📋 Tender Overview
SME representative Gitta Connemann opens network meetings
The Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy and Federal Government Commissioner for SMEs Gitta Connemann opened the 9th network meeting of the action plan More women entrepreneurs for SMEs at the BMWE in Berlin on April 15 2026. She thanked all 50 participants in the newly launched action plan for their active commitment to improving the conditions for self-employed women and entrepreneurs.
Parliamentary State Secretary and Federal Government Commissioner for SMEs Gitta Connemann: Small businesses need independent women and entrepreneurs. Their energy. Creativity. Competence. The action plan is our tool for this. It brings players together. It brings together experience. It shows role models. It strengthens good projects. And it ensures that exchanges become concrete improvements. Our goal is clear: More female founders. More successors. More women in leadership. In medium-sized businesses. In crafts. In agriculture. In the In the city. And in the country. To do this we have to reduce barriers make compatibility more visible and we can only do this together - with business associations and politics.
The action plan More women entrepreneurs for medium-sized businesses was thematically redesigned at the beginning of the current legislative period. The more than 60 measures aim to inspire more women to become self-employed and take over companies and to support female entrepreneurs in the skilled trades and outside urban centers in particular. With their achievements diverse and creative activities the responsible actors are also sending a confident signal about the future and competitiveness of Germany as a business location.
The 41 network partners involved so far are continuing their commitment and intensifying their measures. Nine other high-performing organizations are now strengthening the initiative: the Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs Energy and Enterprises the Baden-Wurttemberg Ministry for Economic Affairs Labor and Tourism the Ministry for Economic Affairs Industry Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia Business Angels Germany (BAND) the German Farmers Association (DBV) the German Country Womens Association (dlv) the investor network for female founders encourageventures the Association of German Guarantee Banks (VDB) as well as the
Economic Juniors Germany (WJD).
In 2025 16 percent of all companies (621000) in Germany would be run by women. 1.2 million self-employed women were full-time self-employed. In the skilled trades sector 25 percent (259000) of businesses were managed by female owners and managing directors in 2024. The proportion of female founders in full-time and part-time employment was 36 percent in the same year. In the freelance professions female founders made up a majority of 55 percent.
This and much more data can be found in the fact sheet of the joint action plan More women entrepreneurs for medium-sized businesses.
