In the May edition of the Glass Hammer, participants in Goldman Sachs’ second annual 10,000 Women Growth Fellowship reflect on their entrepreneurial journeys, and Asahi Pompey, global head of Corporate Engagement, shares why supporting women entrepreneurs is of the utmost importance to the firm.

In addition, Goldman Sachs women vice presidents and associates selected to be 10,000 Women champions – serving as mentors to the Growth Fellows – discuss why they wanted to become involved in the program. 

Learn more about Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program, a global initiative that fosters economic growth by providing women entrepreneurs around the world with a business and management education, mentoring and networking, and access to capital.

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10,000 Women Growth Fellows – entrepreneurs who previously participated in the 10,000 Women program and who were selected to participate in a series of training, networking and coaching sessions with senior leaders across Goldman Sachs – shared their experiences building businesses from the ground up and challenges they’ve overcome:

Amanda Obidike, founder of STEMi Makers Africa from Nigeria: “I come from a community where women are afraid to dream, they are afraid to excel. From this background, it has been a challenge – sometimes you don’t get the same types of partnerships, or opportunities because people ask, ‘how are you, as a woman, managing this organization?’ Amidst these hurdles, I’ve learned resilience, I’ve always learned to knock again when a door is shut.”

Raquel Molina, founder of Futuriste Tecnologia from Brazil: “I have always done things that were considered ‘for boys.’ When I began in the drone field and started Futuriste Tecnologia, people were surprised to receive information about drones from a woman. In situations where we are questioned about our expertise, we need to keep calm, share our knowledge and show that we are experts. Slowly but surely, people are beginning to understand the importance of women in the workplace.”

“When we provide tools to women entrepreneurs, we’re not only helping to elevate their business, we’re also elevating their communities,” said Asahi Pompey, global head of Corporate Engagement. “Goldman Sachs is proud to have supported more than 10,000 women throughout the world – and countless communities – since the program’s inception in 2008.”

Goldman Sachs women serving as 10,000 Women champions, a role in which they serve as mentors supporting the entrepreneurs throughout their fellowship, shared why they were driven to participate in the program:

• Wendy Emali, Risk Division, Dallas: “I grew up in Kenya, where many of these 10,000 Women graduates are from. I empathize with their stories, many of them who have very difficult pasts but very bright futures. When a woman thrives, her community thrives, her family thrives, the economy thrives. All it takes is to give them support.”
• Rebecca Simon, Investment Banking Division, New York: “When you’re in the very early days of building a business, you have to wear a lot of different hats. The best part of that is how much you learn. You learn all of the factual things that may be required of your business or your industry, but you also learn invaluable skills, such as rallying people around your vision and staying grounded when things feel bigger than you can manage. These are all things our Growth Fellows excel at and are things we can learn from them.”
• Georgia Weeks, Global Markets Division, Sydney: “I thoroughly enjoy building relationships with other commercially-minded women and sharing my experience and insights. Not only is it important to me for women to be financially independent, but to really pursue something that you love. Not so long ago, I became a single mother when my son was only a couple months old. I cannot tell you how lucky I was, to be in a position where I could not only stand on my own two feet, I could support the two of us, but I could get out of bed and do something that I love.”
• Lara Tijani, Internal Audit Division, London: “Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, entrepreneurship is a way of life. But like many other countries in the world, women are underrepresented and disproportionately impacted, with limited access to funding and gender bias. Programs such as 10,000 Women can help change this.”

Learn more about the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program.