Cartier's annual grant programme for women impact entrepreneurs is supporting Gen.T honouree Natalie Chan of Own Academy
Since 2006, the Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI) has awarded more than US$6 million to female entrepreneurs who lead businesses with a sustainable social or environmental impact. Along with grants, CWI provides mentorship, networking and fundraising support.
Hongkonger Natalie Chan of Own Academy is one of this year’s 24 fellows selected from a pool of 876 applicants from 142 countries. Chan found her education had ill-prepared her for the realities of the professional world and was inspired to launch Own as a platform to connect young people to companies with real-world learning.
“I'm so grateful Cartier is offering this kind of assistance,” says Chan. “The fact that it’s been 15 years, they are way ahead of the curve. They're not doing this because it’s cool and trendy; they're doing it because they truly believe in the impact.”
CWI hosted a virtual awards ceremony in late May and announced its laureates—eight fellows who receive the largest grants (one per region, plus a laureate in a new Science and Technology Pioneership category). The lineup of events included Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of UN Women; Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of venture capital fund Acumen; actor Yara Shahidi; and scholar Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
Fresh off the awards, Chan went into her busiest week of the year: Own’s Real World Learning programme, which pairs 300 secondary students with professionals from fields including product design, mental health and sustainable development. She took a break to chat with us about her ambition to go global and how CWI has already helped refine her vision and even inspired an anthem for Own.
What does it mean to you to become part of the Cartier Women’s Initiative?
My mum loves Cartier and my first watch was from Cartier, so I’ve always been familiar with the brand and I’ve known about this fellowship for a few years. My friend Xania Wong, who is also a Gen.T honouree, was the first social entrepreneur in Hong Kong who I got really inspired by. When I learned she was a Cartier fellow, I thought: My dream is to be one of them. It's a really rigorous application process, and the experience has been a very big learning for me because I've realised that what I care about and what we do with Own Academy is really in purpose.
When I first started five years ago, I never used the word purpose in explaining the work that I do, because I felt people would be like, “Oh, that’s so fluffy.” I wrapped it into career exploration. But nowadays purpose is everything, and I can make this more explicit in communicating our mission. This whole Cartier journey has given me that clarity as well as providing that stage for me to be more confident in my vision.
See also: 10 Women Entrepreneurs You Need To Know In Hong Kong