BigCat Research

Entrepreneurship Pioneers: Women Entrepreneurship and Digital ROI

We tracked the integration processes and skill transformations of women entrepreneurs into the digital world. We reported the effects of training on economic efficiency and employment capacity with concrete data.

Client / partners: Alarko Holding, Habitat Association

Year: 2024

Project type: Economic Impact Analysis

Status: Completed

Project impact: Digitalization in women's economy and increase in entrepreneurship index.

Background from public sources

Programme and organisers

Entrepreneurship Pioneers (Girişim Öncüleri) is a programme for women entrepreneurs launched in 2023 by the Alarko Group of Companies together with Habitat Association (Habitat Derneği). It combines theoretical and practical training, mentoring and grant support. Training topics include digital marketing, use of digital tools, design thinking, financial literacy, branding, entrepreneurship skills and the steps for setting up a cooperative.[1]

The 2024 grant round

The grant programme announced in October 2024 gave priority to entrepreneurs in the earthquake-affected region. Completing the digital marketing training was a prerequisite for applying. Pre-screening considered project fit, registration with the Chamber of Tradesmen and Craftsmen, and whether the applicant ran a sole proprietorship or a company. The plan was to provide mentoring to 20 successful applicants and, after mentoring and jury review, grants totalling TRY 600,000 to 10 of them. Applications were open until 30 October 2024.[1]

Award ceremony and reach

At a ceremony held in January 2025 at Alarko Holding's head office in Ortaköy, Istanbul, 12 ventures selected by a jury of business and civil society professionals received grants. The grantees are based in Istanbul, Hatay, Diyarbakır, Denizli, Ankara and Rize and work in fields such as climate, health, technology, agriculture and food, textiles, tourism, cosmetics, e-commerce and recycled furniture. According to press reports, 1,700 women entrepreneurs had taken part by then, with 220 hours of training delivered in total.[2][3]

Impact measurement

According to the January 2025 report, the social impact reports covering the programme's first two years put its social return on investment (SROI) at 2.77. In March 2025, women entrepreneurs who had received grants in the 2023-2024 period met at Alarko Holding; the same announcement said that training in financial management, e-export, brand identity creation and AI-supported digital marketing would be added for the 2025 period.[2][3]

Sources

  1. Capital, Kadın girişimciler için hibe destek programı, 2024-10-14. Accessed 2026-10-15
  2. Ekonomim, Kadın girişimcilere Alarko'dan ödül, 2025-01-27. Accessed 2026-10-15
  3. Gazete Vatan (AA), Alarko Holding Dünya Kadınlar Günü'nde kadın girişimcilerle buluştu, 2025-03-08. Accessed 2026-10-15