ring a Billion Women by 2020
eldt, EIR at Dell, on her vision for the future of neurship By Kelly Dolan
eur, investor, media personality and nc, Ingrid Vanderveldt. With a mission of 20” (EBW2020) as well as creating and Fund to power entrepreneurs worldwide, VH Energy Investments and Green Girl rum, an invite-only annual event bringing men leaders in all areas of sustainability. ask Ingrid if she could share where her vows to give back to the entrepreneurial men.
venture?
d, I thought I would grow up and be a y school my first entrepreneurial venture kid and setting up shop with a lemonade aring how good they were with potential ing money.
I also learned early that I had
was a person who loved being in service m the missionary aspect) combined with ney made me know I wanted to be an
ent off to business school to earn an MBA technology company as soon as I came ilt and sold several businesses. My first company using neural networks to create earning me my first patent). In addition to ss, I was keen to venture into broadcast
d hosted CNBC’s first original primetime more than one million global viewers and preneurship; women leadership; and the
re when you were launching your
eneurs is so important as there weren’t ted out. Belonging to women’s business
e, can be a great way to meet likeminded he support network you need to grow and tworks are created for women and that is ’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN), which across the globe can connect with each
How did you become involved with DWEN? I was first introduced to the DWEN in 2010 when I attended the inaugural conference in Shanghai. I went along with 75 other women and got involved in brainstorms around how we could make our businesses more successful and learn from each other’s challenges. It wasn’t your typical women’s conference about “work/life balance” but offered invaluable sessions on how to scale a business, work with large companies, enter new and emerging markets, and learn from other businesses and entrepreneurs.
I first had my vision of working with Dell on the flight back from DWEN 2011 in Rio De Janeiro. I had a goal of empowering a billion women by 2020, but I knew I wouldn’t be able reach this on my own, and that the only way to accomplish this challenge was to work with a partner that was equally committed to the same vision. This was the fuel for my idea of launching an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) programme. Fortunately Dell agreed that it would be a valuable addition to the company and business community, and said ‘yes’ to my pitch. Dell has always been committed to supporting entrepreneurs and listening to its customers, but this programme means that they have an ear to the ground within the entrepreneur community, and can find ways of truly understanding and meeting its needs, hopefully setting an example for other global corporations to follow.
Now in my second year as EiR, we have pioneered the Dell’s Innovators Credit Fund, a 100 million dollar fund which aims to unite entrepreneurs with the right technology and solutions to enable their business to scale and grow. Working with Dell has allowed me to target more entrepreneurs and together we have set up the Centre for Entrepreneurs which offers start-ups access to Dell investors and venture capital firms like the Dell Innovators Credit Fund, which aims to unite entrepreneurs with the right technology and solutions to enable their businesses to scale and grow.
What exciting plans do you have for the next year? I plan to continue working towards my goal to empower a billion women by 2020, and to ensure all my projects, from my businesses, to my TV show, to the different groups I have set up with Dell, contribute to this mission. Women-owned businesses make up 30 percent of the UK workforce and contribute around £130 billion turnover every year and with that kind of contribution it’s hard to believe that women are still facing significant obstacles to owning a business and sitting at the director’s table. Women need to believe that they can operate as leaders of themselves, their families, and this world. That’s why another one of my goals is to help get a mobile device in the hands of every single woman around the globe.
To find out how Dell is continuing to help entrepreneurs visit
Dell.com/ entrepreneur or follow Ingrid at @ontheroadwithiv
19 entrepreneurcountry
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