<h1 style="text-align:center;">Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce Mini-Series: Blog 2</h1>Blogging is not my favorite thing in the world, much less talking about topics to which I feel like I have not dedicated enough time to fully develop a compelling position. So with that as a caveat, I will own it. I do have something to say about my own journey as a female entrepreneur in the male dominated space of private equity. I sit at the intersection of a lot of spaces: private equity, economic development, impact investing, angel investing, Africa, and entrepreneurship. I’ve seen efforts that align with my sense of true north related to female economic empowerment and equality and also efforts I find infuriating, such as well-meaning but poorly branded development efforts that lump female and youth entrepreneurs together, for example. What the hell? As if I, a female, can’t have a world changing, scalable idea. Offense aside, let’s focus on the opportunity side of being a female entrepreneur and maximizing our unique strengths in the private equity space.United States to Afghanistan to Ethiopia – I’ve learned so much about the role of women and economic empowerment within the context of these very diverse cultural situations. In the United States, we have a tendency to see the genders as equal and the same. In Afghanistan, it was, unfortunately, clear that the struggle is often a belief that the genders are different and unequal. Some females there encouraged me to flaunt my Western freedoms. But I had a job to do, so I decided to do my best to adopt the cultural norms. Here in Ethiopia, at least among the educated, it feels like the prevailing thought is more aligned with my own belief about gender: We are different and equal. That being said, I am not naïve enough to think that this would be my reality if I was a rural female farmer in Ethiopia. No matter the prevailing cultural norms, my advice is to respect the cultural context and choose your battles wisely.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/dsc_0157_chada_2_b6ba1d7979.jpg"></figure>“You don’t know what she’s going through.” – Once, as I was lamenting a female entrepreneur falling off our radar (discontinuing responding to emails and calls), someone here in Ethiopia warned that I had “no idea the circumstances that might be on the entrepreneur’s shoulders”, and that I should give her another chance. I think she was right. Here in Ethiopia, and frankly in most parts of the world, certain family obligations fall more completely on the shoulders of wives and daughters, and it is our duty to keep these cultural nuances in mind as we conduct business internationally. I still think about this encounter, and hope this plucky, gutsy young female entrepreneur comes back on my radar. I think she may have what it takes to be a world changer.Focus on the advantages – It’s so easy as humans, no matter our gender, to dwell on our disadvantages. My own experience as a female entrepreneur has proven we provide certain advantages that men in this industry generally struggle with. For example, entrepreneurs initially tend to be more comfortable sharing about their businesses with me than some of my male counterparts. Another is that my “female intuition” is usually spot on when it comes to assessing a person, or situation, or investment opportunity. Us women just have that sixth sense, if you know what I mean. However, some days I can still get discouraged in the unique challenges I face as a woman, but when I can stop myself and persist through the challenges, the outcomes our powerful and rewarding. I plan to continue leveraging my voice for all it is worth. Regardless of gender, that’s what winners do!<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/img_e9230_6cfe23d931.jpg"></figure>In summary, finding a position and supporting efforts that support gender equality and female economic empowerment are great. But in my opinion, we all walk a fine line in developing efforts that bring dignity and enlarging the issues we are trying to overcome. I am not sure we have it quite right yet, but some of our current efforts at RENEW include:<ul><li>Establishing a quarterly Women in Finance Roundtable in Ethiopia! Read about our first. I was so inspired by our guest, Berhane Demissie.</li><li>We are supporting 1,523 female jobs across our portfolio, which is 73% of the total.</li><li>Our first cohort of CFO100 consisted of 13 females, good for 54% of the group. We are aiming for similar numbers for our second group beginning in 2018.</li><li>We encourage our executives to pursue a diverse leadership team. Currently, 50% of our portfolio companies are partly owned by women.</li></ul>

A female partner’s position: different and equal

Gender Equality

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Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce Mini-Series: Blog 2

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce Mini-Series: Blog 1</h1>Wherever you look these days, there are countless articles, media stories and statements being released about gender equality. Gender equality in the workforce, politics, and even in home life have been at the forefront of a global conversation in recent years and continues to gain momentum. But what exactly does it all mean? How do you, as an individual or an organization, actively support gender equality and women in the workplace? Here at RENEW, we’ve been following these conversations, and are committed to contributing to the growing dialogue about gender equality and women in the workforce.To begin, it’s important to understand what gender equality is. Often, what you read or hear may present the terms gender equity, gender equality, and women empowerment interchangeably. So, to better understand what gender equality really is, let’s take a step back and understand the distinction in these three terms. Gender equity is making a concerted effort to promote fairness between men and women, by acknowledging and implementing measures that allow women and men to operate on an even playing field. Gender equity naturally leads to gender equality, which exists when women and men have equal access to these opportunities and resources. When inequality exists, it is women who are excluded from decision-making and access to resources, silencing them from the critical conversations that take place within organizations every day. The key outcome of gender equality is women empowerment, which follows when organizations focus on identifying and addressing power imbalances and ways to overcome them (UNFPA, 2005).<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/8f5a4683_fotor_8a557da330.jpg"></figure>To achieve gender equality, the conversation needs to shift to a spot where we’re considering why this topic is critical to everyone, and not solely women. A key way to look at this, is how gender equality plays out in the workforce. In a 2015 McKinsey Report, they found that companies and organizations that embrace gender diversity generally have better performance than those that don’t. Those companies are 15% more likely to outperform the companies that rate low for diversity in the workplace (Huhman, 2017). A common misconception about gender equality in the workplace is that women need to be given more advantages. Gender equality means allowing every employee the same access to benefits and rewards. Equality needs to be an everyone issue, not just an issue surrounding women (2017).When it comes to women in the workforce, as of 2017, women made up 39% of the labor force. Broken down by country, in Canada, women make up 47.2%, in the United States, they account for 45.9% and in Ethiopia they account for 46.9% of the work force (The World Bank, 2017). Globally, when we focus specifically on the finance sector as a whole, nearly half of employees in finance are women. However, women in leadership roles within this sector remain low, showing women holding only 25% of senior management roles, 18% holding CFO roles, and 4% holding the title CEO (Catalyst, 2015).As an impact investing firm, RENEW has a vested interest in embracing equality both in our investments, and internally. We run our business the same we hope to see other companies run theirs: with a gender-diverse team with women in key leadership positions. Similarly, in our investments, we always value companies that support women and offer services that allow them to succeed in the workplace and in their private life.Keep an eye out for more blogs in this series in the upcoming months.<hr>Other blogs in this series:<ul><li><a href="gender-equality-and-women-workforce-mini-series.html">Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce: A Partner's Perspective</a></li><li><a href="../2018/gender-equality-and-women-workforce-mini-series-blog-3.html">Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce: Government Resources</a></li><li><a href="../2018/gender-equality-and-women-workforce-mini-series-what-can-i-do.html">Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce: What Can I Do?</a></li></ul><hr>(1) <a href="http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-canadian-us-and-global-financial-services">Catalyst, 2015. Women In Canadian, US, And Global Financial Services</a> (2) <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/298563">Huhman, 2017. 3 Reasons Why Gender Equality is an "Everyone" Issue</a> (3) <a href="http://www.unfpa.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-gender-equality">UNFPA, 2005. Frequently Asked Questions About Gender Equality</a> (4) <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS">The World Bank, 2017. Labor force, female (% of total labor force)</a>

The first blog in a mini-series on gender equality and women in finance

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Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce Mini-Series: Blog 1

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Second Class of CFO100 to Start in February 2018</h1>RENEW is committed to building an elite class of finance executives in Ethiopia. This is the mission of the CFO100.The CFO100 program is a joint effort between RENEW,&nbsp;<a href="../2016/accelerating-business-growth-project.html">Global Affairs Canada</a>&nbsp;and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants <a href="http://www.accaglobal.com/us/en.html">(ACCA)</a> to increase the credibility, quantity and quality of CFOs and finance managers in Ethiopia. The CFO100 program combines an intensive self-study training around ACCA’s selected papers alongside a practical training from RENEW.The CFO100 is simple: teach the fundamental skills of being a real CFO, most importantly how to be an adviser to your CEO. Other skills the group practices include how to build and use a budget; how to manage cash flow; how to analyze financial statement; and how to prepare financial reports for the CEO and shareholders. These are fundamental things that are deeply lacking in the education system in Ethiopia and many other countries. Over five years we aim to graduate 100 finance professionals that understand what it take to be a world class CFO.This past October, RENEW graduated its first cohort of participants. A class included a determined and intelligent set of finance professional who we hope will advance in their roles and become true advisers to their CEOs. The network that was created between participants and RENEW, promises great connections and sharing of resources via a bimonthly get together, sharing financial news in an online group. In this way, we believe we are contributing towards the creation of a finance ecosystem in Ethiopia.Applications are now being accepted for the second round of CFO100 slated to begin in February 2018. The deadline for application is January 7, 2018. To apply, and to learn more about the program, please visit our <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">website</a>.A great way to learn more about CFO100 is to check out our Frequently Asked Questions, and read through some of the related blogs we’ve posted over the past year:<ul><li><a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/newsroom/My%20FirstHand%20Experience%20Participating%20in%20the%20CFO100%20Program">My First-Hand Experience Participating in the CFO100 Program</a></li><li><a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/newsroom/Why%20Our%20Investment%20Firm%20Decided%20to%20Launch%20a%20MiniUniversity">Why Our Investment Firm Decided to Launch a Mini-University</a></li><li><a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/newsroom/What%20Does%20Good%20Look%20Like">What Does Good Look Like?</a></li><li>Press Release: RENEW Launches CFO100 Program at the Exchange</li></ul><figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/dsc_0057_0_28277e7d88.jpg"></figure>Applications are now being accepted for the second offering of the CFO 100 Program which starts in February 2018. Visit the CFO 100 Program page on our website to learn more.&nbsp;

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Second Class of CFO100 to Start in February 2018

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Out and About with Deliver Addis</h1>It's a busy Monday in Addis, people are at work, still trying to get into the swing of the week. Over at the Deliver Addis headquarters, they are preparing for the orders to start to come in. Monday is one of the busiest days of the week as it seems some customers have a weekend hangover and want the convenience of having their lunch delivered to them. On this particular Monday, RENEW decided to ride along with one of the drivers to get a first-hand glimpse of what it’s like to work for Deliver Addis.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/rr_collage_0_8acc6a282e.jpg"></figure>Not far away from HQ, Sintayehu a bike driver for Deliver Addis, is all ready to get the orders and feed his hungry customers. As he’s been trained, he is constantly&nbsp;checking his phone to see if orders are coming in. Time is of the essence.Sintayehu, a young man in his early twenties was born and raised in Addis just next to the African Union headquarters. He says he loves his job at Deliver Addis. He has a manageable&nbsp;timeframe to deliver food to customers and he also uses a user-friendly&nbsp;phone-based technology with a GPS link to the delivery&nbsp;address. The application makes his job easy. The first order of the day came in from an expat couple, who live around a place called Global Hotel. Sinatyehu received the order at&nbsp;11:25 AM&nbsp;and was already at the restaurant&nbsp;five minutes after the order came in. By&nbsp;11:52 AM&nbsp;he was at the couples front gate. The wife came and gave him a warm smile, took the food and went back in. He says just seeing the smile on the face of his customers makes his day. Eighteen months after starting this job, Sintayehu has bought a bike and is very excited to continue to work with Deliver Addis in the city he loves.&nbsp;Although we didn’t ride along all day with Sintayehu (we didn’t want to slow him down), it was great to see him in action!RENEW and the Impact Angel Network are proud to partner with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/feleg/">Feleg Tsegaye</a>. and the team at Deliver Addis through our investment in Roadrunner Technology Solutions LLC. Want to learn more about the recent investment? Read our October Press Release.<hr>Applications are now being accepted for the second offering of the <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/companies">CFO 100 Program</a> which starts in February 2018. Visit the <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/companies">CFO 100 Program</a> page on our website to learn more.

Learn more about RENEW’s recent partnership

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Out and About with Deliver Addis

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Women in Finance Roundtable</h1>At RENEW, we truly believe that in order for an economy to be robust and its private sector to flourish, its finance industry needs to be enabled with strong decision-makers with diverse backgrounds and opinions. One aspect of this much-needed diversity is the presence of both male and female professionals who are empowered to think critically, plan and make decisions based on the numbers.However, the reality in Ethiopia right now looks much different from what we hope to see. The finance industry lacks strong CFOs and aspiring female finance professionals often lack the skills and presence&nbsp;to move beyond basic bookkeeping.&nbsp;Here at RENEW, we have been asking ourselves, “What can we do to help women in finance build up their confidence and skillset to overcome the challenges in this ecosystem?”On November 29, RENEW partnered up with Zemen Bank and hosted the&nbsp;Women in Finance Roundtable: How to communicate and influence decision making.&nbsp; A diversified pool of 20 female participants from all corners of the finance industry attended, including: senior leaders and managers of private banks, medium and large corporations, and from the chamber of commerce, to name a few.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/img_9204_fotor_1_699a9234b8.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/berhane-demissie-ab989914/">Berhane Demissie</a>, Managing Partner of Cepheus Capital, shared stories of her incredible journey to become the first female to own her own fund in Sub-Saharan Africa and generously answered everyone’s questions.Her path has not been without a bigger-than-average dose of challenges. I truly found that the candidness, humbleness and passion with which she spoke about her beliefs and approach to a career in finance (and to life in general) very relatable and empowering.Here are some of my favorite takeaways from the Roundtable:<ul><li>Having a balanced life with pillars of friends, family, religion, work (or however that looks for you personally) is extremely important. All those pillars together are what gives you strength in the face of challenges.</li><li>We should not be ashamed of failing. The trick is never to get the same scar in the same place.</li><li>As a female, we have advantages. We can play to our instincts and to our strengths. We have a lot to offer, we just need to package it right and communicate it well to make it work for us.</li><li>To achieve success in the industry, having the knowledge of the environment is equally important as knowledge of finance.</li><li>We all need an "I can do it!” attitude. Never lose sight of “I can do it” and never accept excuses.</li></ul>What an inspiration, indeed! Thank you Berhane.Applications are now being accepted for the second offering of the CFO 100 Program which starts in February 2018. Visit the <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/companies">CFO 100 Program</a> page on our website to learn more.

A night focused on communicating and influencing decision making.

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Women in Finance Roundtable

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Resources for Startups</h1>This month, we looked at resources for companies and entrepreneurs in the startup phase. Included in this list is how to raise a seed round for your company and articles outlining why startups often fail (and what you can do to prevent that from happening). Lastly, startup or not, it’s always good to acquire skills that other top-performing executives use. Blinklist allows users to read key lessons from over 2000 books so you can stay up-to-date on the latest information.<ul><li><a href="https://medium.com/marketing-and-entrepreneurship/dear-entrepreneurs-this-is-how-to-ace-your-seed-round-d30056c4463e">Dear Entrepreneurs: This Is How To Ace The New Seed Round:</a> A few practical tips on raising a seed round by a Principal at Founder Collective, a seed-stage VC fund that has backed hundreds of startups — including Buzzfeed, the Trade Desk, Makerbot, and Periscope.</li><li><a href="https://www.cbinsights.com/research/startup-failure-reasons-top/?utm_source=CB+Insights+Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=9f01ba24fd-TuesNL_10_31_2017&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_9dc0513989-9f01ba24fd-89425349">Top 20 Reasons for Why Startups Fail:</a> Sometimes failure is a good teacher to avoid expensive mistakes in a startup. CB Insights shared the major reasons for startup failure after analyzing 101 startup failures.</li><li><a href="https://www.cbinsights.com/research/startup-failure-post-mortem/?utm_source=CB+Insights+Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=9f01ba24fd-TuesNL_10_31_2017&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_9dc0513989-9f01ba24fd-89425349">242 Startups Failure Post-Mortems by Founders and Investors:</a>&nbsp;Another CB Insights article on why so many startups flame out. These reasons, coming from founders, investors, and journalists, offer plenty of clues on business strategy and costly mistakes to avoid.</li><li><a href="https://www.blinkist.com/">Blinkist:</a> Read a book in 15 minutes of fewer. High performing executives read a lot. Blinkist allows a user to read the key lessons from 2000+ nonfiction books through a paid subscription. However, as a free user, you can read a pre-selected book a day.</li></ul><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:93.1%;"><img src="/uploads/screen_shot_2017_11_30_at_11_30_57_am_38eb50d832.png"></figure>Applications are now being accepted for the second offering of the CFO 100 Program which starts in February 2018. Visit the <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/companies">CFO 100 Program</a> page on our website to learn more.Image Source: Techpreneur: <a href="http://www.techprenuer.com/entrepreneur/how-to-setup-strong-foundation-for-your-startup/">How to Setup Strong Foundation for Your Startup</a>

4 articles that are geared towards entrepreneurs and startups.

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Resources for Startups

<h1 style="text-align:center;">October Roundup: Our Favorite Resources This Month</h1>Over the past month we’ve been compiling a list of our favorite resources. From the secrets of Disneyland, to an article on Innovation and Srirarcha, these resources have it all.<ul><li><a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40425628/the-secrets-of-disneyland-company-vet-explains-how-the-magic-happens">The Secrets of Disneyland: A Company Vet Explains How the Magic Happens:</a> In a new book, Jody Jean Dreyer shares 30 years of insight into making the Happiest Place on Earth.</li><li><a href="https://www.nirandfar.com/2017/10/confirmation-bias-terrible-life-choices.html">Confirmation Bias: Why You Make Terrible Life Choices:</a>&nbsp;Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's belief, which usually results in sub-optimal results.&nbsp;Learning and understanding how confirmation bias works give you the opportunity to compensate for its downsides and begin making more rational decisions.</li><li><a href="http://myemail.constantcontact.com/ARC-Investments--R4-3bln-listing--LBO-France-s-PIEX-deal--Amethis-backs-Sodigaz-for-minority-stake.html?soid=1116486639840&amp;aid=9NanVdumB2U">Africa Capital Digest:</a>&nbsp;If you want to keep track of Africa's key private equity, infrastructure, venture capital deals and industry news then please refer to Africa Capital Digest.</li><li><a href="https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-highly-unusual-company-behind-sriracha-the-world-s-coolest-hot-sauce-463224559">The Highly Unusual Company Behind Sriracha, the World’s Coolest Hot Sauce:</a>&nbsp;Sriracha hot sauce, made by Huy Fong Foods, which Tran founded 33 years ago in Los Angeles, is one of the coolest brands in North America. Here is the story of the iconic brand.</li><li><a href="https://hbr.org/2017/10/data-from-3-5-million-employees-shows-how-innovation-really-works">Data From 3.5 Million Employees Shows How Innovation Really Works:</a>&nbsp;In the Internet era, with the pace of innovation always accelerating, understanding the science of innovation could make all the difference in your ability to compete.</li></ul><figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/1_lpzbi2y_815bal_xmiuvtg_0_7183721c28.png"></figure>Image Source: Nir &amp; Far: <a href="https://www.nirandfar.com/2017/10/confirmation-bias-terrible-life-choices.html">Confirmation Bias: Why You Make Terrible Life Choices</a>

5 articles that we found useful and interesting this past month

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October Roundup: Our Favorite Resources This Month

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Living For a Better Cause</h1>I’ve always had this fear. A fear of vanishing without doing something worthwhile; living a life without a purpose. To tone down this sound in my head, I started taking part in volunteer work that had a focus on underprivileged teens from the age of 8 to 15, and I also decided to cover school expenses for one student each year. But even while doing this, I never felt like I was doing enough to help others who would benefit from what I had to offer.Looking back at the life path I had, with a degree in Economics, an MBA and over six years of experience in banking (which taught me a lot about finance, economics, business development and people skills), I have been preparing for this job. All these skills will help me create a lasting change that we call impact here at RENEW. Therefore, when I saw this job opportunity, I went for it without a flinch. I am so grateful to join a company that is working to create an impact in this part of the world. Organizations like RENEW will help develop the infant private sector.In many ways, working in this type of environment is helping to directly and indirectly improve many individuals’ lives from the jobs we are creating. Every day, I would see able people that could have participated in facilitating this country’s development, and I remember trying to figure out what was missing, why these people were doing nothing to improve their lives. And then I would see small businesses struggling to survive, not being able to grow their organizations which in return would have helped them financially and create other working opportunities.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:98.76%;"><img src="/uploads/team_picture_for_bottom_0_dfc4b86d15.jpg"></figure>There was a missing link that could help improve the way of thinking for so many small businesses and assist them psychologically and financially, and create jobs for people. Here at RENEW, that is exactly what we do and this is motivating me to work harder because this is what I have been wanting to do for a while now. I want to participate in a cause that improves the working and living conditions for so many people.Five weeks in, and I now have the inside view of what is really happening at RENEW. It’s been really fascinating to join a team of local and international professionals working to create an impact on the very people that I want to offer my service to, in whatever way I can. The positive energy in the working environment is also improving my day-to-day life immensely. Everyday leaving work, I know I have played a role in the 2,092 jobs created and sustained by RENEW. &nbsp;

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Living For a Better Cause

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Meetings: The Widely Misused Parts of a Company</h1>I will always remember my first day at RENEW. It was Monday morning and after having three weeks of vacation between jobs, I couldn’t wait until I got assigned to my first task. I was excited to start kicking at this new company. However, when I got to work that day, the RENEW team was preparing for their weekly “Legend” meeting. The whole team wrote down their “I musts” for the week and presented them to the team. After some discussion on what should be added and what should be changed, the meeting was dissolved and the team proceeded to address their individual tasks. No one assigned me to any specific task so I was sitting there confused on what just happened and what I should do next. Then came Wednesday, and there was a ‘’Standup” meeting along with the “Active Pipeline” meeting later in the day. Then came the “Week in Review” meeting on Friday. But what was the point of all of these routine meetings?<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/meetings_0_ee8348f28a.jpg"></figure>Being a legal counsel for different companies, I have first-hand experience on how annoying and unproductive meetings can be. I have visited several government offices, including ministries, authorities, agencies, you name it and the number of times I have returned from these offices without getting anything done, because of all the meetings, are countless. For me, meetings always represented instruments to avoid tasks, and one of the reasons for the public’s dissatisfaction in public services. Coming from this background, I was confused on how a private company, with a great vision like RENEW, wasted this much time on meetings.Then came week 2 and I began to understand the problem, and RENEW’s solution. The problem is not about having a meeting it’s about how you are using it. At RENEW, meetings are tools of execution. Every meeting has a purpose, an outcome and agenda. We take notes and conclude the meeting with a “next step”, or several. Through RENEW, I have come to understand the other side of meetings. It’s true that meetings are expensive; you are pulling people, your most valuable resource, away from their tasks and into a single room to talk. However, I’ve learned that if used correctly, meetings become the compasses of the company: they will help lead you towards the company’s daily, weekly, and yearly goals. Through meetings, you start to understand the bigger picture of the company, what the company is aiming for, where it is currently standing, its vision and how you, as an individual, can contribute to move the company forward. Now, during all our weekly meetings, I don’t expect someone to assign me a task. I already know where we are heading and how I can be of help in driving this ship forward.Image Source: UCR Alumni Blog: <a href="http://alumniblog.ucr.edu/tips-for-running-effective-meetings/">Tips for Running Effective Meetings</a>