This pioneering paper is the product of a research-action project to advance the role of women entrepreneurs in waste management and the circular economy. ImpaXus partnered with the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to host a high-level panel and practitioners’ roundtable, including UN High Level Climate Champion Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, ISWA President Carlos Silva, and leading circular economy expert, Dr. Linda Godfrey. The project was funded by Engineering X (a Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation initiative) and the International Development Research Center (IDRC).