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Ladies and Gentlemen..
..her Royal Highness Princess Máxima and I are grateful for the opportunity to..
...address this conference today.
Because womens entrepreneurship..
..makes more than simply business sense.
It makes economic sense.
We need entrepreneurs to create jobs and income in Europe...
...we need entrepreneus to strengthen our economies.
We need entrepreneurs to find new solutions...
...to pressing challenges like demographic ageing and climate change.
We need your skills...
...passion and commitment.
That's why we must not resign ourselves to the fact that only 30 percent...
...of entrepreneurs in Europe are women.
Nor, that men are outgrowing their female competitors.
Because the larger the company...
...the less likely it is to be owned by a women.
So, women entrepreneurs, you need to close this gender gap!
I couldn't agree more, Minister.
In the in the Netherlands, SME's employ fifty-six percent...
...of our labour force.
There are an engine for growth and jobs.
Ninety percent of our SME's are very small, with fewer than ten employees.
What we need is more fast growing companies...
..and here, woman entrepreneurs...
...are lagging behind.
We see too few fast groing companies led by women.
So the question, Minister, is:...
...how can we encourage more women not only to start their own businesses but also...
...to keep them growing.
In my work, both for the United Nations and here in the Netherlands...
I have seen the access to finance is crucial.
This it is true for all entrepreneurs.
Yet, women entrepreneurs...
...seem to face particular obstacles.
For instance, they take out fewer loans than men.
And when they do so, they borrow less.
Is this a good thing...
...or a bad thing?
It is both.
On the one hand, women are more careful; which is good...
...but risk taking is an integral part of entrepreneurship.
And women are less prone to taking risks.
As a result, women entrepreneurs...
...make less profit...
because their business are both smaller and less capital-intensive.
So women entrepreneurs...
...need to be encouraged to take more...
...calculated risks...
...and this requires better access to finance.
But how can we help ?
Women entrepreneurs I have met have everything it takes to succeed.
They are innovative,...
...ambitious and highly educated.
Yet, I rarely meet women leading fast growing companies.
This is why the Netherlands is participating in the European Union's mentoring scheme...
...for women entrepreneurs.
Sixteen successful entrepreneurs are now mentoring thirthy women...
...to help them grow their businesses.
In the Netherlands...
...we have called this program...
...'we keep on growing'.
And I was delighted...
...to be able to launch it together with you last January...
...your Royal Highness.
To me, the most important thing about this program...
... is that it recognizes that success...
...does not only depend on access to finance.
It is equally important that entrepreneurs have good business ideas...
...healthy finance plans and real growth prospects.
And that is where a mentor or coach can make all the difference.
A coach...
...can help you write a sorted business plan...
...ask the right questions...
...focus...
...set priorities; think big...
...and help you obtain the finance you need.
A coach can also help boost your self-confidence...
...confirm that you're on the right path...
...challenge you to move forward...
...and introduce you to other people who can help.
So my message to entrepreneurs is:...
...finance is important...
...but becoming a successful entrepreneur...
...requires much more.
And coaching can play an important role.
I fully agree.
A coach can also help women expand their networks...
...which is a good thing...
...because women entrepreneurs are underrepresented in business networks.
And if potential investors don't know you...
...how likely are they to invest in your company?
That's why i'm currently supporting 'Pitch Events'...
...for a total of five hundred entrepreneurs and investors.
And the concept is simple.
Women entrepreneurs practice pitching to potential investors...
...who then provide feedback...
...and select three winners.
Both sides benefit.
The investors get to know talented women...
...and the women improve the presentation skills and expand their networks.
And doing so...
...they get better access to capital.
And it works!
Surgeon Marlies Schijven just won a forty- thousand Euro prize from Vodafone...
...after winning a pitch event.
And she can now develop her 'Hospitality app'...
...for smartphones..
...which helps guide people through their hospital appointments.
Ladies and Gentlemen...
It's exciting to hear about initiatives like these.
There is so much going on.
I want to commend the European Eommission for organizing...
...this conference. And you...
...for taking part...
...because by exchanging best practices and by being open about what works...
...and what doesn't...
...we can make sure that more women start and grow their own businesses.
I hope that today's discussions...
...will inspire you to just do it.