ICSB Paris 2025: Breaking Down Barriers for Women Entrepreneurs
A groundbreaking ICSB Signature Event in Paris is set to transform the landscape of women’s entrepreneurship.
The International Council for Small Business (ICSB) is preparing to host one of its most significant events of 2025 – a two-day signature conference in Paris focused on “Removing Barriers to Entrepreneurship by Women.” Scheduled for November 3-4, 2025, at the prestigious OECD Conference Centre, this event promises to be a watershed moment for addressing the systemic challenges that continue to limit women’s participation in entrepreneurship globally.
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The Challenge: Untapped Potential in Women’s Entrepreneurship
Despite remarkable progress in recent decades, women entrepreneurs still face significant underrepresentation in the global business landscape. In OECD countries, women were about 75% as likely as men to be starting or managing a new business during the period 2019-23. This gap represents not just missed opportunities for individual women but untapped potential for innovation and economic growth that could benefit entire economies.
The Paris conference recognizes that more women are starting businesses, driving innovation and growth in the global economy, yet persistent barriers continue to limit their full participation. The event will address these challenges head-on, exploring comprehensive solutions across multiple dimensions, including attitudes and culture, skills development, networking opportunities, access to finance, and regulatory frameworks.
A Comprehensive Agenda for Change
Day One: Policy and High-Level Leadership
The first day of the conference will bring together an impressive lineup of policymakers, successful women entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurship support organizations. The morning will feature the launch of a new OECD report titled “Entrepreneurship Policies through a Gender Lens,” led by the Head of Entrepreneurship Policy Unit at OECD, Jonathan Potter, providing fresh insights and evidence-based recommendations for governments and private sector organizations.
One of the most anticipated sessions is the high-level panel featuring women Presidents and CEOs from around the world. This “Global Tour-de-Table” session, chaired by Camille Burns of the Women Presidents Organization and Dr. Ayman ElTarabishy, ICSB’s President & CEO, will offer candid insights into the opportunities and challenges of leading and scaling businesses in today’s dynamic global landscape.
The afternoon will shift focus to digital entrepreneurship, with dedicated sessions exploring how women entrepreneurs can better navigate and benefit from the digital transition. This includes discussions on access to digital infrastructure, skills development, and the creation of inclusive innovation ecosystems.
Day Two: Research and Innovation
The second day transforms into a research-intensive program with parallel tracks focusing on academic presentations and practical workshops. Three dedicated research paper sessions will present cutting-edge findings on barriers faced by women in entrepreneurship. At the same time, interactive workshops will showcase innovative programs and training models from around the world.
The day concludes with a unique site visit to Station F, described as the world’s largest startup campus and home to the largest AI startup community in Europe. This visit will provide participants with a firsthand look at how bold vision and execution can reshape entire innovation ecosystems.
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Four Pillars for Transformation
The ICSB Paris event is built around four fundamental pillars designed to create lasting change:
Leadership Development: Developing agile business leaders through strategic investment in education, mentorship, and comprehensive capacity-building programs.
Innovation and Technology: Equipping women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with the tools and resources needed to innovate, adopt new technologies, and remain competitive in rapidly evolving markets.
Network Strengthening: Building robust local and global support networks for women entrepreneurs, including improved policy frameworks, stronger financial systems, and strategic partnerships.
Financial Access: Ensuring women MSMEs have access to appropriate financial instruments, both public and private, to scale their operations, drive innovation, and assume leadership roles in their industries.
Global Collaboration and Research Opportunities
The conference also serves as a call for high-quality research submissions, with accepted papers being considered for publication in the Journal of the International Council for Small Business (JICSB). The event aligns with ICSB’s mission to empower MSMEs worldwide through cutting-edge research and practical insights.
Research submissions are welcomed across five core areas that reflect the conference’s comprehensive approach to addressing barriers in women’s entrepreneurship. The emphasis is on empirical research, case studies, applied programs, and policy analyses that offer scalable and actionable solutions.
Distinguished Leadership
The conference will be led by prominent figures in entrepreneurship and policy, including Dr. Ayman ElTarabishy, ICSB’s President & CEO and Professor at GW School of Business, Dr. Jonathan Potter, Head of the Entrepreneurship Policy Unit at OECD, and Camille Burns, CEO of the Women Presidents Organization. Additional leadership includes ICSB Board Members Dr. Rita Grant and Dr. Rico Baldegger, ensuring a diverse range of perspectives and expertise.
Looking Toward the Future
Perhaps most importantly, the Paris conference is designed not just as a one-time event but as a catalyst for ongoing change. The program includes dedicated time for participants to identify priority topics for future work by the OECD, ICSB, and other organizations supporting women’s entrepreneurship. This collaborative approach ensures that the insights and connections made during the conference will continue to drive progress long after the event concludes.
A Call to Action
The ICSB Paris 2025 conference represents more than just another business gathering – it’s a strategic initiative to unlock the tremendous potential of women entrepreneurs worldwide. By bringing together policymakers, successful business leaders, researchers, and support organizations, the event aims to create actionable solutions that can be implemented across different markets and cultures.
For organizations and individuals committed to creating more inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems, the Paris conference offers an unparalleled opportunity to contribute to meaningful change. As the global economy continues to evolve, ensuring that women entrepreneurs have equal access to opportunities, resources, and support systems isn’t just a matter of fairness – it’s an economic imperative that will benefit everyone.
The countdown to November 3-4, 2025, has begun. For those ready to be part of this transformative movement, the ICSB Paris conference promises to be an investment in not just individual growth but in the future of global entrepreneurship itself.
