Making Digital Upskilling Programs More Effective for Women Entrepreneurs

*With thanks to colleagues Savita Bailur, Niamh Barry, Marissa Dean, Jonathan Donner, Elise Montano, and Janet Shulist

In many emerging economies, women engage in entrepreneurship out of necessity, often in response to limited opportunities for formal employment. Informal businesses are a vital source of income and stability, even though women face limited access to resources and formal protections. 

For these women, the use of digital tools, particularly low-cost smartphones, can support them in establishing better business practices, expanding market reach, and increasing productivity, thus contributing to income generation. However, women need additional capabilities, particularly digital skills, to maximize these opportunities. A growing movement of practitioners, policymakers, and researchers is recognizing that interventions specifically designed for women that address these unique barriers are essential for creating more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Digital upskilling is the use of digital channels like online courses, mobile apps, and virtual mentoring to deliver training and support. The digital upskilling landscape encompasses three main approaches: standalone training through digital channels; virtual mentoring connecting professionals, chatbots, and entrepreneurs; and integrated programs that combine training with resources like financial services and platforms to holistically support business growth. 

Digital upskilling offers key advantages over traditional, in-person training methods:

But digital upskilling is not without its share of challenges. For example: 

Previous studies, including a systematic review of training programs for entrepreneurs, have highlighted the limitations of training; however, the impacts of digital upskilling interventions specifically on women entrepreneurs are difficult to isolate. 

Using Caribou’s approach to impact evidence synthesis, we analyzed data from digital upskilling interventions for women entrepreneurs to identify key lessons to overcome these challenges. Our comprehensive evidence database contains nearly 250 impact studies ranging from randomized controlled trials to case studies and theoretical research on the impacts of digital interventions on small businesses. At Caribou, we’ve written before about the game-changing nature of digital upskilling for small businesses globally in our work with the Mastercard Strive initiative.

To start, we narrowed down this pool to the intersection of (1) experimental studies (with a focus on randomized controlled trials), (2) emerging markets, and (3) gender-specific data.

Focusing on these studies allowed our team to make direct comparisons between different programs and their results. Three lessons emerged from this synthesis:

While none of the studies in our sample showed that standalone digital training increases sales or profits, it can lead to improvements in business knowledge and practices when paired with elements that encourage entrepreneurs to remain engaged and apply what they learned. 

For example, after a WhatsApp-based training in Brazil that included incentives, entrepreneurs were 18% more likely to have significantly improved their business practices. In contrast, a version of the training in Brazil and a separate SMS-based training program in Kenya that did not include reminders or incentives showed no significant results on any outcome. 

For micro-businesses, incentives often need to be immediate and tangible, such as mobile credits or small cash rewards for course completion. However, incentives may be most effective when tied to business outcomes rather than just program participation. This can be linked to the completion of operational tasks (creating or updating online profiles or marketing materials), or linked to revenue, financial management, or customer service-related outcomes.

The effectiveness of standalone training also varies significantly based on initial digital literacy. Those with higher digital skills tend to benefit more, highlighting the need for tiered or adaptive learning approaches. This pattern is consistent with knowledge gap theory and amplification theory, which suggest that knowledge-based interventions often disproportionately benefit those who are already advantaged. 

The most impactful upskilling programs in the studies we reviewed recognized that micro-entrepreneurs navigate a complex “tech-and-touch” ecosystem, where digital platforms and face-to-face interactions work together. Virtual mentorship in particular is associated with strong results. 

Studies from Guatemala and Uganda found that programs that included virtual mentorship saw business practices improve, sales grow by 39%, and profits increase by 33% on average. Mentors helped women entrepreneurs translate general business knowledge into practical steps for their specific markets and situations. The mentor’s background also appears to matter; mentors with marketing experience tended to positively impact firm growth more than mentors from other backgrounds. 

This corresponds with data Caribou has seen elsewhere—that improvements to marketing practices are one of the most successful approaches to achieving growth for small businesses. Advice from mentors can be applied quickly and practically to customer acquisition strategies, advertising, and sales, immediately impacting market access and sales. These human interactions also enhance engagement and reduce program dropout.

One study of virtual mentoring in Uganda found that pairing female entrepreneurs with female mentors had a significant, positive impact on practices, revenues, and profit, whereas pairings with male mentors had no statistically significant impacts. 

Pairing female entrepreneurs with female mentors can have significant positive effects:

Digital upskilling is more effective when it is part of a bundled support approach. Programs that combined upskilling with access to e-commerce platforms or to other professional support (e.g., legal advice) showed significant, positive impacts on business practices, profits, and revenues. 

This pattern suggests that the successful use of new digital skills, tools, and practices by low-income women requires practical application channels and supportive services that encourage implementation.

Within these programs, three factors drove success and have particular implications for addressing gender gaps in entrepreneurship:

These findings show that designing effective upskilling programs requires moving beyond simple knowledge transfer hypotheses. To actively close the gender gaps rather than widen them, interventions should intentionally address the structural, behavioral, and social barriers that women entrepreneurs face.

This means designing for practical application by linking training to small rewards and business tasks and personalizing support through human touchpoints like gender-matched mentorship. It also means accounting for factors such as time constraints, limited internet access, and social norms that affect women’s economic activities. By combining context-aware training with additional services and customizing content to specific needs, practitioners can create programs that more effectively support women entrepreneurs. 

Designing impactful upskilling programs takes more than good intentions—it requires the right insights, thoughtful synthesis, and a deep understanding of what works in practice. Our team brings together evidence reviews, data analysis, and contextual know-how to support funders and implementers to make confident, informed decisions.

If you’re looking for a partner to help untangle complex evidence and turn it into action, we’d love to connect. Reach out to our Chief Impact Officer, Niamh Barry (niamh@caribou.global), to talk about how we can support your work.

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