“After sickness led me to lose my job, I thought I had no future. Airbnb Experience helped me to escape from my bad thoughts by providing guidance towards new success.” Debora Maria Lanini from Italy was one of five female entrepreneurs from the Airbnb community invited to share their story at “Boosting female entrepreneurship in Europe”. Taking place in Brussels, the event marked the beginning of a new partnership between Women Entrepreneurs Platform (WEP) and Airbnb. Sharing resources and best practices, they will be organising workshops across Europe in the coming months.

The event was hosted by Claudia Tapardel MEP, who stated that European institutions should do more to encourage female entrepreneurship. “Beyond the moral support, we need concrete instruments, such as financial aid or training, to support women who want to develop a career in business.”

The dialogue, facilitated by logos, was a success for both the audience and the organisers. Pooja Tanna, Airbnb Senior Global Experiences Manager, and Cheryl Miller, WEP board member and founder of the Digital Leadership Institute, highlighted the importance of this new partnership aiming to support female entrepreneurs.