WBENC WIB2008

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WBENC WIB2008 International Day June 27,
2008 Virginia Littlejohn and Elizabeth
Vazquez Quantum Leaps, Inc.
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About Quantum Leaps

• US based NGO 501(c)(3)
• Promotes womens enterprise development
• Offers services at global level
• Advisors to WBENC GBC since 2005
• Incubating WEConnect International

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Women's Business Enterprise Defined

• WEConnect International defines a certified
  women's business enterprise (WBE) as a company
  that is 51 owned, managed and controlled by one
  or more women

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Global Sourcing Today

• A growing number of multinational corporations
  want to source from women's business enterprises
  globally, but currently only the US and the UK
  offer WBE certification
• As a result, corporations must invest time and
  money to develop databases of self-certified WBE
  suppliers outside of the US and the UK
• This model lacks third party verification and is
  inefficient and unsustainable

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Global Sourcing Tomorrow

• Corporations that want to source from WBEs
  globally need an international organization like
  WEConnect International that will uphold reliable
  universal standards for certification
• These corporations also want to build
  relationships with governments and institutions
  that create business and trade opportunities for
  WBEs as a strategy for growth and sustainability

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WEConnect International Development Model
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Mission

• Promotes the international certification standard
  for women owned businesses and incubates new
  national certification organizations

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Objectives

• Help multinational corporations diversify their
  supplier base to reflect their market, increase
  shareholder value, and enhance competitive
  advantage
• Certify women owned businesses to increase local
  and global procurement opportunities for women.
  When women start and grow businesses, they create
  jobs, contribute to the economy and improve
  communities

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Deliverables

• New affiliate organizations will receive
• Seed funding
• Knowledge transfer
• Technical assistance on how to conduct
  certification that will be recognized by
  international business community
• New organizations will also receive training on
  how to help women owned businesses increase their
  capacity to scale and do more business with other
  women entrepreneurs

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Benefits to Corporations and Governments

• Ability to source from new WBE certification
  organizations
• Confidence in awarding contracts to WBEs, whose
  certification was processed with global standards
• Increases in WBE reportable spend and utilization
• Participation in a truly global knowledge network
  that leads to business deals
• Recognition for launching WEConnect International
  and new WBE certification organizations

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Sustainability Technology and Ethics

• Technology Buyers will be able to connect with
  certified womens business enterprises via online
  databases, videoconferencing, eCommunities,
  email, virtual trade missions and other tools
  that help to save time, money and the environment
• Applying Ethical Standards Affiliates will be
  trained on how to use the highest ethical
  standards when certifying businesses. Any
  certified business found to be in violation of
  international human rights laws will be
  decertified

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Potential Future Affiliates

• Womens Business Enterprise National Council
• WEConnect UK
• WEConnect Canada
• WEConnect China
• WEConnect India

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Thank you.

• Virginia Littlejohn, President and CEO
• Elizabeth Vazquez, Executive Director
• eMail info_at_WEConnectInternational.org
• www.WEConnectInternational.org