Athena Global Blog
Case Study: Moving US$10M to Women-Owned and Led Businesses in Six Months: A Salvadorian Bank’s Journey
SMEs are critical to the El Salvadorian economy, representing 99% of all companies, contributing an estimated 35% of gross domestic product (GDP) and generating around 700,000 jobs. Women play an important role in this sector, as they own 64% of all...
Case Study: Brokering Connections: Using Data to Narrow the Financing Gap for WSME in Guatemala
Athena Global’s data driven approach to supporting Women-Owned and Led Small and Medium Enterprises (WSME) extends to the use of technology to gather data and make explicit connections. A tangible and positive outcome from this approach is the development of an...
Connecting Women-Led and Gender Equity-Focused SMEs with Potential Financiers and Investors in Guatemala
Athena Global is pleased to partner with the Technical Mission of Taiwan in Guatemala (TECRO) and the United States International Development Finance Corporation (USDFC) to host an event, NexWomen in Guatemala City. The event will be held around the Latin...
Social Impact Pulse Podcast Episode Release Featuring BIDUK!
"One of the fundamental drivers of our business model is acknowledging and recognizing that small and growing businesses are the backbone of any healthy and resilient economy." On May 11, 2022, The Social Impact Pulse Podcast, together with Artesan Gateway and...
For Every $1 invested in Women, $25 goes to Men in African Startups
Securing funding is one of the many challenges female African entrepreneurs face. This Bloomberg.com article is a great resource to understanding these obstacles as it highlights the issues women-led companies encounter as well as the pioneers in the...
Athena Issues RFP for Subcontractor to Develop Wizard-Tool and Learning Platform for Latin American Project
Athena Global is seeking a subcontractor to develop web-based tools for women-owned/led businesses in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Who We Are: Jose Luis Martinez Gomez
Jose Luis Martinez Gomez is an Athena advisor working out of Medellin, Colombia. Here he explains his work with Athena, facilitating better relationships between banks and small businesses, and the challenges and rewards of raising 2 twin baby boys during the...
Investing in Women: Counting Versus Valuing
Indigo Phibbs explains how BIDUK is valuing women, instead of merely counting them.
The Stigma of Being an “Entrepreneur”
The saga of a strange, ambiguous word with outsized power.