Bhutan is a country the world knows primarily through one concept: Gross National Happiness. The idea that a nation’s wellbeing should not be measured solely by economic data has brought the small Himalayan kingdom an unusual degree of international attention. Less widely known is that Bhutan has also been moving in another direction for several years. It is building a startup ecosystem.
From February 10 to 12, 2026, a three-day workshop took place at the Startup Centre in Thimphu, specifically aimed at women entrepreneurs. Organized by Bhutan’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Employment (MoICE), it focused on digital business tools, networking, and building entrepreneurial skills. It was not a large conference with international speakers and sponsor logos. It was a working format, in a small room, for women who want to start or grow a business.
Bhutan has just under 800,000 inhabitants. The economy is traditionally driven by hydropower and agriculture. The private sector is small, and women remain underrepresented within it. But this is changing. In recent years, the government has developed targeted programs to support young entrepreneurs, and increasingly, the focus is turning to women founders.
The workshop in Thimphu was one element of this strategy. Participants learned how to use digital platforms for sales, how to digitize their accounting, how to build networks that extend beyond their own valley. For many of them, it was the first time they had worked alongside other women entrepreneurs in a structured setting.
Behind this stands a larger infrastructure. Bhutan has established the Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck Super Fab Lab in partnership with MIT in Cambridge, a research and innovation center that serves as a launchpad for technology-based startups. Druk Holding and Investments (DHI), Bhutan’s state holding company, is driving an innovation strategy built on local technology development, a national tech fund, and connections with international partners.
These are quiet steps. Bhutan will not become Silicon Valley tomorrow. But for a country that for a long time relied almost exclusively on hydropower and tourism, the systematic support of women entrepreneurs represents a remarkable shift. And it does not begin with a press conference, but with a workshop in a small room in Thimphu, where women learn to run their own businesses.
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