It’s called “Micio jam hotel”, and it’s a stay for cats created by Daniela Traverso, the business idea that won first prize in the second edition of FaberWoman, the competition for female business ideas organized by Cna Genova and the Rotary Club Genova San Giorgio, with the patronage of the Liguria Region, the Municipality of Genoa and the Genoa Chamber of Commerce. Daniela Traverso, who in recent months has already been followed by the professionals of Cna Genova and the Genoa Rotary Club San Giorgio for the drafting of the business plan, will receive a prize of 5,000 euros to start her own business and will have the registration and free assistance at Cna Genova, as well as a mentoring path.
“The idea of this competition convinces us more and more because there are very few experiences that reward not female entrepreneurs but those who want to start a business and above all, after an initial overall evaluation of all the ideas, reward the most complex and most economically sustainable business plan but not only that – explains the secretary of Cna Genova, Barbara Banchero -. Thanks therefore to all the women who sent their ideas and thanks to the three finalists who showed commitment and determination to realize their project. It is these qualities, combined with the support of professionals and the Cna, who will accompany all three aspiring entrepreneurs on their journey, that will allow the birth of new businesses which, the data says, will have a greater chance of growing and developing”. As with the first edition, the aim of the FaberWoman initiative was to encourage the development of female businesses in the province of Genoa, offering the professional skills necessary for the realization of entrepreneurial ideas and financial support for starting the business. ‘activity. The applications received through the website https://faberwoman.it/ were more than 20, and in addition to the winner DanielaTraverso, the entrepreneurial ideas of Caterina Cervellati were awarded (the “Pitulla sartoria” project of a tailoring laboratory to create garments for women and children made to measure, with attention to environmental sustainability in the choice of fabrics) and Barbara Lombardi (“Maicestina” project: creation of handcrafted bags promoting sustainable fashion). For Caterina Cervellati the (second) prize corresponds to a 2,500 euro contribution, two years of free membership and consultancy at Cna Genova, as well as a mentoring path; for Barbara Lombardi (third), however, only registration and free consultancy for two years with Cna is foreseen.
“The FaberWoman competition is a service aimed at the territory, an expression of the Rotarian commitment of some members of the RC Genova San Giorgio who, together with Cna Genova, make their skills available to encourage the development of innovative and sustainable female entrepreneurial activities – underlines the president of the Rotary Club of Genoa San Giorgio, Chiara Antola -. The service is part of one of Rotary’s areas of intervention, developing local economies but also supporting, through the preparation of business plans by members, those who demonstrate entrepreneurial abilities, especially young people or women. Today the 3 finalists of the competition whose projects were the most original and sustainable were awarded.” For the second consecutive year the FaberWoman initiative was supported, at an institutional level, by the Liguria Region, which also granted its patronage this year. “I thank Cna Genova for having started a competition of female entrepreneurial ideas with Faberwoman, with the collaboration of the Rotary Club Genova San Giorgio, which aims to be a stimulus for those women who, accompanied in the preparation of a business plan, want to get involved without fear – comments the regional councilor for economic development Alessio Piana – The data recently released by Unioncamere indicate that the biggest problem faced by women who run businesses in Genoa and its province, over 14 thousand and 500 active ones (21% of the total), lies in access to credit. As the Liguria Region we have long been committed to offering a valid remedy to this critical issue: through tools such as ‘Artigianato Guarantee’ and ‘Cassa Commercio’, in fact, we allow ‘pink businesses’ to access a mix of concessions which involves the combination of a non-repayable contribution, which can reach up to 30 thousand euros, with a subsidized and guaranteed loan”. Together with the Liguria Region, this second edition of FaberWoman was also sponsored by the Municipality of Genoa, which recognized the ultimate aim of the initiative to support business start-ups, fighting the gender gap “FaberWoman represents an opportunity for women who they want to get involved personally to create new entrepreneurial projects. All the initiatives aimed at stimulating, with concrete supports starting from access to credit, for women who want to start a business are a step forward in freeing up energy that can bring new life to our economy – points out the Municipality’s Councilor for Commerce of Genoa, Paola Bordilli -. I don’t like talking about gender policies or measures, but about policies and measures that give real equal opportunities to women, who have winning ideas and can turn them into reality. With FaberWoman, the Municipality of Genoa together with Cna and Rotary Club Genova San Giorgio promotes a path that aims to encourage the development of female businesses, an opportunity also to innovate and offer a concrete contribution to the growth and development of the productive fabric of the territory”. Still on the institutional theme, this second edition of Faberwoman also saw the participation with the patronage of the Genoa Chamber of Commerce, which has always been close to initiatives focused on the development of new opportunities for Genoese artisans, and in this case the craftswomen. “We recently carried out, through the Ligurian Productivity Centre, a survey on female entrepreneurship to which 120 female entrepreneurs responded: the results tell us that the number of women taking on leadership roles is increasing, that these companies demonstrate a notable capacity for innovation and resilience – highlights the president of the Genoa Chamber of Commerce, Luigi Attanasio -. On the other side of the coin there is the need to increase access to credit and financing and to improve training and professional development opportunities. We therefore welcome initiatives such as the FaberWoman competition, which rewards the most innovative, green and feasible female ideas and takes us a few steps forward towards gender equality.”
