Last week I spoke at a conference at Bodo Graduate School of Management far above the arctic circle where it is still snowing and windy. But, nevertheless, Bodo Norway, a small college town of 41,000 people, is a hub of entrepreneurial activity. I addressed a group of nearly 300 women entrepreneurs who had braved snowy roads and bumpy flights to hear speakers and build their network.

The latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report covering 47 countries and entrepreneurial activity shows that Norway has increasing new venture creation activity overall for their innovation driven economy
While the statistics show that the rate of women’s entrepreneurship is around 5% compared to that of men at 12%, the energy, enthusiasm and determination of the women entrepreneurs I observed was significant. Even though the environment, culture, and socio-political structure of Norway are quite different from the US and many other countries, the challenges these women faced in growing are similar. We know from research that women need to build networks, learn the language of finance and develop their competencies to grow

I have no doubt that the Norwegian women I met will be successful! I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with such an energetic group!