Cartier Women’s Initiative

The Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI) is a prestigious international entrepreneurship program established in 2006. It identifies and supports women-led, impact-driven businesses that provide sustainable solutions to global social and environmental challenges.

The program is divided into Regional Awards (covering 9 global regions) and the Science & Technology Pioneer Award (a thematic award for deep tech).

Key Benefits:

• Financial Capital: Grants are tiered by ranking within each category:

  • 1st Place: $100,000 USD.

  • 2nd Place: $60,000 USD.

  • 3rd Place: $30,000 USD.

• Human Capital: Fellows participate in a bespoke leadership program, including 1:1 executive coaching and an in-person session of the INSEAD Women’s Impact Entrepreneurship Program.

• Social Capital: Lifelong membership in a community of 500+ impact leaders, international media visibility, and jury-led mentorship.

The initiative is highly selective, focusing on "embedded impact"—where the social or environmental mission is inseparable from the business model.

1. Business Requirements

• Incorporation: Must be a legally incorporated for-profit business.

• Age: Must be an early-stage business (typically 1 to 6 years old).

• Revenue: Must have at least one year of recurring revenue.

• Funding Cap: Must have raised less than $2M USD in dilutive funding to date.

• Impact: Must contribute to at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

2. Leadership Profile

• Ownership: Majority owned and led by a woman.

• Position: The applicant must hold a top management position (e.g., CEO, Founder) and own a share equal to or greater than that of her co-founder(s).

• Language: Proficiency in English (CEFR B2 level or above) is mandatory for the fellowship activities.

3. Thematic Focus: Science & Technology Award For this specific category, the business must be based on unique, protected, or hard-to-reproduce scientific/technical advances (not just a disruptive business model) and meet a minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4.