By Tirzah Rezende
With the theme "Empowering women, empowering ideas, driving innovation around the world," the Unlock Her Future Award is an annual initiative of the DO GOOD philanthropy program in partnership with The Bicester Collection. Its objective is to identify and empower social entrepreneurs to create start-ups that accelerate progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, generating positive social, environmental and economic impacts in their communities and beyond.
In its second edition, the Unlock Her Future Award received nominations from women from all over Latin America. The Bicester Collection announced the winners of the award at a ceremony held on June 18 at the stunning Galería de Cristal in Madrid.
Paola Rojas, Master of Ceremonies and judge, highlighted the exceptional talent of the finalists: Thamires Pontes (Brasil), Valentina Agudelo (Colombia), Annie Rosas (Mexico) and Leydi Cruz (Bolivia), each awarded individual scholarships of up to US$100,000.
Phycolabs, the start-up founded by Thamires Pontes, is an outstanding example of the importance of sustainable materials suppliers. This Brazilian company is dedicated to the development of products and technologies based on marine algae, offering sustainable alternatives to replace petrochemical materials. This type of innovation is crucial for fashion and environmental regeneration, as it promotes greener practices and reduces dependence on non-renewable resources.
About the stages:
From among 954 candidates, a rigorous International Selection Committee selected eight finalists who participated in an intensive skills development program at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico City. These finalists then presented their start-ups to a distinguished panel of judges in São Paulo, which included Elena Foguet, Business Director of The Bicester Collection; Maria-Noel Vaeza, Regional Director for the Americas and the Caribbean at UN Women; Gilda Perez-Alvarado, Strategy Director and CEO of Orient Express at Accor S.A.; Mireya Cisneros, philanthropist and entrepreneur; Paola Rojas, journalist and news anchor; and Luiza Helena Trajano, President of the Board of Magazine Luiza.
