The Goldman Sachs Foundation has launched an online education program to further 10,000 Women, providing female entrepreneurs across the world with a digitized curriculum and interactive platform of women business owners. In partnership with Coursera, 10,000 Women will provide greater access to its proven curriculum, providing female entrepreneurs with a world-class business education and a global peer-to-peer network. The course is free, and has been built to meet the needs of women business owners in developing markets.
10,000 Women will provide focused and tailored exercises in an introductory module where participants will assess the strengths and weaknesses of their business and themselves as business leaders. The additional modules will review strategies to identify, optimize, and execute growth opportunities.
Importantly, participants in the course will be supported by a network of fellow students and alumni that will provide real-time support, mentoring and group learning across a number of technologies and channels. This is specifically designed to support quality outcomes by driving personal growth and fostering an online community, allowing the participants to create meaningful connections that will last beyond the completion of the program itself.
“This is a question of opportunity, not capability, and this partnership with Coursera allows us to expand 10,000 Women to reach those entrepreneurs we haven’t been able to before,” said John F.W. Rogers, Chairman of the Goldman Sachs Foundation. “Helping businesses grow is at the core of what we do as a company, and increasing access to business education to support smart, driven, and talented women is good for their businesses, their communities, and the world.”
“Supporting women entrepreneurs is so crucial to creating an economic future that is fair and inclusive, and we’re so honoured to partner with the Goldman Sachs Foundation in this endeavour,” said Leah Belsky, VP Enterprise Development at Coursera. “Exponentially scaling this program with our platform will allow many more women to develop the skills, credibility, and networks needed to execute on their ideas.”
In 2008, Goldman Sachs launched the 10,000 Women initiative to foster economic growth by providing women entrepreneurs around the world with business education and access to capital. The initiative was founded on research conducted by Goldman Sachs, the World Bank and others, which suggests that such an investment can have a significant impact on GDP growth. 10,000 Women has reached more than 10,000 women though the in-person program, where 70 percent of graduates report higher revenues and nearly 60 percent create new jobs.
