FUTURE FEMALES
Lauren Dallas and Cerina Bezuidenhout . Credit : podjetnik . net
The story of how Lauren Dallas and Cerina Bezuidenhout founded Future Females is one of true inspiration . After seeing the systemic lack of female representation in entrepreneurship and the existing incubator , accelerator and funding programs that support founders , these female powerhouses decided , in August 2017 in Cape Town , to change this norm and start their own business . Being from different countries ( Lauren is Australian and Cerina Namibian ) they were strangers when they both worked for the American seed accelerator , Techstars .
They knew each other for only three months when they decided to take a leap of faith and start Future Females . They had one goal in mind : to build a platform where female entrepreneurs can connect , be inspired and inspire and feel supported to create , to fail and to win . And that is exactly what brought them together .
Lauren had just moved to Cape Town , and she was what you would call a serial entrepreneur . Before Future Females , she had incubated and built
18
four business ideas in her former home country Australia .
For Cerina the Techstars experience marked the start of her path supporting entrepreneurs . She also worked for the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative where she managed enterprise development programmes specifically focusing on the EdTech sectors while also doing her fellowship within the Obama Leadership Foundation .
They were the perfect pair , and still are ! Today the Future Females team exceeds 200 contributors globally , united by a shared belief that to drive change through technology and
“ It is a non-profit organisation with a vision to create a world where women are free to be who and what they want to be , where women are treated equally , with dignity and respect . ” entrepreneurship , we cannot have just 50 % of the world focused on it . More focus is needed to accelerate the success of aspiring and existing female entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs , and Future Females aims to drive that focus . We provide a space where women can be empowered and supported to create , to fail and to win . And even more important - our community operates in line with five key values – collaborative , inclusive , give first , community-driven , take action . We are the go-to destination for the key resources ( community , inspiration , education , support ) that women need to achieve massive things .
To date , Future Females has been running various programmes and initiatives . Business School is a programme for women who are ready to take control of their futures , diversify their income and create a 100 % online , sustainable revenue stream , in the form of their own thriving online business . It is a 10-week virtual accelerator programme comprising custom and actionable materials that demonstrate
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