E-commerce plays an important role in promoting female entrepreneurship and fostering a more inclusive business environment in Sweden, as highlighted in a new Amazon report.
Despite a record number of women-founded businesses since the early 2000s, a staggering 75% of all businesses in Sweden are still led by men. This underrepresentation is one of the most pronounced in Europe, and extends to the availability of venture capital, with just 0.5 percent of available funding going to companies founded by women.
To explore these issues further, in our latest report: Entrepreneurship for all – 10 recommendations for democratized entrepreneurship in Sweden, gathers insights from 400 small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) leaders. The report identifies the digital divide as a major barrier to equitable growth, highlights the importance of digital literacy and access to digital tools for women entrepreneurs, and explores how e-commerce can bridge this gap. We emphasize what you can do.
Based on insights from the report, we convened a roundtable discussion with a panel of more than 20 experts, business leaders, and government officials. The focus was on discussing the potential of e-commerce with the aim of strengthening the role of women as entrepreneurs and identifying viable steps towards more inclusive economic growth.
Speaking at the roundtable, Secretary of State Sarah Modig said of regulatory reform to support entrepreneurship: “An important part of maintaining Sweden's competitiveness is working to simplify regulations for businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises.As an entrepreneur myself, I spend a lot of time dealing with government contacts and administration. I now know that I could have used that time to expand my business.”
The report also provides 10 specific recommendations. These include reducing administrative burdens for entrepreneurs, improving conditions for digital trade and exports, establishing specialized entrepreneurship training within the Swedish Immigration (SFI) program, and increasing digital literacy through educational initiatives. Contains suggestions. There is also a particular focus on increasing the accessibility and efficiency of government support structures and providing targeted resources to strengthen financing for women-led businesses.
Gülfem Toger, Country Manager of Amazon Sweden, said: “Amazon aims to create more opportunities for women entrepreneurs. A level playing field not only benefits entrepreneurs and the economy, but also creates new and exciting opportunities. It will also benefit customers who have access to the product.”
Below is a complete list of recommendations from the report to achieve more inclusive and equitable economic growth.
- We are committed to an ambitious trade and export policy that provides good conditions for companies to grow and export, through digitalization and e-commerce, and through a strong internal EU market where companies can scale up.
- Reforms to strengthen competitiveness – Expansion of R&D deductions for corporate digitalization.
- make Verksamt.se We provide one-stop business regulation and financing support, reducing the administrative burden for entrepreneurs.
- Add courses in personal finance, savings and entrepreneurship within the framework of personal choice in high school.
- Establish SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) educational content for participants who want to learn more about entrepreneurship, digitalization, and e-commerce.
- Establish UF (Young Enterprise) educational content that provides knowledge about digital tools.
- Target specific efforts to strengthen financing for women-led businesses.
- Establish an incubator with a special focus on women's entrepreneurship.
- Let me Aluminum Together with our pitch coach, we help prepare entrepreneurs seeking investment.
- Reduce employer contributions and self-employment taxes for small business owners.
