text: By sourcing from women entrepreneurs, companies can use their vast purchasing power and supply chains to help level the playing field for women, benefiting their own bottom line while creating social value.
  In September 2013 at the Clinton Global Initiative, Hillary Clinton announced a significant commitment by companies, non-profits, and the U.S. State Department to encourage spending more than $1.5 billion outside the U.S. on women-owned businesses over five years.
  Walmart alone has committed to sourcing more than $20 billion dollars from women-owned businesses for its U.S. business by 2016 through its Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative.
  As more and more large companies seek to source from women entrepreneurs, they too recognize the critical role women’s access to capital can play: A well-timed injection of capital can grow a micro-business into a full-fledged enterprise.
  But discrimination, including laws and customs that limit women’s property ownership, hinder access, since banks often require collateral for a loan. Lack of financial education and business networks are also often cited as impediments to access.
  Multilateral institutions like the International Finance Corporation (IFC) are now partnering with the private sector to find creative solutions: The IFC’s recent $100 million initiative with Coca-Cola aims to help 5 million female entrepreneurs in the company’s Eurasian and African value chain through regional banking institutions, providing access to finance and training.