Program Area
Entrepreneurship
Across the U.S., Africa, Asia and other regions, Winrock advances entrepreneurship as a core pathway to resilient livelihoods, competitive markets and locally led economic growth.
Entrepreneurship is a critical component of Winrock’s 2026–2028 strategy, which centers on a clear goal: increasing the resilience of rural communities and the environmental and enterprise ecosystems they depend on. By strengthening value chains, advancing small and medium enterprises and aligning economic incentives with environmental outcomes, Winrock translates technical expertise into real-world impact through innovation, commercialization and business growth. Through hands-on support including technical assistance, mentorship, market validation and access to catalytic capital, Winrock helps entrepreneurs and companies develop, fund and scale solutions that drive job creation, strengthen regional economies and build more competitive, sustainable markets.
Entrepreneurship in the U.S.: Scalable models with global relevance
With decades of experience in rural and smalltown U.S. communities, Winrock focuses on strengthening enterprise ecosystems — not just individual businesses — to drive durable, measurable impact. Through our U.S. Programs, Winrock designs and supports integrated systems that leverage federal, state, philanthropic and private sector capital; build capacity across communities; and support thousands of entrepreneurs, with a strong focus on women and underserved populations. These efforts result in job creation, increased revenue and competitive local enterprises. Our U.S.-based models both inform and are informed by our global entrepreneurship work, reinforcing a shared emphasis on market-driven, locally led and innovation-focused solutions. Some of Winrock’s signature U.S. entrepreneurship platforms include:
Global entrepreneurship: Co-creating economic opportunity
Across global programs, Winrock advances entrepreneurship to strengthen rural livelihoods, build competitive markets and support resilient food systems.
Our work supports locally led enterprise solutions that:
- Create jobs and mobilize investment in value chains (e.g., cashew processing in West Africa)
- Expand women’s and youth entrepreneurship and leadership in local economies
- Increase access to finance, market linkages and higher-value markets in Asia
- Advance enterprise models tied to food security, clean energy and environmental outcomes (e.g., solar-powered micro-milling; women-led environmental enterprises)
- Support survivor-led enterprise as part of trafficking prevention and economic reintegration (Bangladesh)
Women Economic Empowerment through Cashew Processing Program
In West Africa (Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau), through the Mastercard Foundation funded Women Economic Empowerment through Cashew Processing project, Winrock is working to transform the cashew sector into a competitive, inclusive economic engine.
Ethiopia Village Solar Micro-Milling Feasibility Study
In Ethiopia, Winrock is piloting solar powered micro-milling enterprises with grain millers, facilitating new opportunities for women-owned and operated businesses while improving food security and reducing reliance on diesel milling. The project, supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, centers women as entrepreneurs within local grain value chains.
Ashshash Phase II: For Men and Women Who Have Escaped Trafficking
In Bangladesh, our current Ashshash II project, funded by the Swiss government, integrates entrepreneurship training, business development and market linkages to advance survivor-led enterprises as part of human trafficking prevention and economic reintegration.
In other parts of the world, including Central, South and Southeast Asia, Winrock embeds entrepreneurship into agricultural and rural development programs by expanding access to finance, strengthening value chains and enabling entrepreneurs to develop viable, bankable enterprises connected to higher-value markets.
Winrock recognizes that economic opportunity underpins dignity, agency and resilience. Entrepreneurship is fundamental to human rights outcomes because it bolsters prevention, recovery and longterm resilience, especially in resource-constricted or vulnerable communities.
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