Top 9 Communities in Singapore for Female Founders and Business Women

Written by Lydia Koh

According to the World Economic Forum’s 2020 Gender Gap report, it will take 257 years to close the economic participation gap. In the spirit of empowering women and in celebration of International Women’s Day, here’s a look at the companies and communities in Singapore that seek to close the gap.

Three women having a casual meeting

Photo by CoWomen on Unsplash

Women’s Register
Women’s Register (WR) was launched in 2007 by Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Singapore’s former Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS). It was founded to reach, inspire, and lead women with the goal to help guide their growing influence. Today, it is a platform for networking, education, and inspiration.

Women’s Register regularly partners with industry players to organize events to empower women and enable them to achieve greater salaries, career development, and work-life balance arrangements.

Singapore Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Association
The Singapore Business and Professional Women’s Association is an organization helmed by influential women leaders, entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals. Their focus is on developing a strong community of female business professionals by providing valuable international networks and skills training around topics such as career development and entrepreneurship.

Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s (SCCCI) Career Women’s Group
The SCCCI Career Women’s Group (CWG) is a networking platform for female professionals. Throughout the year, CWG organizes talks to educate women, business events with other international women’s networks, and provides networking opportunities. CWG also arranges international delegations for women to explore business opportunities in other countries while hosting women’s networks visiting Singapore.

Join their Facebook page for the latest updates!

She1K
She1K is the world’s first private global corporate network and collective fund for executive women, providing the chance for corporate women to interact with startups. It was founded in Singapore in 2018 and focuses on networking opportunities in the angel investing and startup space.

She1K holds its WomenChangemakers event in Singapore and around Asia. It provides a platform for C-level women executives to talk candidly about their biggest personal challenges, and the impact it made on their lives.

She Loves Data

The Singapore-headquartered social enterprise, She Loves Data, inspires women to become active contributors in an increasingly data-driven world. She Loves Data organizes events and workshops that help more women become data-literate. The organization also provides mentorship, helps the development of soft skills, and offers plenty of networking opportunities.

Lean In Singapore: Women in Tech Circle
Women In Tech Singapore is one of the more prominent circles within the Lean In Singapore chapter, a global non-profit organization and online community to help women achieve their goals.

Women In Tech Singapore aims to inspire and support women to consider a future in the field of technology. The goal of the organization is to encourage women to help each other by providing a platform for female leaders to give back. The group’s flagship event is the annual Women In Tech Conference, a thought leadership conference uniting Asia’s leading innovators to celebrate diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Join their Facebook group to get updates!

WeConnect International
WEConnect International in Singapore opens doors to new business opportunities for female business owners. Led by corporate members, it certifies firms in Singapore that are at least 51% owned, managed and controlled by women. The organization partners with corporations, associations, governments, and female entrepreneurs, and is part of a global certification network for women-owned enterprises.

Singapore Female Founders
Singapore Female Founders is a Facebook community group connecting women to support each other and make things happen together. The group regularly curates articles, posts, and events that benefit female founders.

TEDxSingaporeWomen
TEDxSingaporeWomen and TEDxSingapore bring people together to seek a deeper understanding of ourselves and our world, and to inspire ideas and action for a better future. The community was founded in April 2009 and is a platform to express ideas, celebrate possibilities, and to inspire millions of people around the world and in Singapore.

SheSays Singapore
SheSays Singapore is an organization that runs free events and provides mentorship for women in the digital, creative, marketing and communications industry. The organization’s goal is to see more women at the top.