December 2024 Online and On Point: How Can We Help EAST ASIA AND Female Entrepreneurs in Indonesia Digitize? PACIFIC GENDER INNOVATION LAB The East Asia and Pacific Gender KEY MESSAGES Innovation Lab • Digital technologies, such as digital payments or social media, can boost business (EAPGIL) carries out growth, though female entrepreneurs may need support to adopt them impact evaluations and • Online training programs combining self-paced modules with digitally delivered inferential research mentoring and business to business connections can be a cost-effective and to generate evidence scalable model for helping female entrepreneurs digitize on what works in closing gender gaps • Women entrepreneurs are interested in combining the flexibility of online training in assets, economic formats with some in-person activities to facilitate networking and partnerships opportunities, and • Future training programs may include additional content on supplier relations, agency, and how managerial practices, and online marketing closing these gaps • Additional effort may be needed to reach women who are less educated, in can help achieve service sectors, and who have not yet adopted digital tools other development outcomes. Ultimately, EAPGIL seeks to CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND increase the welfare The spread of information technologies (IT) is credited with a substantial part of productivity of women and men growth since the mid-1990s.1 Investment in IT leads to firm-level productivity gains,2 efficiency in East Asia and the gains at all stages of production, and the ability to customize products and develop new business Pacific by promoting the uptake of effective policies and programs 1 Oliner, & Sichel, D. E. (2000). The Resurgence of Growth in the Late 1990s: Is Information Technology the Story? The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14(4), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.14.4.3 identified based on Jorgenson, D., Ho, M. S., Stiroh, K. J., (2005). Productivity / Vol. 3 Information technology and the American growth resurgence. MIT Press. evidence. 2 Brynjolfsson, E. and L. Hitt. 1995. Information Technology as a Factor of Production: The Role of Differences Among Firms. Economics of Innovation and New Technology 3 (3–4): 183–200. Brynjolfsson, & Hitt, L. (1996). Paradox Lost? Firm-Level Evidence on the Returns to Information Systems Spending. Management Science, 42(4), 541–558. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.42.4.541 Lichtenberg. (1995). Labour market institutions, liquidity constraints, and macroeconomic stability. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 28(1), 145–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-2681(94)00077-6 less diverse networks than male entrepreneurs,10 yet skills, capital, and networks all play a critical role in digital technology adoption. Indeed, women in low- and middle-income countries are less likely than men to have access to mobile phones, use mobile internet, mobile money, or other mobile services.11 Nevertheless, digital technologies can help women overcome gender-related time and mobility constraints. For example, digital financial services reduce the time needed for financial transactions, and online marketing enables women to reach wider markets.12 Supporting female entrepreneurs to harness digital technologies for businesses development not only promotes equity; it can have substantial economic benefits. Closing strategies.3 Both basic digitization4 and more advanced gender gaps in revenues of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in Indonesia could yield annual economic technology use5 lead to gains in speed and accuracy in service benefits of IDR 6.5 trillion (US$428 million).13 industries. However, not all firms adopt digital technologies. Adoption WHAT DID WE DO? barriers include slow diffusion of technology awareness and The World Bank partnered with Kumpul, a civil society lack of necessary skills,6 as well as complementary factors like organization focused on developing an entrepreneurial access to finance for upgrades.7 Firms face varying expected ecosystem in Indonesia and supporting entrepreneurs through returns, costs, and risks in adopting new technologies, with networking and education, to identify lessons learned from the returns of some technologies, such as digital payments, one of their recent programs. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 dependant on market prevalence.8 Recognizing the potential pandemic, Kumpul responded to the growing need for programs of digitization, the Government of Indonesia identified that help Indonesian entrepreneurs use digital technologies to digital transformation as a critical component of its national expand the reach and resilience of their businesses. This case development plan (RPJMN, 2020-2024), and Indonesia is one study describes one of Kumpul’s flagship programs focused of the largest digital economies in the world.9 on helping women-owned MSMEs adopt digital technologies Female entrepreneurs face critical barriers to digital adoption and grow their businesses. The case study highlights practical despite the potential of digital technologies to help them lessons learned from program implementation that may be overcome gender-related constraints. Female entrepreneurs relevant for future initiatives promoting digital technology in Southeast Asia have lower skills, less access to capital, and adoption among female entrepreneurs. It draws on quantitative 3  Bartel, Ichniowski, C., & Shaw, K. (2007). How does information technology affect productivity? Plant-level comparisons of product innovation, process improvement, and worker skills. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, CXXII(4), 1721–1758. 4  Athey, & Stern, S. (2002). The Impact of Information Technology on Emergency Health Care Outcomes. The Rand Journal of Economics, 33(3), 399–432. https://doi.org/10.2307/3087465 5  Brynjolfsson, E., L. Hitt, and H. Kim. 2011. Strength in Numbers: How Does Data-Driven Decision-Making Affect Firm Performance? SSRN No. 1819486. Brynjolfsson, & McElheran, K. (2016). The Rapid Adoption of Data-Driven Decision-Making. The American Economic Review, 106(5), 133–139. https://doi. org/10.1257/aer.p20161016 Brynjolfsson, Jin, W., & McElheran, K. (2021). The power of prediction: predictive analytics, workplace complements, and business performance. Business Economics (Cleveland, Ohio), 56(4), 217–239. https://doi.org/10.1057/s11369-021-00224-5 Brynjolfsson, Raymond, L. R., & Li, D. (2023). Generative AI at Work. NBER Working Paper Series. https://doi.org/10.3386/w31161 6 Geroski. (2000). Models of technology diffusion. Research Policy, 29(4), 603–625. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0048-7333(99)00092-X 7  Cirera, Comin, D., & Cruz, M. (2022). Bridging the Technological Divide: Technology Adoption by Firms in Developing Countries (1st ed.). World Bank Publications. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1826-4 8 Idem 9 The World Bank. (2021). Beyond Unicorns: Harnessing Digital Technologies for Inclusion in Indonesia. 10 The World Bank. (2022). Enterprising Women: Toward Equal Business Opportunity in Southeast Asia. 11 Shanahan, M. 2022. The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2022. GSMA. 12 Aker, Boumnijel, R., Mcclelland, A., & Tierney, N. (2016). Payment Mechanisms and Antipoverty Programs: Evidence from a Mobile Money Cash Transfer Experiment in Niger. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 65(1), 1–37. https://doi.org/10.1086/687578 Harigaya, T. (2016, November). Effects of digitization on financial behaviors: Experimental evidence from the Philippines [Working paper]. Muralidharan, K., Niehaus, P., & Sukhtankar, S. (2016). Building state capacity: Evidence from biometric smartcards in India. American Economic Review, 106(10), 2895–2929. 13 The World Bank. (2023). Opening Opportunities: The Economic Cost of Gender Gaps in Entrepreneurship in Indonesia. interviews administered over the phone in September and October 2023 with 1,339 entrepreneurs who participated in the program and on focus group discussions with program participants in September 2023. THE PROGRAM AND PARTICIPANTS What is the Women Wisely Doing Business program (Perempuan Bijak Berusaha (PBB))? Kumpul launched the Women Wisely Doing Business (PBB) program in October 2022 with support from Microsoft Indonesia. The program aims to help women’s MSMEs digitize, find new opportunities, and grow their businesses. The PBB program leverages a cost-effective digital training model tailored to the needs of female entrepreneurs, focusing on actionable steps for digitization and strategic business improvements. This approach helps participants familiarize themselves with valuable digital tools and services, potentially enhancing their business performance and resilience. The three main components of the program include: 1. Online Training: Female entrepreneurs choose from nine self-paced modules including: basic digital skills; entrepreneurs who completed the online training building brand awareness; social media marketing; modules are invited to onboarding sessions with four financial bookkeeping; financial projection; digital digital partners from social media, e-logistics, and ethics; turning waste into profit; being a mother and fintech companies. Each session is approximately an entrepreneur; and being a good salesperson. Each two hours long and dedicated to the services of one module lasts approximately 40 to 60 minutes and is partner. Sessions take place over Zoom and include divided into several shorter videos. Entrepreneurs a presentation of how entrepreneurs might use the choose modules based on their learning goals, digital service to support their businesses followed by a and they receive a certificate for each module they question-and-answer session. complete. Entrepreneurs can freely access the modules on Kumpul’s Learning Management Platform The program was promoted through Kumpul’s network after completing a short registration form at no cost. and through social media posts, and any entrepreneur could Approximately 3,500 female entrepreneurs had register on Kumpul’s Learning Management Platform to access completed at least one module by July 2023. the training. While there were no hard eligibility requirements, program information and marketing was tailored toward female 2. Mentoring: The 500 most active participants in the entrepreneurs who want to grow their business. digital training receive additional support through two virtual mentoring sessions. Each session pairs 10 How does the PBB program compare to other entrepreneurs with a mentor, typically a successful programs supporting firm digitization? SME owner, to discuss business challenges and The design of PBB incorporates several best practices solutions. Mentoring sessions take place over Zoom for effectively supporting MSMEs to digitize. First, bundling and last approximately two hours each. The groups multiple components together, like is done in the PBB stay connected via WhatsApp for ongoing support. program, can be an effective way of preventing fragmentation, 3. Business to Business (B2B) Connections: The reducing confusion among applicants, and tailoring the 500 most active participants and an additional 2,300 support package to entrepreneurs’ needs.14 Also aligned with 14 World Bank. (2023). The Missing Element of Firm Digitalization. World Bank; Washington, DC good practices,15 PBB adopts a funneling approach through program impact and complementary capabilities;18 however, which basic interventions are widely available to interested some online-only interventions focused on building female firms and a subset of committed firms receive more focused entrepreneurs’ networks have been successful in boosting and customized interventions that can gradually advance women’s profits, innovation, and business practices.19 their capabilities. Delivering consulting in a group setting can Integrating an element of diagnostic into the program can help be effective in increasing the adoption of new technologies better tailor the support provided and enable entrepreneurs to among small and medium firms, and group settings can be identify room for improvement.20 Finally, knowledge quizzes cost-effective and create opportunities for peer learning.16 and exercises have been used to reinforce learning from Finally using mentoring and business to business networking digital training programs.21 to motivate entrepreneurs’ completion of the online modules is Who registers for the PBB program? aligned with evidence from elsewhere showing that meetings Entrepreneurs who participate in the PBB program are well- can be critical in inducing engagement with digital content.17 educated, experienced entrepreneurs who are already familiar Future iterations of the PBB program could incorporate with digital technologies. They mainly run microbusinesses additional best practices from global evidence. For example, with a few workers, and many operate in the small-scale combing digital and in-person interventions can enhance manufacturing sector (Figure 1). FIGURE 1: INFOGRAPHIC OF KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF PBB PARTICIPANTS The average entrepreneur Among program participants 100% 90% 95% 80% 85% Percent of participants 70% 75% 71% 60% 67% 65% 50% 53% 40% • Is 39 years old 43% 30% • Has 6 years of business experience 20% • Employs 2 people 10% 0% Are Have Have at least Run micro- Own more Engage in Use a bank Use mobile married children a bachelors businesses than one manufacturing account money degree (<5 employees) business (mostly food accounts and beverage production) 15 Idem 16 Iacovone, L., Maloney, W., & McKenzie, D. (2022). Improving management with individual and group-based consulting: Results from a randomized experiment in Colombia. The Review of Economic Studies, 89(1), 346-371. 17 Estefan, A., Improta, M., Ordoñez, R., & Winters, P. (2024). Digital Training for Micro-Entrepreneurs: Experimental Evidence from Guatemala. The World Bank Economic Review, 38(2), 394-421. 18 World Bank. (2023). The Missing Element of Firm Digitalization. World Bank; Washington, DC 19 Asiedu, E., Lambon-Quayefio, M., Truffa, F., & Wong, A. (2023). Female entrepreneurship and professional networks. PEDL research paper. 20 World Bank. (2023). The Missing Element of Firm Digitalization. World Bank; Washington, DC 21 Estefan, A., Improta, M., Ordoñez, R., & Winters, P. (2024). Digital Training for Micro-Entrepreneurs: Experimental Evidence from Guatemala. The World Bank Economic Review, 38(2), 394-421. On average, entrepreneurs use 57% of good business social media to learn about their market. However, only practices measured.22 The most widely adopted business 30% use this information to make targeted ads or posts for practices relate to marketing, with 86% of firms using at least different market segments. Almost all businesses (97%) sell one form of advertising and 77% using a special offer to online, mainly through social media, but 46% also use third attract customers (Figure 2). Less than one third (32%) use party platforms and smaller numbers use government or NGO digital apps or software to maintain business records, and platforms or their own websites for sales. approximately one half of entrepreneurs run out of stock or inputs. Participants in the program frequently interact with other On average, half of business sales are made online. Surveyed entrepreneurs on matters other than business needs. Social businesses use digital payments regularly: 92% accept digital media was the most common channel for communication, but payments from customers, and among these businesses, over half also participated in in-person networking. 53% of payments are received digitally. Moreover, two thirds of businesses make digital payments, and among these, 62% Entrepreneurs who enrolled in the training use a variety of of business payments are made digitally. Approximately half of digital tools.23 Almost all entrepreneurs use social media for their business, most often using a business-specific account to businesses use digital apps or services to save money. 78% post. On average, entrepreneurs use 3 social media platforms of entrepreneurs commonly use digital tools to connect with for their business and made 56 posts across all platforms in suppliers, and 68% of entrepreneurs use digital tools to ship the past month. The most common platform is WhatsApp, products. While entrepreneurs exploit various digital tools, followed by Instagram, and Facebook. Most entrepreneurs only about a fifth use paid online advertising or have a website track their reach or engagement on social media and use for their business. FIGURE 2: BUSINESS PRACTICES ADOPTED BY SAMPLE ENTREPRENEURS Percent of entrepreneurs who use practice Used at least one form of advertising 86% Used special offer to attract customers 77% Compared prices or quality of alternative suppliers 71% View competitor’s products online 70% View competitor’s prices online 63% Introduced new products or services 62% Asked customers what additional products should sell 56% Negotiated with supplier for lower prices 54% Never runs out of stock if needs stock 51% Introduced new processes for production/service provision 49% New products/services were new for area when introduced 47% Asked supplier which products sell well 40% Asked former customer why they stopped buying 37% Uses digital apps/software to maintain business records 32% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 22 The list of practices studied was drawn from questionnaires measuring the quality of management in micro and small businesses that are commonly used in the literature. 23 It is not possible to distinguish the extent to which the program affects digital adoption. Entrepreneurs who already use digital tools may be more interested in a training to help them use the tools more effectively. What factors are associated with personal social media accounts for business purposes digital technology adoption? and more likely to utilize social media to track their Online sales and social media use are almost ubiquitous in reach, learn about their market, and use targeted paid the sample of entrepreneurs who enrolled in the PBB program. online advertising. However, the use of other digital tools and practices varies • Networking: Entrepreneurs who frequently network based on factors such as age, education, business size, with others adopt digital tools and social media for managerial practices, and networking frequency. There is less business purposes at higher rates than those who variation in digital adoption by sector, management structure, network less frequently or not at all. business registration, or city size. • Age: Younger entrepreneurs favor business-specific LESSONS LEARNED FROM social media accounts and use social media for market THE PBB PROGRAM insights, targeted ads, and online advertising more than older entrepreneurs. They also rely more on digital What were entrepreneurs’ experiences apps for financial transactions and make a higher with the program? Female entrepreneurs showed strong interest in video proportion of their sales online. modules on digital skills and marketing, with nearly all • Education Level: More educated entrepreneurs use completing the Basic Digital Skills module. High-demand business-specific social media accounts, paid online modules included Social Media Marketing, Being a Good advertising, and business-specific websites more Salesperson, and Building Brand Awareness (Figure 3). intensively than less educated entrepreneurs. They Focus group discussions emphasized the importance of also rely more on digital payments and online sales. these marketing modules, as well as those on financial • Business Size: Entrepreneurs with paid employees (a management and bookkeeping. Entrepreneurs also valued proxy of firm size) and higher sales are more likely to content on balancing household duties with business, a use business-specific social media accounts, websites, unique aspect of the program. They suggested additional and digital tools for various business functions, content on brand recognition, targeted digital ads, and profit including marketing, supplier connections, and financial margin improvement. Over 90% of survey respondents found transactions. the video content useful, praising its simplicity, accessibility, and relevance to their needs. • Management Practices: Firms with better general management practices adopt digital tools more Half of the entrepreneurs invited to Zoom sessions with tech extensively for various operational aspects and partners attended at least one session. The main reasons for marketing efforts. They are less likely to rely solely on non-attendance were lack of information about the session FIGURE 3: FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS WERE MOST INTERESTED IN DIGITAL SKILLS AND MARKETING MODULES Share of Female Entrepreneurs Completing Each Module Basic Digital Skills 99.6% Social Media Marketing 79.1% Being a Good Salesperson 68.1% Building Brand Awareness 53.6% Financial Bookkeeping 37.7% Financial Projection 34.1% Being a Mother and an Entrepreneur 22.9% Digital Ethics 21.3% Turning Waste into Profit 13.3% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% and being busy. Among those who attended sessions with sessions multiple times to maximize content retention. Although tech partners, the TikTok session was the most popular, with many entrepreneurs appreciated the ability to multitask while over two-thirds participating live or via recording. Over half participating in the digital training, others noted that in person participated in sessions with Dana, a digital wallet provider, trainings can enable women to dedicate time and be fully and Paxel, a technology-based delivery company. 42% of concentrated on the content. Some entrepreneurs, in particular entrepreneurs participated in the session with the fintech older ones, experienced challenges with connections, internet partner Finatra. Most entrepreneurs found these sessions quotas, or navigating the training on a smartphone. Several useful, and recordings helped increase participation and entrepreneurs suggested adopting a model that combines content retention. Married entrepreneurs, those with children, online and offline support, bringing together the convenience and older individuals had higher participation rates, but of online learning with the focus and networking opportunities childcare responsibilities seem to have limited attendance afforded by in-person activities. among women with young children. Registered firms and Entrepreneurs reported that the PBB program helped increase less educated entrepreneurs participated more, while those their self-confidence, improve their financial management in accommodation, food service, and other tertiary sectors and customer relations, and boost their use of digital tools. participated less compared to those in manufacturing and Specific examples included separating personal and business trading. finances, enhancing customer interactions, and adopting Focus group discussions revealed that entrepreneurs value new digital payment methods. Despite these benefits, some group mentoring for networking and potential partnerships. entrepreneurs felt the program lacked intensity and suggested Women particularly appreciated group mentoring for facilitating more individualized support and follow-up for more significant connections. Suggestions for improvement included keeping business impacts. Quantitative data showed correlations groups small, providing topic-specific sessions, and ensuring between program participation and better business practices, mentors have entrepreneurial experience. Entrepreneurs also though causality could not be determined (Figure 4). recommended accountability measures such as homework and action plans to keep entrepreneurs motivated to apply What can future programs do differently? what they learned. The PBB program holds potential to enable female Generally, women appreciated the digital format of the PBB entrepreneurs to improve their business performance and program, which enables them to watch video modules at their harness digital technology for their business activities. The convenience and more easily combine training activities with case study of the program and review of best practices from household or business responsibilities. Entrepreneurs also the literature point to three main recommendations for future appreciated the ability to watch videos and recordings of activities, in order of priority. FIGURE 4: PROGRAM PARTICIPATION IS CORRELATED WITH USE OF GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 60.3% Attended B2B sessions Did not attend B2B sessions 53.6% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Note: This graph denotes correlation only and cannot suggest a causal impact of impact of attending sessions Incorporate additional activities microfinance institutions, and other business support 1 services to facilitate networking and exchange. to reinforce learning PBB relies on the drive of entrepreneurs to engage with the Alternatively, group mentoring could be delivered in- materials and adopt lessons learned in their businesses. While person with either a trained facilitator or by organizing this model facilitates scalability, some additional activities meetings of entrepreneurs who live in the same location may maximize the effectiveness of the program by helping and providing materials to enable a group member entrepreneurs put learning into practice and creating additional to guide sessions focused on experience sharing. opportunities for peer learning and networking. Concretely, Given major program costs include facilitator time and future programs may: material preparation, one study showed that in-person learning did not cost significantly more for program • Incorporate knowledge quizzes and hands-on administrators than synchronous online learning.25 learning exercises: In focus group discussions, entrepreneurs mentioned a desire for homework • Promote additional demonstration activities: assignments or exercises to facilitate deeper Demonstrating how content can be applied and how engagement with the materials, operationalization of technology can be used for business purposes can learning, and generate a sense of accountability. In be an important intervention in supporting MSMEs to practical terms, video modules could be accompanied digitize.26 In the B2B component of PBB, digital partners by short knowledge quizzes that help entrepreneurs demonstrate how technology can be used to support gauge what they have learned and reinforce concepts. business development and operations; however, Exercises that enable entrepreneurs to explore how additional demonstration of how female entrepreneurs content can be used in their businesses could also be have used the technology could make the application offered to increase the likelihood that knowledge leads of the demonstrations to participants’ businesses more to a change in practices, and challenges in completing exercises could be discussed in mentoring sessions. This strategy has been used in other programs that adopt digital training; for example, a digital training delivered through video modules in Guatemala was accompanied by knowledge quizzes and soft copies of training booklets that had exercises which would take about 6.5 hours to complete.24 • Combining online training with in-person activities: Online training provides flexibility for entrepreneurs who are busy with business and domestic responsibilities; although, childcare responsibilities may still pose a barrier for some women. Systematically sharing recordings of live online training sessions can help entrepreneurs with competing commitments access materials. Moreover, recordings can enable entrepreneurs to review materials that they did not fully understand, thereby enabling them to better apply the principles to their businesses. In addition, future programs could consider adding an in-person business forum that brings entrepreneurs who complete a certain number of modules together with tech partners, 24 Estefan, A., Improta, M., Ordoñez, R., & Winters, P. (2024). Digital Training for Micro-Entrepreneurs: Experimental Evidence from Guatemala. The World Bank Economic Review, 38(2), 394-421. 25 Davies, E., Deffebach, P., Iacovone, L., & Mckenzie, D. (2024). Training microentrepreneurs over Zoom: Experimental evidence from Mexico. Journal of Development Economics, 167, 103244. 26 World Bank. (2023). The Missing Element of Firm Digitalization. World Bank; Washington, DC concrete. For example, an additional session after the half of entrepreneurs in the sample negotiate with B2B connections during which entrepreneurs share suppliers for a lower price, and 40% ask suppliers how they have used the tools in their businesses, what which products sell well. Furthermore, approximately has worked well, and what challenges they have faced half of sample entrepreneurs run out of stock, could reinforce demonstration effects. suggesting challenges in managing stock or ensuring a stable supply of inputs and goods to resell. Future 2 Additional content programming may include content about how to The PBB program covered several critical topics optimize relations with suppliers. As 78% of sample for female entrepreneurs. Based on the characteristics entrepreneurs use digital tools or apps to connect and challenges of entrepreneurs who enroll in the training, with suppliers, future programs may explore ways to additional content could be added to future programs. Prior harness these tools to exploit supplier knowledge of the to developing new content, implementors may review other market, support negotiation on prices, or facilitate stock existing training programs to assess whether existing modules management. could be used or adapted for the target population. In addition, • Online Marketing: Although social media use it may be possible to tweak existing modules to incorporate is ubiquitous in the sample, only 30% of sample some additional content rather than add new modules to the entrepreneurs make targeted posts for different market program. Relevant additional content includes: segments, and 22% use paid online advertising. • Using digital tools to connect with suppliers: While Future research can explore the potential returns on most entrepreneurs use good business practices investment of online advertising, and programming associated with marketing, fewer use good practices content can help entrepreneurs understand how to related to engagement with suppliers. Approximately exploit these features. • Managerial Practices: Given the positive correlation between digital technology adoption and general management practices, future programming may consider harnessing programs focused on digitization to facilitate better business practices and integrating digital tools in programs focused on managerial skills. Targeting and reach of future programs 3 Digital adoption and use patterns vary by age, education level, business size, managerial practices, and networking. Future programming can consider tailoring content and targeting specific modules or interventions to entrepreneurs who may benefit the most. For example, older entrepreneurs are less likely to use social media to know their markets or to make tailored ads or posts to different segments. As such, programs including this content could target older entrepreneurs and ensure that the value of this type of training is clear in outreach to older entrepreneurs. The sample of entrepreneurs enrolled in the PBB program have relatively high education levels, are concentrated in the manufacturing sector, and use digital tools intensively. Future programs may need to consider ways to boost outreach to less educated entrepreneurs and those who are less digitally connected. For example, programs can be promoted through offline communities of entrepreneurs, trade unions, government support offices, micro-finance institutions, religious organizations, women’s unions, or other groups that routinely engage with female entrepreneurs. Finally, the most common reason entrepreneurs did not attend the tech sessions with partners was lack of information about the sessions. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Future programs could attempt multiple methods of outreach to disseminate information on This study was jointly produced the training sessions and send additional messages to ensure that information about the by the World Bank East Asia program reaches the full target population. and Pacific Gender Innovation Lab (EAPGIL), the World Bank Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation Global Practice (FCI), and Kumpul. The brief was drafted by Hillary C. Johnson and Salman Alibhai, with inputs from colleagues in EAPGIL, FCI, Kumpul, and the World Bank Social Sustainability and Inclusion Global Practice. Financial support for this work was provided by the Government of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Australia-World Bank Indonesia Partnership (ABIP), the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) under the Indonesia Financial Sector Strengthening Program, and the World Bank Group’s Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality (UFGE). UFGE has received generous contributions from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), and the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund (WPF). The team would like to thank the female entrepreneurs who took the time to share their experiences with us. FOR MORE INFORMATION Forest Brach Jarvis fjarvis1@worldbank.org Hillary C. Johnson hjohnson1@worldbank.org www.worldbank.org/eapgil