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The BRICS Business Forum 2024, held on October 18 in Moscow, was particularly notable for its focus on empowering women entrepreneurs, highlighted by the Award Ceremony of the BRICS Women’s Startups Contest 2024.
Launched at the BRICS Women’s Entrepreneurship Forum, the first BRICS Women’s Startups Contest has become a key mechanism of identifying women’s startups in BRICS member countries and beyond, and stimulating women’s motivation to participate in entrepreneurial activities.
The general partner of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance series of events is Sberbank PJSC, Russia’s largest bank and a leading global financial institution.
The strategic partner of the Contest is another leader of Russia’s banking industry Gazprombank (Joint Stock Company).
Since its official launch in June 2024, the Contest received more than 1000 applications from 30 countries, including all the BRICS member states, as well as Belarus, Botswana, Central African Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, Eswatini, Ghana, Honduras, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.
The International Jury is comprised of Anna Nesterova, Global Chairperson of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance; Monica Monteiro, Chairperson of the BRICS WBA Brazilian Chapter; Margarete de Castro Coelho, Director of Administration and Finance of Sebrae; Sérgio T Costa Carazza, Chief of Staff of the Administration and Finance Department of Sebrae; Valentina Kosenko, General Director, Scientific Centre for Expert Evaluation of Medicinal Products of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences; Oxana Drapkina, Director of the National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Chief Specialist in Therapy and General Practice of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Marianne Ghali, Chairperson of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance Egypt Chapter; Dr.Sangita Reddy, Chairperson of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance India Chapter; Dr.Zhao Haiying, Chairperson of the BRICS WBA China Chapter, Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, China Investment Corporation; Lebogang Zulu, Chairperson of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance South African Chapter, President – Expanded BRICS Women Foundation.
26 winners in categories such as IT, Education, Health and Medicine, Ecology, Food Security and Agriculture, Innovation and Infrastructure, Artificial Intelligence, and in special category “BRICS Friends: on the way to sustainable development” were selected by the International Jury and invited to Moscow for the Award Ceremony of the BRICS Women’s Startups Contest 2024.
The Award Ceremony, attended by Sergey Ryabkov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sherpa of Russia in BRICS; Sergei Katyrin, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, started with the opening remarks by Anna Nesterova.
“Our task is to help the winners of the first BRICS Women’s Startups Contest scale innovative and socially demanded startups,” – said Global Chairperson of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance. “The ecosystem of the BRICS WBA will help to attract financing, enter new markets and implement joint multilateral projects”.
BRICS WBA Russia Chapter prepared a printed Compendium of the best women’s startups, which was handed over by Anna Nesterova, Global Chairperson of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance, to Sergey Ryabkov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sherpa of Russia in BRICS, in a solemn ceremony.
The official Award Ceremony was followed by a Gala Concert, where guests immersed themselves in the diverse and vibrant culture of Russia, experiencing traditional culinary delights and customs.
