As the number of women entrepreneurs increases globally, more women-owned business are able to scale and grow their income, giving them greater wealth. Research by The Economist Intelligence Unit commissioned by RBC Wealth Management found that among 1,051 high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), 27% of women report having at least US$5 million in investable assets compared to 22% of men.

As women gain greater wealth, many are allocating their resources to impact their communities. For example, research reveals that more women than men believe it is important for their business to make both a positive economic (71% women vs. 67% men) and charitable (72% women vs. 65% men) impact on the communities in which they operate.” As women gain a greater portion of wealth, more opportunities exist to identify the ways in which women are leveraging their financial power for sustainable business – and potential patterns of interests and behavior.

UN Women and the Academy for Women's Empowerment organized a roundtable with the participation of a select group of diverse women entrepreneurs and representatives from the financial community in Minneapolis and St Paul. The event has the following objectives:

1. Identify if and how women business owners in the Twin Cities are conducting responsible business;
2. Identify areas in which local women business owners want to amplify their social impact or influence the business community;
3. Raise awareness of women entrepreneurs about the Women’s Empowerment Principles and how they can be leveraged by women business owners to drive gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community;
4. Facilitate networking and an exchange of good practices on how to use women’s financial power to promote women entrepreneurs