newly arrived refugees in Brazil since its founding. Inspired by Amazon’s training focused on e-commerce and online marketing, de Sousa Bernardes is expanding her business by creating a new course, in addition to her publicly available podcast, YouTube classes, and social media presence.
Studio Kuhn also emerged from the most recent cohort of AWE Brazil. Founded by AWE alumna Karoline Kuhn, this brand seeks to combat the growing problem of waste in the fashion industry through unique and sophisticated upcycling of old textiles and damaged treasures. Kuhn described the challenges of gaining recognition and respect as a woman entrepreneur in Brazil and appreciated the technical training received as a member of the AWE program. This training helped her develop an innovation plan for her business, which now goes beyond environmentalism, also creating a positive social impact. With the help of AWE and Amazon, Kuhn has achieved this impactful goal by engaging vulnerable individuals from rural areas in her production cycle, as well as developing opportunities for educational exchanges and creative experiences.
Through the power of partnership, AWE is expanding its reach to women like Nascimento, De Sousa Bernardes, and Kuhn across Brazil, creating a much larger network of 270 supportive women who have been empowered by AWE’s strategic business education in Brazil. Many alumni describe how much they value the support of their fellow AWE graduates and how the program has provided them with an inspiring sisterhood of women supporting women. The public-private partnerships with Amazon allow AWE to continue expanding and investing in more women around the world.