WINC launches its 2017 Acceleration Program geared at assisting women entrepreneurs to grow their business

​Building on the success of its 2016 Acceleration Program, the Women Innovators Network in the Caribbean (WINC) is launching its 2017 program.
The eight-month peer learning program which begins in November 2017 is designed to help growth-oriented women entrepreneurs innovate within their businesses, and have the self-confidence to make the necessary changes to improve their competitiveness and boost their growth.  Participants will benefit from a suite of services including business and personal development, one-to-one mentoring, technical workshops and motivational sessions. 
The initiative is part of the Entrepreneurship Program for Innovation in the Caribbean (EPIC), funded by the Government of Canada and implemented by the World Bank's infoDev program for innovation and entrepreneurship. It will be delivered by infoDev-trained and certified facilitators in nine countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Trinidad & Tobago.
According to Sophia Muradyan, coordinator for EPIC, “The combination of peer learning, personal development, and mentorship allows our women entrepreneurs to develop themselves as well as their businesses, which is essential for them to scale and so make an even greater contribution to the economic and social development of the region.”
In 2016, 108 women entrepreneurs graduated from the WINC Acceleration Program from 12 countries in the Caribbean. Of these, 94% stated that their businesses had become more focused; 48% noted an increase in business total sales during the period; 77% indicated that they had significantly improved their marketing methods since joining the program; and 73% indicated having significantly improved their internal processes and organizational structure and management practices.
The call for applications closes on 31 July 2017.