GLI in Action: Case Studies from Southeast Asia
Summary
This series highlights the financial and impact results of gender lens investing (GLI) through the journey of women entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia.
Since 2016, Investing in Women (IW) has been working with impact investors to enhance financial access for women-owned and -led small businesses (WSB) in Southeast Aisa. With support from IW, impact investing partners have provided direct investment financing and raised additional private sector capital that were allocated to promising WSBs to help bridge the credit gap faced by many women entrepreneurs.
This series sheds light on the challenges women entrepreneurs face and how tailored finance solutions helped them address these challenges. It also illustrates investorsโ motivations and perspectives in applying gender lens. Ultimately, it showcases how, with the right support, women entrepreneurs can thrive and WSB can yield positive financial returns.
Featuring stories of women leading businesses in different growth stages and sectors including agribusiness, retail, and finance, health, and education technology, across Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, this series aims to advance the business case for a more gender inclusive investing environment.
Highlights
Women-owned and led businesses featured:
- BeltranTan Trading (Philippines). Sole proprietor Gina Beltran emerged as a decisive entrepreneur, expanding her business into the realm of public sector contracts. A tailored investment loan from InBest Ventures, an impact investing firm based in the Philippines, provided her the flexible financial solution to support her companyโs growth.
- EasyGop (Vietnam). Truong-Anh Nguyen (Olivia), founder and CEO of EasyGop is making a dent in the healthtech space by introducing breakthrough technology for patient support programs. An equity investment along with strategic support such trainings, mentorship, and network access, from Ascend Vietnam Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Vietnam, gave Olivia the backing she needed to unlock her businessโ full potential.
- Trunk to Gold Agribusiness (Philippines). Gemma Dela Vega-Emata dreamt of reviving the coconut industry in her hometown through her companyโs coconut sugar. Where traditional commercial lenders saw risks investing in a new industry player with no existing credit line, Foundation for Sustainable Society, Inc. saw the ventureโs strong potential in the coconut-based products market. With FSSIโs backing, T2G has been able to diversify its coconut product offerings and double its total revenue, all while making an impact on the community.
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