Airbnb joins the #100KChallenge campaign to support the efforts of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and nine multinationals -Google, IBM, Microsoft, Facebook, Coca Cola, PepsiCo, MasterCard, Danper and DHL- to empower, connect and certify more than 100,000 women entrepreneurs in the Americas through the ConnectAmericas for Women platform.

Airbnb will offer virtual training, face-to-face workshops, and digital tools so that women entrepreneurs better understand how the digital economy and new travel trends can generate new opportunities for their business.

In 2018, the IDB launched the #100KChallenge to connect, train and certify women entrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), through the ConnectAmericas for Women platform. To date, over 30,000 entrepreneurs in the region have benefited from innovative training tools and business forums, strengthening their digital and business skills, and connecting with real business opportunities.

"Airbnb recognizes the dynamism of women entrepreneurs in LAC and their great potential to contribute to the growth of the region's economies. We want to empower women by promoting their involvement in the tourism industry and the use of technology to strengthen local communities, which can generate extra income that will facilitate the development of enterprises and their respective sustainability" says Jordi Torres Mallol, Airbnb's Managing Director for the Americas. "Airbnb can generate solid economic benefits for hostesses and their communities. Especially communities and ordinary people who generally do not benefit from travelers, find on Airbnb the opportunity to become tourism entrepreneurs. In this context, and to continue strengthening our mission to create a world in which everyone finds a sense of belonging, we joined this campaign”, concludes Torres Mallol.

The IDB  is strongly committed to gender equality and the promotion of women's economic empowerment. In May 2016, it launched the Women ConnectAmericas online business platform to connect women entrepreneurs with business opportunities and offer them training tools to improve the management of their companies. To date, 80,000 businesswomen from 100 countries have registered on the platform and more than 36,000 have received training and took part in business forums.

Women entrepreneurs interested in learning more about the #100kChallenge and taking part in training and activities can register for free at ConnectAmericas Women: connectamericas.com/women.