Celebrating Seven Years of Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: GroYourBiz and the WEEmpower UN SDG Challenge

Quick Summary: This blog post celebrates GroYourBiz’s 7-year partnership with the WE Empower UN SDG Challenge—an initiative that honors women entrepreneurs making significant global impacts through their businesses. It introduces the 2025 awardees from across the world, dives into the mission both organizations share, and invites you to attend the empowering WE Empower Pitch Night. If you believe in women-led innovation and sustainable leadership, you’re in the right place.

What an honour it is to continue our partnership with the WE Empower UN SDG Challenge for the seventh consecutive year. Since 2018, GroYourBiz has been proud to stand alongside this groundbreaking initiative, and watching it grow has been nothing short of inspiring.

The WE Empower UN SDG Challenge is the first-of-its-kind global business competition for women entrepreneurs who are advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals and inspiring entire communities to act to create the world we want by 2030. Think about that for a moment–women around the world are literally changing how we solve our biggest challenges.

This resonates deeply with our vision at GroYourBiz.GroYourBiz has a direct impact on the economic growth and empowerment of women around the world by enabling and developing small and medium-sized businesses. When women entrepreneurs succeed, entire communities thrive. It’s the ripple effect we see every day in our peer-to-peer advisory boards

Meet the 2025 WE Empower Awardees

This year’s five awardees are absolute powerhouses, and we are thrilled to share that each will be welcomed into the GroYourBiz community with an invitation to join one of our advisory boards.

  • North America & Europe | Iceland – Gudny Nielsen, Founder & CEO of Katla Carbon, helping companies meet net-zero goals while delivering climate action to marginalized communities. 
  • Asia Pacific | India – Monika Shukla, Co-Founder & CEO of Humble Bee, driving women-led entrepreneurship and climate resilience through scientific beekeeping.  
  • Sub-Saharan Africa | Senegal – Juveline Ngum, Founder & CEO of BleagLee, turning waste into opportunity with AI-driven recycling technologies.  
  • Latin America & Caribbean | Panama – Jessica Jacob, Founder & CEO of Sureco and Partners, mobilizing climate finance for inclusive, gender-equitable sustainability projects.  

Learn more about the WE Empower UN SDG Challenge and each of the Awardees HERE 

The Perfect Partnership 

The parallels between GroYourBiz and WE Empower are striking. Both programs recognize that women entrepreneurs don’t need to go it alone. We both provide professionally facilitated environments where women can share challenges, celebrate wins, and push each other toward bigger goals. 

The WE Empower Challenge provides awardees with capacity-building training sessions and opportunities to connect with an unparalleled global network to advance their enterprises. Sound familiar? That’s exactly what our peer advisory boards do every month – create space for collective wisdom, accountability, and genuine support. 

These women are solving complex global challenges while building sustainable businesses. They understand what our GroYourBiz members know well – that running a business can be daunting and lonely. Having a supportive community makes all the difference. 

Join Us for the Pitch Night 

Here’s your chance to see these remarkable entrepreneurs in action. Join the WE Empower 2025 Pitch Night on Tuesday, September 23, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM EST. You can attend in person at DVF Studio in New York or join virtually. 

Thanks to Diane von Furstenberg for generously hosting this incredible evening. You’ll hear live pitches from all five awardees and get to vote for the winner. Networking starts at 6:00 PM EST, with pitches beginning at 6:30 PM EST. 

This isn’t just about celebrating these five women – though they absolutely deserve it. It’s about recognizing the valuable contribution women entrepreneurs make toward solving the world’s greatest challenges. It’s about seeing what’s possible when we support each other’s growth. 

Ready to be inspired?   RSVP here 

Join us for what promises to be an unforgettable evening. 

Because at GroYourBiz, we know that when women entrepreneurs succeed, we all win. And that’s exactly the kind of world we’re working toward by 2030. 

Experience the Power of Peer Advisory Groups

At GroYourBiz, we offer the gift of Empowering Dreams. You can’t buy happiness but you can support someone’s dreams, and that’s kind of the same thing!  Give a gift to a daughter, a special client, a friend… it’s endless who could benefit.

We know when women grow their business, good things happen!  The GroYourBiz Holiday Promotion*, includes:

*Limited time offer for first-time members. Expires December 31, 2024. To be paid-in-full at time of registration.

Ready to create your 2025 roadmap? Experience a free trial of “A Taste of GroYourBiz” and see how a peer advisory board can help you stay on track, no matter the challenges ahead. Sign up here.

Let’s make this the year your goals truly take flight.

About GroYourBiz

What Is GroYourBiz?

Your very own peer-to-peer board of advisors.

Running a business is no small feat. It’s a wild ride full of big dreams, tough decisions, and lonely moments. That’s why GroYourBiz was created—to bring strategic guidance, community, and accountability to women entrepreneurs navigating their growth journeys.

Here’s what you’ll get with GroYourBiz:

  • Monthly, professionally facilitated advisory board meetings

  • A safe, confidential space to share and solve business challenges

  • Access to a global network of like-minded leaders and experts

  • Fresh perspectives and actionable solutions

  • Marketing ideas and business growth opportunities

  • Expert speakers, mentorship, and trusted advisors

Whether you’re scaling up, pivoting, or starting fresh—GroYourBiz is your support system to lead boldly and grow smart.

Contributing writer: Prowl Communications