LocationsHer Journey and Impact as a Young Woman Entrepreneur
March 6, 2025
We all have moments that shape who we are today. For young women entrepreneurs, these moments often mean navigating complex challenges—from managing business responsibilities to proving their expertise in spaces where it’s frequently questioned. Even with their potential to drive innovation, create jobs, and lead in emerging markets, they face systemic barriers and restrictive gender norms that limit their access to education, funding, and business networks.
Entrepreneurship can be a pathway to build skills, mindset, and opportunities among young women and create multiplier effects in their overall growth and development. In Asia, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) account for 96% of all businesses and contribute significantly to job creation and exports. However, fewer than four out of every ten MSMEs are owned by women in Asia and the Pacific, although evidence shows that when women-led business thrives, entire communities benefit. Women-led businesses tend to employ more women, expanding economic opportunities and challenging traditional gender norms.
Despite the challenges, young women entrepreneurs continue to push forward, turning obstacles into opportunities. Here’s what they’ve learned along the way.
Overcoming barriers requires resiliency
Women continue to face higher barriers within the entrepreneurship ecosystem, which are interconnected and intersecting. For example, our study highlights that girls and young women do not have equal access to spaces where they can acquire the knowledge, skills and connections to pursue economic opportunities. They also have more limited access to assets and control over productive assets.
For young entrepreneurs and climate leaders like Tselmeg Urtnasan, Co-Founder of Climate Mongolia, navigating the policy space as a woman often means constantly having to justify her presence and expertise. "I used to over-prepare, over-explain, and work twice as hard just to be taken seriously," says Meg. Connecting young women like Meg with a community of like-minded peers is crucial. Spaces where observers can become active participants and contributors - like the Climate Policy Innovators Youth Camp - play a key role in fostering this mentorship and support network.
Owning your narrative and running with it
Breaking stereotypes includes starting the change. We need to support girls and young women in building their confidence. Girls and young women in many communities are discouraged from pursuing leadership roles, including as entrepreneurs, and a lack of confidence and fear of failure prevent them from realizing their full potential.
"Starting with nothing meant that every step was a challenge—building trust as a young woman, securing funding, and battling self-doubt that comes from the lack of privilege and resources," says Maham Shahzadi, Co-Founder and CEO of ESG Lab and Founder of Eco-She in Pakistan. Today, her social enterprise is transforming agricultural waste into eco-friendly paper products while empowering women in rural Pakistan through job creation and funding girls’ education. With the support of Sweden, through YECAP, youth across the region, like Maham, showcased their innovations at the APFSD Youth Forum. "The most rewarding part has been witnessing the small wins—a woman earning her first income, a girl attending school because of our recycling hubs. Those moments are my true definition of success," shares Maham.
Failing forward is the starting point for changing this narrative. Using failure as a stepping stone for future success. Breaking stereotypes starts with owning and utilizing your narrative and experience to create a unique business that brings value and impact to underserved communities.
Finding strength through communities and mentorship
Building a thriving business is not an isolated journey — for many young women entrepreneurs, finding strength through communities and mentorship can be the key to long-term success. Akanchha Joshi, Co-Founder of Snack On, shares that “One of the biggest challenges was navigating the food industry with limited resources and access to networks. Support from mentors and a strong community of like-minded people has been invaluable in overcoming these hurdles.”
Engaging in supportive communities is crucial for empowering young women entrepreneurs. The report "From Margins to Mainstream" highlights how collaborative programmes between governments, NGOs, and private sector organizations provide mentorship, network access, and resource-sharing to help young women overcome barriers and scale their businesses. Strengthening these partnerships at the community level creates inclusive business environments, ensuring that women entrepreneurs—particularly those from marginalized backgrounds—receive the necessary support to thrive.
Scaling sustainable growth aligned with purpose
“Growing up in a farming family in a rural area, I experienced hardship due to limited economic opportunities and the struggle to access sustainable inputs. Our biggest challenges were the lack of infrastructure, limited facilities, financial constraints and limited access to funding.” - Siti Subailah Suod, Founder of Borneo Fertilyst and Youth Co:Lab Alumna
Purpose fuels innovation, but sustainable growth sustains impact. For young entrepreneurs, aligning their mission with long-term sustainability is key to expanding their ventures and driving meaningful change. Yet, financial constraints and limited access to resources and networks often limit their potential.
“We need more platforms that bridge skill development with digital access, ensuring young women can launch and scale their ventures effectively." Maira Shaikh Qureshi, Founder, M.J EcoSpin Innovations (MJESI), a Movers Envoy and Youth Co:Lab Alumna
With stronger support systems, young women can better integrate profit and purpose, unlocking opportunities to scale their businesses and amplify their impact. Access to seed funding and venture capital is essential for scaling youth-led social enterprises. Yet, limited early-stage financing options and venture capital networks constrain their growth, particularly for those from marginalized backgrounds. To bridge this gap, governments, philanthropic organizations, and impact investors must establish dedicated funding mechanisms that enable young entrepreneurs to turn purpose-driven ventures into sustainable, long-term solutions that drive both social change and economic growth.
Growing through constant learning
Investing in young women’s continuous learning is essential for driving sustainable impact. Recognizing this, UNDP’s Youth Empowerment Portfolio in Asia and the Pacific (YEP-AP) invests in young people to drive innovative solutions and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Through the Green Jobs Initiative of Youth Empowerment Climate Action Platform (YECAP), young people are empowered to cultivate green skills, enabling them to understand, promote and implement environmentally responsible practices across industries and professions.
"Programmes and collaborations exposed us to innovative approaches to sustainability while hands-on experiences strengthened our resilience and adaptability. It has provided valuable insights, and most importanty, learning from failures has shaped our journey as entrepreneurs." - shares Andi Rostia, Founder of GAWIREA.
As part of this commitment, Youth Co:Lab, co-led by UNDP and Citi Foundation, supports young entrepreneurs through the Springboard Programme, providing mentorship, capacity-building, and investment readiness training to help them scale their social enterprises.
The Springboard Programme has supported over 1,500 entrepreneurs, 42% of whom are young women. The programme drives sustainable, gender-equitable growth by supporting young women in building scalable businesses that contribute to local economies and job creation. To further strengthen this impact, a new initiative, SpringboardHER was launched to bridge gaps and empower young women entrepreneurs. It offers the tools, skills, and mindset to grow businesses and step into leadership, creating opportunities for young women to thrive as entrepreneurs, leaders, and changemakers.
The journeys of these young women entrepreneurs prove that innovation happens when passion and purpose has the right support. When given the tools, resources, and networks to lead, they don’t just build businesses—they drive change, reshape industries, and redefine what’s possible in ways that create lasting progress for all.
Related
content
content
