Last night, the second edition of the My Microbusiness competition, organized by microlux, rewarded the entrepreneurial initiative and impact of four outstanding female entrepreneurs at an awards ceremony.
The ceremony, hosted at the headquarters of BGL BNP Paribas, was attended by over a hundred guests, including leading figures from the Luxembourg economy and government, underlining the importance of supporting local entrepreneurship and financial inclusion.
The Chairman of the Executive Committee of BGL BNP Paribas, Béatrice Belorgey, who opened the evening, reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to strengthening its “a long-standing supporter to microlux in order to promote the financial inclusion of disadvantaged people, particularly women, a cause close to her heart.
The Minister for Small and Medium-sized Businesses and Tourism, Lex Delles, “congratulated microlux on its vital work in favor of entrepreneurship” and noted that with “200 entrepreneurs supported, creating 300 jobs, its usefulness is beyond question”. The Direction générale des Classes Moyennes, “as a privileged interlocutor for small and medium-sized businesses, is proud to count microlux among its partners”.
Alessandro Tappi, Chief Investment Officer of the European Investment Fund (EIF), agreed, outlining the history of the EIF’s support for microlux since its creation, with two guarantee programs dedicated to European SMEs and an investment to strengthen microlux’s operational capacities in 2019.
The competition, organized by microlux with the support of BGL BNP Paribas, Foyer, Cactus, Arendt et Medernach and L’essentiel, aims to showcase the microentrepreneurs supported and financed by the microcredit institution.
20 projects were pre-selected by microlux and presented to the competition partners, who had the difficult task of choosing four winners based on the following criteria: the entrepreneur’s life path, the project’s social impact and development prospects. The four lucky winners are :
The “Coup de Cœur du Public” prize, organized by media partner L’essentiel, was won by Isabel de Bitzbel Couture following a very close vote. The seamstress who “fulfilled her childhood dream” of setting up her own business at the age of 48 will receive communication support from L’essentiel worth €5,420.
Microlux warmly congratulates the winners of this second competition, and warmly thanks the partners, guests and all those who made it possible to put the spotlight on micro-businesses with no access to traditional bank credit.
