47% of women in Romania perceive the fear of failure as the primary obstacle to entrepreneurship, despite already possessing the necessary skills to establish a business. To support early-stage women entrepreneurs, Impact Hub Bucharest and Raiffeisen Bank Romania are launching Start Her Journey, a three-month program designed to help participants grow their businesses.

The 20 selected participants will learn from business experts how to develop a tailored growth strategy for their ventures.

“In Romania, only 1 in 15 women intend to start a business soon. Through Start Her Journey, in collaboration with Impact Hub Bucharest, we aim to help change this statistic and create an environment where women can trust themselves to pursue their ideas. We aim to provide them with the support needed to turn their vision into successful businesses.” – Laura Mihăilă, Marketing, Communication & CX Director, Raiffeisen Bank Romania.

The program targets women entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 who own an SRL or PFA registered in Romania and have existing sales. Participants must hold a decision-making role in the company they are applying to (administrator, associate) and have clear development plans.

What’s new about Start Her Journey?

Applications are open from September 2 to 30. The selection process will take place between October 1 and 8, and the selected participants will be announced on October 10. The chosen entrepreneurs will go through three online learning modules focused on key areas of business development, delivered by experienced professionals who will guide them through each topic:

• October 13: Branding and growth opportunities
• October 17: Sales channels and customer retention
• October 23: Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to grow your business

“Only 2% of venture capital funding in Europe goes to startups led by women, despite evidence that these companies often outperform those founded solely by men, according to a study by the National Confederation for Women’s Entrepreneurship. This entrepreneur-led initiative, Start Her Journey, aims to provide early-stage women entrepreneurs with access to practical tools and a supportive community. We want participants to leave the program with a clear growth strategy, applied sales plans, and the confidence to leverage technology, including AI, to accelerate their business. It’s our way of supporting not just ideas, but also the courage of women who choose entrepreneurship.” – Oana Craioveanu, CEO & Co-founder, Impact Hub Bucharest & Startarium.

Concrete, results-oriented benefits of the program include:

• building a personalised business growth strategy.
• networking with women entrepreneurs from across the country.
• opportunities for funding through Raiffeisen Bank’s Factory program.
• visibility – two participants will be awarded and promoted within the Impact Hub Bucharest community.
• access to the Impact Hub Bucharest alumni network.

Further details about the program are available on the dedicated webpage here.