The Cartier Women’s Initiative Award is an international business plan competition created in 2006 by Cartier, the Women’s Forum, McKinsey & Company and INSEAD business school to identify, support and encourage projects by women entrepreneurs, especially those with start-up businesses. Since its inception in 2006, it has accompanied over 40 promising female business-owners and recognized 15 Laureates.

The mission of the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards is threefold:

-To identify and support initial-phase women entrepreneurs through funding and coaching
-To foster the spirit of enterprise by celebrating role models in entrepreneurship
-To create an international network of women entrepreneurs and encourage peer networking

The annual competition involves two rounds.

Round 1 (in June) : The Jury selects fifteen Finalists, the top three projects of each region (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America), on the basis of their short business plans. They receive coaching from experienced businesspeople to move to the next round.

Round 2 (in October) : The Finalists are invited to France for the final round of competition which includes submitting a detailed business plan and presenting their projects in front of the Jury.  Based on the quality of the plan and the persuasiveness of the verbal presentation, one Laureate for each of the five regions is selected and receives a unique and comprehensive support package: US $20,000 of funding, one year of coaching, networking opportunities and media exposure.

The competition is designed to give all participants an opportunity to gain perspective and confidence by stimulating cross-cultural exchanges.
The deadline for the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards 2011 is due March, 15, 2011. For more information on how to apply, go here.

We highly encourage fellow women entrepreneurs to participate!

Fun tidbit: Ce Ce’s friend/designer Angel Chang received the Cartier Women’s Initiative Award – North American Laureate in 2007.