{"id":6818,"date":"2025-03-07T11:00:03","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T10:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rominwest.nl\/?post_type=inspiratie&p=6818"},"modified":"2025-10-16T14:46:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T12:46:51","slug":"female-entrepreneurship-accelerate-the-role-of-roms-within-code-v","status":"publish","type":"inspiratie","link":"https:\/\/rominwest.nl\/en\/nieuws\/vrouwelijk-ondernemerschap-versnellen-de-rol-van-de-roms-binnen-code-v\/","title":{"rendered":"Accelerating female entrepreneurship: the role of ROMs within Code-V\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Regional Development Companies (ROMs) can play an important role in accelerating female entrepreneurship. What are they doing to offer female entrepreneurs better opportunities? Dorien Lathouwers (ROM InWest) and Rob van Beek (ROM Utrecht Region) talk about the challenges of female entrepreneurship and the solutions that Code-V and the ROMs are jointly developing.<\/p>\n

Double standards<\/h5>\n

\u201cThere is a double standard in how female entrepreneurs are approached,\u201d says Dorien. \u201cOn the one hand, women want to emphasize that they are women to distinguish themselves. But at the same time, they are being pigeonholed, which sometimes reduces the chance of equal treatment.\u201d Rob adds: \u201cWomen often wait longer to apply for financing. They generally want to get further with their company before taking the step, while male entrepreneurs are more willing to take risks. This means that some promising companies simply approach financiers too late. Some initiatives therefore fail, while they probably would have made it with the right financing. This is an incredible shame.\u201d<\/p>\n

Code-V: structural change through collaboration<\/h5>\n

To break through these barriers, Code-V focuses on three pillars: data, awareness and interventions. They collect data on female entrepreneurs, are committed to influencing policy and develop interventions to guide more women to financing. The ROMs play a hybrid role between public and private parties. Dorien Lathouwers indicates that ROM InWest took the lead on behalf of almost all ROMs as a collective public financing party in the establishment of Code-V. \u201cWe want to actively contribute to reducing the difference in financing for female entrepreneurs. We do this ourselves with our own investment colleagues, but also from the board of Code-V,\u201d says Dorien.<\/p>\n

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The funding gap: where does it go wrong?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Women are well represented in Dutch entrepreneurship: approximately 38% of all entrepreneurs are women. But when it comes to financing, this group structurally lags behind. According to research by Code-V, a public-private initiative that aims to reduce the financing gap for women, female entrepreneurs experience three major barriers:<\/span><\/p>\n