HomeResearch & Knowledgeback to HomeEntrepreneurshipback to Research & KnowledgeRede Mulher Empreendedora: Navigating mission integrity and financial sustainabilityback to Entrepreneurship

Case Study

Rede Mulher Empreendedora: Navigating mission integrity and financial sustainability

By Vanina Farber, María Helena Jaén, Jose Mello, Lilian de Miranda, Patricia Araripe, Peter Munk Laursen and Rabia Chishti

13 pages

November 2024

Order this case study

Reference: IMD-7-2613

The case focuses on Rede Mulher Empreendedora (RME), Brazil’s largest support platform for female entrepreneurship, and its founder, Ana Fontes. Founded in 2010, RME had grown into a significant network by 2023, impacting the livelihoods of over 12 million women in Brazil, a country with substantial gender disparities. The platform offers initiatives to empower women economically and provides knowledge and tailored content to help them manage their businesses and navigate Brazil’s entrepreneurial landscape. By 2023, RME was at a critical juncture. Although RME had clear objectives to empower women, there was uncertainty about how each initiative contributed to its mission. Financially, RME experienced a dramatic shift: In 2022, it raised US$6 million, but in 2023, fundraising efforts dropped to US$2.6 million – a 57% decrease. This decline exposed RME’s heavy reliance on corporate philanthropy, from organizations like Google.org, Visa and the Mapfre Foundation, which constituted 80% of its income. The remaining 20% of revenue came from projects funded by RME’s partners, which proved inadequate to sustain the organization’s ambitious goals. Besides, in 2023, the fundraising campaign fell far short of expectations. Reduced funds meant that new projects were postponed, and existing initiatives faced the threat of being scaled back. Fontes must ensure financial sustainability, identify new revenue streams and reduce dependence on philanthropy while staying true to RME´s mission. Her goal is to achieve self-sustainability while continuing to fulfill the mission. This involves analyzing whether RME should pivot to a for-profit enterprise, remain a non-profit or adopt a hybrid approach to balance its social impact with financial viability. Students must put themselves in Ana’s shoes and evaluate the potential benefits and trade-offs of these models to determine the best path forward.

Learning Objective

Evaluate trade-offs, opportunities and challenges for social enterprises balancing financial sustainability and mission alignment.
Assess the transition from non-profit to for-profit models, considering stakeholder perspectives and impact on mission and effectiveness.
Propose a business model that ensures mission alignment and financial sustainability, incorporating stakeholder viewpoints.
Use AI tools responsibly, integrating AI-generated information with human insights to analyze benefits, risks, biases and limitations.

Keywords

Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, Financial Sustainability, Business Model Transformation, Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, Women Empowerment, Poverty Elimination, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Decent Work Conditions, Economic Growth, Reduced Inequalities

Settings

Latin America, Brazil
Rede Mulher Empreendedora, Services
2023

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

Related material

Teaching note

IMD case studies are distributed through case clearing houses. In order to browse the collection and purchase copies please visit the links below.

The Case Centre

Cranfield University

Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]

Harvard Business School Publishing

60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]

Asia Pacific Case Center

NUCB Business School

1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]

IMD retains all proprietary interests in its case studies and notes. Without prior written permission, IMD cases and notes may not be reproduced, used, translated, included in books or other publications, distributed in any form or by any means, stored in a database or in other retrieval systems. For additional copyright information related to case studies, please contact Case Services.

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Keep reading

Article

From pledge to performance: using design thinking to achieve sustainability goals

How business design thinking can transform sustainability strategies into actionable plans.

Business Transformation Innovation Organizational Change Strategy Sustainability

By Morten B. Pedersen and Jan van der Kaaij

in I by IMD

Article

Using integrated reporting as an industry disruptor

Many companies treat sustainability reporting purely as an add-on to financial reporting. Here's how to use it to disrupt your industry to your advantage. Many companies treat sustainability reporting purely as an add-on to financial reporting. He...

Entrepreneurship through acquisition: Vanessa Monestel’s search fund

GENEVA (SWITZERLAND), OCTOBER 2023. Vanessa Monestel was ecstatic. a day earlier, she had just signed the letter of intent (LOI) to acquire an Amsterdam-based fashion company. This was the culmination of her 18-month search for a company to acquir...

Entrepreneurship Finance Strategy

By Benoit F. Leleux, Joseph Kovacs, Kristel Rouiller, Sebastien Braun and Thierry Meouchi

Article

Trust as a platform for ESG governance and competitive advantage

Vital to trade and commerce throughout history, trust is more important than ever in the age of global warming and artificial intelligence.

Sustainability

By Salvatore Cantale, Jean-Jacques de Dardel and Hongyu Overlack Li

in I by IMD

Case Study

Entrepreneurship through acquisition: Sébastien Perroud and the IAR Group

GENEVA (SWITZERLAND), AUGUST 2021. There was a lot at stake for Sébastien. This was the culmination of his 18-month NCA supported search journey to find a company to acquire. Instead of a single target, he was now faced with the prospect of acquir...

Entrepreneurship Finance Strategy

By Benoit F. Leleux, Dominik Hanslin, Iuliia Mordacheva, Matthias Rey and Frank Schuster

Case Study

Rede Mulher Empreendedora: Navigating mission integrity and financial sustainability

Entrepreneurship Sustainability Diversity and Equity and Inclusion

By Vanina Farber, María Helena Jaén, Jose Mello, Lilian de Miranda, Patricia Araripe, Peter Munk Laursen and Rabia Chishti

Case Study

Not so black and white: Grupo Inca’s black alpaca dilemma (B)

Social Innovation Business Ethics Sustainability

By Vanina Farber, Carolina Duran Silva, Baris Silahcioglu, Hugo ten Zijthoff and Shih-Han Huang

Case Study

Not so black and white: Grupo Inca’s black alpaca dilemma (A)

Grupo Inca, a conglomerate that owned Peru’s leading textile business with a long history of working with alpaca fleece, was at a crossroads regarding the conservation and commercialization of black alpaca fiber. Historically, black alpacas were a...

Social Innovation Business Ethics Sustainability

By Vanina Farber, Carolina Duran Silva, Baris Silahcioglu, Hugo ten Zijthoff and Shih-Han Huang

Article

How should businesses talk about climate change?

Corporate messages about the climate crisis can evoke feelings of helplessness. In contrast, life-affirming, empowering narratives can be more effective drivers of sustainability.

Pasona: Well-being through regional revitalization

Pasona Group, a Japan-based human resources company, is committed to driving social change through business and supporting individuals to find "ikigai” (fulfillment) through work. The company has promoted flexible work and equitable workplaces and...

Social Innovation Diversity and Equity and Inclusion Sustainability

By Alyson Meister and Naoko Jinjo

From pledge to performance: using design thinking to achieve sustainability goals

By Morten B. Pedersen and Jan van der Kaaij
in I by IMD

Summary

How business design thinking can transform sustainability strategies into actionable plans.

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Business Transformation

Innovation

Organizational Change

Strategy

Sustainability

Browse all topics

Entrepreneurship through acquisition: Vanessa Monestel’s search fund

By Benoit F. Leleux Joseph Kovacs Kristel Rouiller Sebastien Braun and Thierry Meouchi
Case reference: IMD-7-2514 ©2024

Summary

Reference IMD-7-2514

Organization Novastone Capital Advisors

Industry Finance and Insurance, Private Equity

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Entrepreneurship

Finance

Strategy

Browse all topics

Entrepreneurship through acquisition: Sébastien Perroud and the IAR Group

By Benoit F. Leleux Dominik Hanslin Iuliia Mordacheva Matthias Rey and Frank Schuster
Case reference: IMD-7-2515 ©2024

Summary

Reference IMD-7-2515

Organization IAR Group

Industry Finance and Insurance, Private Equity

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Entrepreneurship

Finance

Strategy

Browse all topics

Rede Mulher Empreendedora: Navigating mission integrity and financial sustainability

By Vanina Farber María Helena Jaén Jose Mello Lilian de Miranda Patricia Araripe Peter Munk Laursen and Rabia Chishti
Case reference: IMD-7-2613 ©2024

Summary

Reference IMD-7-2613

Organization Rede Mulher Empreendedora

Industry Services

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Entrepreneurship

Sustainability

Diversity and Equity and Inclusion

Browse all topics

Not so black and white: Grupo Inca’s black alpaca dilemma (B)

By Vanina Farber Carolina Duran Silva Baris Silahcioglu Hugo ten Zijthoff and Shih-Han Huang
Case reference: IMD-7-2610 ©2024

Summary

Picking up where Case A ends, Case B reveals that Grupo Inca decided to innovate internally and develop a new fabric from the rare black alpaca fiber. After nearly three years of effort, the Inoue brothers’ dream of creating a luxury collection from undyed black alpaca fiber became a reality. The collaboration between the Inoue brothers, Incalpaca TPX and Pacomarca research center led to the launch of the first Natural Black Alpaca Collection in Tokyo in 2015. Despite the success, the supply of black alpaca fiber remained limited, which prompted Grupo Inca to broaden its black alpaca program and launch a selective breeding initiative to increase the population of these animals. The number of black alpacas steadily grew, and in 2019, KUNA, Incalpaca TPX’s luxury clothing brand launched its own new black alpaca collection. The question for Grupo Inca now was whether it could develop a commercially viable yet sustainable long-term strategy that preserved Peru’s rich alpaca heritage and continued to innovate. Should it pursue commercialization, continue a niche premium product strategy or partner in a wider coalition with NGOs and government? Instructors can use Case B to teach about future readiness or as a reveal for the dilemma in case A. Case B touches upon Grupo Inca’s decision, its efforts to bring black alpaca fiber to market and the consequences this has on the rest of the organization and the alpaca industry.

Reference IMD-7-2610

Organization Grupo Inca

Industry Manufacturing, Textile

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Social Innovation

Business Ethics

Sustainability

Browse all topics