The Cartier Women's Initiative has opened applications for its 2027 Regional Awards, with submissions accepted from 16 April to 16 June 2026. This program is designed for women-owned and women-led impact-driven businesses across a wide range of sectors and regions. To support applicants throughout the process, the initiative provides resources such as a detailed application guide, a scoring rubric, and virtual workshops with the program team.
Regional Categories
• Latin America and the Caribbean
• North America
• Europe
• Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa
• Anglophone and Lusophone Africa
• Middle East and North Africa
• East Asia
• South Asia and Central Asia
• Oceania
Program Benefits
Fellows, representing the top three businesses from each of the nine regions, receive support across three main areas.
• Financial Capital Support:
- USD 100,000 grant for each first-place awardee
- USD 60,000 grant for each second-place awardee
- USD 30,000 grant for each third-place awardee
• Human Capital Support: A fellowship program combining one-on-one support and collective workshops.
- Leadership communication and media training workshops
- In-person INSEAD Women's Impact Entrepreneurship Program
- One-on-one training in specific business areas
- One-on-one executive leadership coaching by The Women's Impact Alliance
• Social Capital Support: Opportunities to increase visibility and build valuable connections.
- International exposure and media visibility
- Support and mentorship from jury members during the fellowship
- Access to a lifelong community of more than 500 active members
- Continued support for the growth of fellows’ businesses
Eligibility Criteria
To be considered, applicants and their businesses must meet the following criteria:
• Positive Impact: The business must demonstrate positive impact in its industry, contribute to at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), and show potential to increase that impact as it scales.
• For-profit: The business must be a for-profit entity designed to generate revenue, although it does not need to be profitable at the time of application. Non-profits are not eligible.
• Stage: The business must have annual revenue between USD 50,000 and USD 5 million and employ between 5 and 250 team members.
• Fundraising: The business must not have raised more than USD 2 million in dilutive or potentially dilutive funding, such as equity, SAFEs, or convertible notes, as of the application date. Businesses with no external funding are also encouraged to apply.
• Leadership: The applicant must be a woman in a main leadership role, such as CEO, COO, CTO, General Manager, or Managing Director.
• Independent Entity: The business must be an original creation, not a spin-off or franchise, and must have financial and legal independence from the founder’s other activities.
• Ownership: The business must be incorporated and majority-owned by its founders and team. The applicant must be part of the founding team and own a share equal to or greater than that of any co-founder.
• Legal Entry Age: The applicant must be at least 18 years old on the application deadline of 16 June 2026.
• English Proficiency: A good command of English is required, equivalent to CEFR level B2 or above.
• Time Commitment: The applicant must be able to participate in the fellowship program from January 2027 to December 2027, including in-person and virtual sessions, and commit to reporting on impact for three years after the fellowship.
• Application: The applicant must be the sole owner of the application, and only one application per business is permitted.
Application Requirements
Applicants must complete an online application form and provide the following supporting documents:
• Compulsory Documents:
- A one-minute video explaining your motivation, the impact you aim to create, and what you hope to gain from and contribute to the community
- Your resume
- Company registration document
- Company capitalization table
- Professionally prepared or audited financial statements for the two most recent fiscal years
- A pitch deck of approximately 15 pages describing the company and its impact
• Optional Documents:
- A competitive landscape analysis
- Up to three additional attachments, such as a theory of change, impact report, product images, or media coverage
Selection Criteria
Applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:
• Impact Intentionality and Embeddedness: The founder’s motivation and the extent to which positive impact is built into the business model
• Impact Objectives and Measurement: The business’s contribution to the SDGs, the scale of its impact, and its systems for measurement and improvement
• Market Analysis and Fit: Evidence of product-market fit, competitive advantage, and growth potential
• Sustainable Business and Financial Model: Potential for profitability, scalability, customer retention, and financial soundness
• Strategy and Execution: Growth strategy, risk awareness, and systems for monitoring execution
• Team: Diversity, complementarity, relevant skills, track record, and network
• Leadership Character of the Applicant: Entrepreneurial spirit, alignment with Cartier values, and commitment to the initiative’s vision
For a full understanding of the application process, applicants should review the official materials, including the applicant guide, scoring rubric, detailed selection criteria, and full terms and conditions.