Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity Facility

Share

In 2014, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women partnered with International Finance Corporation (IFC) to establish the Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity Facility (WEOF), the first-of-its-kind venture to support entrepreneurs and SMEs in developing countries and emerging markets around the world.

Leveraging the resources, reach, and expertise of IFC and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women, WEOF was created to expand and deepen financing for SMEs in developing countries, empower entrepreneurs through access to capital and expertise, and demonstrate the commercial viability of investing in emerging entrepreneurs by attracting external investors.

WEOF Impact
$3.17 billion invested in financial institutions for entrepreneurs – more than five times the initial goal of $600 million. This funding contributed to a $8.2bn increase in volume of loans on-lent by financial institutions to SMEs.
Reached over 267,000 SMEs, beating our 100,000 goal
Invested in 107 financial institutions across 59 countries
$965 million mobilized from external investors
As a result of WEOF, financial institutions increased the total number and value of loans to women SMEs*.

*Substantiated by “A Decade of Innovation, Investment, and Impact” report page 12 

Impact Report
A Decade of Innovation, Investment, and Impact
The launch of the final WEOF impact report in September 2025 is a milestone moment marking over a decade of impact through the facility. WEOF has significantly surpassed its initial goals, demonstrating the commercial viability and substantial impact of investing in women-owned small and medium enterprises (WSMEs).
Read Report
poster
10,000 WomenExplore More