Each year, more women find in entrepreneurship a way to build their careers and transform their lives. In Brazil, one of the engines of this movement is the junior companies, formed by university students who offer consulting services at affordable prices. These organizations open doors for young women to develop their skills and stand out in the job market
There is currently 1.612 junior companies in more than 361 Brazilian universities. These non-profit organizations offer services at reduced prices, charging only what is necessary to cover administrative and training costs. This facilitates access to entrepreneurship and prepares students for the job market, developing management skills, teamwork, leadership and problem solving
Support for female entrepreneurship
Data from Sebrae in 2023 indicates that women already represent 34% of business owners in the country and are responsible for 48% of new businesses started in recent years. These numbers highlight the importance of initiatives like junior companies, that support female entrepreneurship
In the Junior Enterprise Movement, female participation is significant. In Brazil Junior, for example, what the movement represents in the country, half of the Executive Board is made up of women. Participating in a junior company has proven to be an important differentiator in the job market. According to the Movement, students involved in these organizations have an employment rate four times higher than those who do not participate
"Although there are still many challenges for women entrepreneurs", we have seen a growing number of young junior leaders committed to training themselves, "to undertake and transform your realities and that of the country", explain Elias Gabriel, executive president of Brasil Júnior. Success stories include Joice Toyota, founder of Vetor Brasil; Ianna Brandão, director of City Science at the Science Foundation, Technology and Innovation of Fortaleza; and Fernanda Amorim, community management leader at Fundação Estudar and former president of the Confederation of Junior Enterprises of Brazil
Next month, Brazil Junior holds another edition of the largest junior entrepreneurship meeting in the country, the ENEJ – National Meeting of Junior Companies, that this year will be from August 29 to September 1, in the city of Florianópolis, in Santa Catarina. The event aims to bring together more than 4,000 junior entrepreneurs from across the country to further strengthen the Junior Enterprise Movement
