Standard Chartered Expands SC WIN Now & Next Programme to India and Greater Bay Area to Empower Women Entrepreneurs

• Standard Chartered and LIFTWOMEN® expand SC WIN Now & Next flagship programme into India and the Greater Bay Area to support women entrepreneurs

Standard Chartered (the “Bank”) and LIFTWOMEN® today announced the expansion of the Bank’s flagship Standard Chartered Women’s International Network (SC WIN) Now & Next Programme into India and the Greater Bay Area (GBA). This builds on the success of last year’s inaugural edition in Hong Kong and underscores the Bank’s commitment to driving global connectivity and supporting women entrepreneurs across major international markets.

The 2026 SC WIN Now & Next Programme leverages the Bank’s global SC WIN network, resources, and deep expertise in supporting women entrepreneurs. It combines a pitch format with a structured capability-building programme designed to accelerate growth at different stages of business development. The application window for participating in this programme is now open and will close on Friday 12 June 2026.

This expansion comes amid a significant shift in the global entrepreneurial landscape, with women founders accounting for a growing proportion of new businesses globally. As many of these enterprises lead in areas such as digital trade and sustainable technology, the programme offers a platform for female founders to navigate the complexities of international expansion and cross-border logistics, helping women-led SMEs capture growth opportunities. Specific to India, more than 3.07 crore women-led enterprises have been registered on the government’s Udyam platform as of February 28, 2026.

Xie Wen, Global Head, SME Banking, Standard Chartered, said, “We are delighted to expand our flagship SC WIN Now & Next programme into India and the Greater Bay Area, reinforcing our long-term commitment to supporting women entrepreneurs and building a more inclusive SME ecosystem. Through SC WIN, we bring together capability building, access to financing and cross-border connectivity, to empower women-led businesses to scale with confidence and play a bigger role in driving sustainable growth.”

Aditya Mandloi, MD & Head, Wealth and Retail Banking, India & South Asia, Standard Chartered said, Our SME Banking business is a strategic priority for Standard Chartered globally and a key growth engine for our India franchise. We have one of the largest SME footprints across foreign banks in India. As SME formation and entrepreneurship continue to accelerate, there is a clear need to support business owners holistically, addressing both their business and personal wealth needs. By addressing these integrated needs, we play a meaningful role in fostering a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable economy. This aligns with our vision to deliver comprehensive banking solutions that empower women entrepreneurs to thrive in an increasingly dynamic market. By offering tailored support and resources, we are committed to helping women-led SMEs achieve long-term success and contribute to broader economic prosperity in India and beyond. SC WIN Now & Next is one of the key initiatives that we are launching this year to support this meaningful ambition.

The programme champions women leaders through a rigorous and engaging programme that builds essential business skills, supports business scaling, and connects participants to a powerful ecosystem of mentors, peers and partners. Entrepreneurs gain market-relevant insights, access to cross-border platforms, and opportunities to scale internationally.

The programme will select 10 ambitious women-led businesses each from India and the GBA to participate in an exclusive 12-week SC WIN Global Accelerator Programme, with awards recognising outstanding women-led businesses across the participating markets. As part of this initiative, LiftWomen will run the accelerator programme by facilitating the sessions, contributing content, speakers and mentors.

Irene Tsang, Founder and CEO, LiftWomen® —We’re excited and proud to partner with Standard Chartered for the second year, now expanding into India and the GBA. LIFTWOMEN’s mission aligns perfectly with Standard Chartered’s commitment to supporting women entrepreneurs. By combining our strengths, we are making a meaningful impact. We look forward to building on this strong momentum together this year.

Last year, Lamia Sreya Rahman, Co-Founder and COO of Vidi Labs (Seekr) was awarded Venture of the Year for her AI-powered wearable device developed in close collaboration with and for the visually impaired community. Four additional entrepreneurs received category awards recognising innovation, international ambition, social impact, and community support. Award recipients continue to receive dedicated mentorship and regional networking opportunities through the SC WIN community.

With the Now & Next Programme as its flagship initiative, SC WIN is the Bank’s global programme supporting women-led SMEs with access to financing, expertise and global networks, helping them scale beyond their home markets. Since its launch in 2022, SC WIN has grown into a network of more than 4,500 women-owned businesses across seven markets. With over USD540 million in financing extended to date, it is on track to deliver on its USD1 billion financing commitment by 2028.

SC WIN Now & Next Programme – Overview:

Eligibility	Women entrepreneurs and business owners (including startups and SMEs seeking expansion)
Entry Criteria for India	≥ 51% shareholdings owned by women OR ≥ 50% shareholdings owned by a woman founder Incorporated in India with valid Business Registration (BR) The company must have been established for at least two years in India
Application Period	Tuesday, 28 April 2026 – Friday, 12 June 2026
Selection Process	The organiser will shortlist at least 30 applications, from which 10 finalists will be selected through online interviews to participate in the SC WIN Global Accelerator Programme and final pitch.
Awards	Best SC WIN Business Award Best Business for Good Award Best International Business Award Best Next Gen Business Award
Professional Support	Each finalist will receive dedicated mentorship and professional guidance Regional Exposure: Spotlight across Standard Chartered’s global social and business channels Strategic Networking: Access to markets, clients, and suppliers across the Standard Chartered network Finalists will have the opportunity to join the SC WIN Community, expanding business connections and collaboration opportunities

– Ends –

For further information please contact:

Rahul Virkar Head – External Communications Standard Chartered Bank, India Email: rahul.virkar@sc.com

Rajiv Banerjee Head - Communications, India and South Asia Standard Chartered Bank Email: rajiv.banerjee@sc.com

Note to editors

Standard Chartered

Standard Chartered Bank has been operating in India with a continuous presence of over 165 years making it one of the oldest foreign banks in the country offering a full range of services across business segments including Corporate and Investment Banking and Wealth and Retail Banking. The Bank has an extensive branch network covering major cities. For more information, visit https://www.sc.com/in/

Globally, we are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 54 of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.

Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges.

For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

LiftWomen®

LIFTWOMEN® is Asia-Pacific’s first and leading women-focused crowdfunding platform and global network, empowering women and girls to start, grow, and scale their businesses. Through accessible funding, tailored coaching, and international mentorship, we bridge the gender funding gap and create transformative opportunities for women entrepreneurs to thrive.

Our mission is to democratise access to funding, equipping women worldwide with the tools, resources, and networks to build sustainable, scalable, and profitable businesses. We envision a future where every woman and girl has equitable access to funding and opportunities to realize their entrepreneurial dreams and unlock their full potential.

40 Trailblazing Women, ₹10 Lakh Golden Grants—The Battle Begins! Watch Her Start-Up Show Season 2 on JioHotstar!

• Britannia Marie Gold Her Start-Up Show Returns with Season 2, Offering ₹10 Lakh Golden Grants to Women Entrepreneurs
• In collaboration with GroupM Motion Entertainment and Mindshare, the show premiered on April 19 on JioHotstar

Britannia Marie Gold announces the launch of Season 2 of Her Start-Up Show. Launched in partnership with GroupM Motion Entertainment and Mindshare, it is the first-ever national reality series dedicated to women entrepreneurs from across the country, a platform to showcase their ideas. The show, which premiered on JioHotstar on 19th April, features 40 finalists competing for the ₹10 lakh Golden Grant

Conceptualized by GroupM Motion Content, Britannia Marie Gold Her Start-Up Show is more than just a series— it's a catalyst for change, empowering women to turn their ideas into impact through funding, mentorship, and national visibility.

The show is the culmination of the Britannia Marie Gold Her Start-Up Contest, launched in July 2024, which saw participation from over one lakh aspiring women entrepreneurs across India. From these, over 100 women underwent professional training, with 40 moving to the shortlisting stage. Every participant stands to receive 10 Lakh of Britannia Marie Gold Grant or mentorship, in addition to national visibility and ecosystem access. The standout top 10 performers will win the prestigious ₹10 lakh Golden Grant, while the other promising women entrepreneurs will gain entry into the NSDC Women Entrepreneurs Mentorship Program.

Representing cities like Indore, Aurangabad, Coimbatore, Jammu & Kashmir, and more, the 40 contestants pitch ideas across food, fashion, sustainability, tech, and agri-solutions. The show is presented in six languages—Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada—with subtitles and audio options available on JioHotstar. Spread across eight episodes, two new ones drop every weekend from April 19 on JioHotstar, showcasing journeys from pitches to mentorship to the ₹10 lakh Britannia Marie Gold Grant.

Hosted by actress Shriya Saran, the show features an all-star jury: actor-entrepreneur Neha Dhupia, MasterChef winner Shipra Khanna, artisan Ruma Devi, Suta’s Sujata Biswas, Aarti Gupta (Jagran Group), Riya Joseph (Britannia), and Shreshtha Gupta (NSDC India), to name a few.

Siddharth Gupta, General Manager - Marketing, Britannia, said, “Britannia Marie Gold’s journey of empowering women entrepreneurs began five years ago with a simple belief that millions of women across India have powerful ideas, and all they need is a platform to be seen and supported. What started as a nationwide contest has grown into a robust ecosystem with initiatives like HerStore and now, Season 2 of Her Start-Up Show. Each step has deepened our commitment to helping women ‘Do More, Be More’. We’re proud to partner with GroupM and Mindshare, whose belief in the power of storytelling has helped bring these entrepreneurial journeys to life. With this show, we not only celebrate ambition but also create access to mentorship, funding, and national visibility. Together, we remain committed to enabling every woman who dares to dream and dares to build.”

Ashwin Padmanabhan, COO, GroupM South Asia, “We have always believed in media’s power to spark movements, not just moments. Her Start-Up Show blends storytelling with purpose, driving real economic empowerment. The overwhelming response to Season 1 showed how deeply this platform resonated with women in one region. That’s why, in Season 2, we are expanding to six languages and a broader reach across India. Thus, bringing every ambitious woman closer to the support she deserves. This show goes beyond visibility; it is about bringing dreams alive via action, impact, and a re-imagined future for women entrepreneurship.”

“At Mindshare, we believe in building brands that don’t just sell but spark change. In its second season, Her Start-Up Show goes far beyond amplification, it’s about creating access, fuelling aspiration, and offering a platform to women entrepreneurs across India. We are incredibly grateful to our client, Britannia, for backing this bold vision and partnering with us to bring it to life. What started as a pioneering idea is now an award-winning show, with its impact resonating across markets and touching countless lives. With its expansion to a larger OTT platform, the show’s reach and influence have scaled significantly, finding its way into more homes, hearts, and boardrooms. These aren’t just stories; they are real journeys of transformation. Together with GroupM Motion Entertainment and Britannia, we are proud to drive a narrative where media becomes a powerful force for empowerment and enduring change.” Amin Lakhani, CEO, Mindshare South Asia.

Actress and host Shriya Saran said “Being part of Her Start-Up Show has been truly inspiring. It’s a powerful platform that gives women across India the opportunity to turn their dreams into reality. I’m proud to be part of a show that celebrates ambition, courage, and the spirit of women entrepreneurs.”

Britannia Marie Gold has always shown its unwavering commitment to empowering millions of women in their entrepreneurial dreams through initiatives like the Marie Gold HerStartup contest, previously known as MyStartup Contest and Her.Store. The Britannia Marie Gold Her Start-up Show is a continuation of that legacy, celebrating women who are shattering barriers and inspiring a nation.

Season 2 of Britannia Marie Gold Her Start-up show is streaming exclusively on JioHotstar.

About Britannia Industries

Britannia is a 100+ year old Company and is a market leader in the Bakery category in India with an annual revenue of over Rs 165 billion. The company’s two focus categories include - Bakery & Dairy, with trusted & iconic brands such as Good Day, Marie Gold, Milk Bikis & Nutrichoice. Britannia products are available in over 80 countries. The Company manufactures its products in nearly 100 factories, which are made available in over 27 lakh outlets to eventually reach over 180 million households in the country. The Company's vision is to be a responsible global, total foods company, and delight consumers with delicious, and wholesome snacks and beverages throughout the day.

About GroupM Motion Entertainment

GroupM Motion Entertainment is a global content investment and rights management company that meets the market demand for new economic models for premium content across the entertainment and media marketplace. This is achieved by investing and partnering with the world’s leading talent, producers, and distributors to fund, develop, produce, and distribute premium content to help drive and support editorially and commercially vibrant, premium content networks and platforms for the global benefit of our content partners and advertisers. GroupM Motion Entertainment India’s IP includes the No.1 YAARI Series, Critics’ Choice Awards, Hello Sago, and others. Headquartered in London and Los Angeles, the business operates in 26 countries worldwide with Motion’s broad range of award-winning programming distributed globally. GroupM Motion Entertainment is part of GroupM, the world’s leading full-service media investment management operation, a WPP company.

About Mindshare:

We were born in Asia in 1997, a WPP start-up designed to make media exciting, fun and life changing. For over 20 years our values of Speed, Teamwork and Provocation have guided us in a world where everything begins and ends in media. We are the Cannes Lions Media Network of the Year 2023 and WARC Media 100 #1 Media Network 2020, with the top 3 most creative campaigns of the past year – so basically, statistically the best media agency in the world! Our 10,000 people work with some of the world’s best brands and companies to challenge convention. In 116 offices across 86 countries, we integrate brand and demand, ruthlessly focus on outcomes, and create the unexpected.

Amazon India’s ElevateHER 2025 Empowers Women Through Speed Mentoring and Career Development

On the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025, Amazon India celebrated ‘Amazon ElevateHER 2025’ - an initiative designed to empower women through mentorship and career development opportunities. Aligned with this year’s global IWD theme, ‘Accelerate Action’, the event, held in Bangalore, brought together Amazon leaders and aspiring professionals for insightful discussions on mentorship, allyship and sponsorship for career growth. ElevateHER 2025 reflects Amazon’s commitment to gender equality and providing women with the tools and resources needed to reach their full potential.

A key highlight of the event was the speed mentoring session, where over 100 women from diverse backgrounds engaged in focused conversations with Amazon leaders on career growth, leadership development and building confidence to advance professionally. Further enriching the event was a fireside chat on ‘’Guiding Light: Sponsorship, Resilience, and Empowering Women to Rise’’ featuring actor and author Sonali Bendre and Deepti Varma, VP - HR/ People eXperience and Technology, Amazon India, Japan and Emerging Markets.

Group Pic (Deepti Varma, VP, PxT, Amazon Stores India, Japan and Emerging Markets and Sonali Bendre, Actor and Author)

Deepti Varma, VP-PXT, Amazon Stores India and Emerging Markets and Sonali Bendre, Actor and Author

"At Amazon, we're building a culture where everyone can thrive. Our approach has evolved from mentorship to allyship and sponsorship, creating a support system for career advancement. Our leaders champion initiatives for employees, associates, and partners that foster growth within Amazon. ElevateHER 2025 aims to equip women from diverse backgrounds with skills and the network they need to achieve their career goals and we are excited with the opportunity the speed mentoring sessions offered to these aspiring professionals,’’ said Deepti Varma, VP of HR/ People eXperience and Technology, Amazon India, Japan and Emerging Markets.

Empowering women in the workplace isn’t just about opportunity—it’s about creating an environment where confidence, leadership, and growth thrive. Being part of Amazon ElevateHER has been truly inspiring, seeing so many talented women take charge of their careers and break barriers —said Sonali Bendre, Actor and Author.

ElevateHER 2025 featured an engaging lineup of sessions designed to inspire and empower. A thought-provoking panel discussion - "Accelerating Action: Building Resilient Careers" brought together Amazon leaders Gitanjali Bhutani, Director - Software Development, Amazon India; Zeba Khan, Director, Consumer Electronics, Amazon India; Rajeev Sharma, Director-Talent Acquisition, Amazon, and moderated by Neha Gupta Mahatme, Director – Amazon Pay. The panel delved into actionable strategies to accelerate women’s professional growth and strengthen inclusive workplace practices.

Sharing her experience as a participant at the event, Astha Pant said, “Participating in Amazon’s ElevateHER 2025 was a valuable experience. The insights I gained from senior leaders will help me navigate workplace challenges and provided practical strategies for career growth. The mentoring session was more than just advice—it encouraged me to reassess my professional goals, set clearer objectives, and approach my career with greater confidence. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of this initiative.’’       

ElevateHER 2025 is just one facet of Amazon India’s ongoing commitment to fostering a more inclusive workplace and empowering women at all levels. The company has implemented a range of comprehensive mentorship and development programs designed to support women's growth, leadership capabilities, and career advancement, both within Amazon and in the broader community. These initiatives are designed to create a strong pipeline of future women leaders:

Amazon Programs for women employees:

• Catapult: In partnership with Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning, this program focuses on developing mid-level women managers, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to excel in leadership roles.
• Women in Leadership program (WLP): Tailored support for women in mid-management roles, helping them sharpen their leadership voice, strengthen their professional networks, and develop a broader enterprise mindset.
• Ask Me Anything: Provides fresh women leaders an opportunity to seek guidance from senior women leaders through one-on-one sessions, fostering mentorship and knowledge sharing.
• Listening Circles: Creates a safe space for women employees to engage in open conversations with leaders, fostering a sense of community and providing valuable feedback.
• Amazon Catalyst Program: A developmental initiative that enables Amazon women leaders to leverage the knowledge, experience, learnings and guidance of senior Amazon leaders via 1:1 mentoring to accelerate their growth and professional development.
• Women in Leadership (WIL): WIL is an immersive development program for women enabling them to understand career anchors, identify self-limiting biases and leverage mechanisms across networking, branding and sponsorship.
• ‘Sponsor for Success’ - A recently piloted program, it matches high-performing, underrepresented talent with skip-level leaders as sponsors. Sponsors act as advocates across the leadership chain and connectors to wider networks. They provide tangible feedback for navigating promotions, strengthening skills, and enable crucible experiences for the talent.

Amazon Programs for female students, professionals and the community:

• Amazon WoW: A program designed to support career readiness for women in tech and other careers. WoW will help women expand their network, learn about different career paths, and build their leadership skills. 
• AmazeWIT (Women In Technology): A unique networking and learning event for women in the technology space to connect, engage, educate, and prepare them for successful careers in technology.
• Amazon Saheli: Empowers women entrepreneurs across the country by providing them with a platform to sell their products on Amazon.in, fostering economic independence and growth.

Amazon Future Engineer Scholarships (AFE): A childhood-to-career program focused on providing equitable opportunities in Computer Science education for underprivileged students, with a focus on enabling women's access to technology careers through scholarships and internships.

33% of Goan Startups are Founded by Women, Higher than National Average

Goa has seen a surge in women-led startups. According to recent reports, Goa is leading the way in gender diversity within the startup ecosystem. As per the reports, 33% of the 225 registered startups in Goa have been founded by women entrepreneurs. This is significantly higher than India's national average of 18% for women-led startups.

The growth in women-founded startups in Goa is a positive sign of the changing dynamics in the entrepreneurial landscape. It's encouraging to see women entrepreneurs leveraging state policies to grow their businesses, particularly in sectors like hospitality and services. Initiatives like the Goa Startup Yatra and various programs and masterclasses are also playing a crucial role in supporting these entrepreneurs.

This trend not only contributes to economic expansion but also serves as an inspiration for the next generation of women founders. It's a testament to the innovative spirit and determination of women who are making significant strides in the tech industry and the startup ecosystem as a whole.

Some of the women-led startups are ASIER Solutions, I-Assist, Blurb Consultancy, Goenkart Digital World, Make it Happen, Tea Trunk, Contractzy, and many others. Most of these startups are from the hospitality and service sector.

These startups operate in various sectors, with many of them being active in hospitality and services. The state's supportive policies, initiatives like the Goa Startup Yatra, and incubators have played a crucial role in empowering these women entrepreneurs.

Some of the women founders said that the startup and IT promotion cell (SITPC) and the incubators have helped them launch their startups.

The success stories of these Goan Startups inspire the next generation of women founders, making Goa an emerging startup destination in the region.

Capgemini Begins The Search for 25 Inspiring Female Leaders in the World of Rugby

• The search for 25 inspiring female leaders for the 2024/2025 Capgemini Women in Rugby Leadership Programme is now on
• The programme is creating a growing global network of female leaders and role models across the sport
• Scholars will have access to personalised coaching and training sessions via Capgemini’s internal University to help their professional development
• Seventy-three scholars have completed the programme since 2018

World Rugby has announced the launch of an open application process for the Capgemini Women in Rugby Leadership Programme, with 25 scholarships to be awarded on the road to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.

This week, World Rugby will begin the search to find 25 inspiring female leaders through the Capgemini Women in Rugby Leadership Programme which identifies and develops the next generation of female leaders. The programme enables them to fulfil their potential and drives gender equity across the game with the overall aim of increasing the number of women in key leadership positions within rugby.

Each year, 12 scholars are granted access to the best learning programmes from the Capgemini University with successful applicants matched with a mentor and eligible to apply for an additional discretionary grant of up to £5,000 to help aid their development. New for 2024, and to maximise the opportunities for trailblazers of the future in the countdown to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, World Rugby will be seeking 25 leaders for 2025 so these scholars will be supported over a longer time period.

The bid to unearth the next generation of leaders will get underway on Thursday, 29 February when the application process for the next intake of scholars opens until 31 March. Applicants must be actively involved with their rugby union or regional association as a board member, member of staff or volunteer, have leadership aspirations and be able to demonstrate their professional development plan in their application. Any interested applicants can complete this application form, including a CV and a letter of endorsement from their union or regional association. Failure to submit a letter of endorsement will disqualify them from the process.

World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby Sally Horrox said: “As we embark on the journey towards Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, we’re thrilled to launch the search for the next wave of female leaders to be part of the Capgemini Women in Rugby Leadership Programme. This important initiative, in partnership with Capgemini, is set to empower and elevate 25 remarkable female leaders who will shape the future of the sport. By promoting the programme and the application process more widely, we are fostering inclusivity and accessibility to fantastic resources, mentorship, and educational opportunities. We’re paving the way for these trailblazers to realise their full potential, driving gender equity, and growing opportunities for women in key positions in rugby.”

Since the Women in Rugby Leadership Programme was launched in 2018, a total of 73 scholarships have been awarded to female leaders from across the world. As part of the programme, scholars are given access to a range of opportunities through the Capgemini University, including leadership coaching and training sessions and Connected Manager, a Harvard Business certified programme.

As the programme continues to go from strength to strength, the first Capgemini Women in Rugby Leadership Summit was also held in 2023 at the Campus Serge Kampf Les Fontaines in Paris. The two-day event gave scholars an opportunity to come together, share best practice and build a support network.

Anne Lebel, Chief Human Resources Officer at Capgemini and Group Executive Board Member, said: “We look forward to this next phase in our collaboration with World Rugby to support the development of female leaders. Through the Capgemini University, we are giving them the opportunity to build on their strengths and to keep growing. As a global services company people are at the heart of Capgemini’s capabilities, so we know how critical it is to support and nurture women’s leadership. We are proud to help empower female role models that can inspire other women and break biases.”

Zakia Kulabako, 2023 Women in Rugby Leadership Programme alumni, said: “Capgemini’s leadership programme has been the cornerstone of my professional growth in project management, guiding me through the dynamic landscape of challenges and opportunities with invaluable mentorship, robust skill-building and a culture of innovation. It’s not just about mastering methodologies; it’s about fostering leadership excellence, empowering me to navigate complexities, inspire teams and drive impactful results that redefine success in the project management arena.”

About World Rugby

World Rugby is an international federation and a global movement comprising more than 500 million fans and eight million players within 133 national member federations affiliated through six regional associations.

World Rugby’s purpose is to grow rugby by making it more relevant and accessible, with a vision of a global sport for all, true to its values. The driving force behind the sport’s significant growth has been World Rugby’s portfolio of major events, from the flagship men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups to HSBC SVNS, showcasing the Olympic version of the sport.

The financial success of the men’s Rugby World Cup enables World Rugby to invest record sums in the development and growth of the sport from the playground to the podium, ensuring that the sport is as accessible and enjoyable for as many people as possible. Between 2020-23, the international federation will invest more than £565 million in the sport, representing a 22 per cent uplift on the previous four-year business cycle.

https://www.world.rugby/vision

The Advantages of Unsecured Business Loans for Women-Owned Businesses

In today's dynamic business landscape, women entrepreneurs are making remarkable strides, bringing innovation, creativity, and leadership to the forefront. To empower and support the growth of women-owned businesses, these loans provide a range of advantages. This includes competitive Business Loan interest rates, flexible repayment terms, and simplified application processes. In this article, we will explore the advantages of Unsecured Business Loans for women-owned businesses and how they can fuel their success.

Advantages of Unsecured Business Loans for Women Entrepreneurs

Easy Access to Funding

One of the primary advantages of Unsecured Business Loans for women-owned businesses is easy access to funding. Unlike Secured Loans that require collateral, Unsecured Loans do not necessitate the pledging of assets, making the loan application process simpler and faster. Women entrepreneurs can swiftly obtain the funds they need to start a new venture, expand an existing business, or invest in technology and equipment.

Financial Independence

Unsecured Business Loans provide women entrepreneurs with the opportunity to achieve financial independence. By accessing capital without the requirement of collateral, women-owned businesses can retain ownership of their assets and maintain control over their business decisions. This independence allows women entrepreneurs to pursue their vision and make strategic choices without compromising their business's long-term growth.

Tailored Loan Amounts

Unsecured Business Loans offer flexibility in loan amounts, allowing women-owned businesses to access the capital required for various purposes. Whether it's expanding operations, purchasing inventory, investing in technology, or marketing initiatives, Unsecured Business Loans can be tailored to meet specific business needs. This enables women entrepreneurs to seize growth opportunities and stay competitive in their respective industries.

Competitive Interest Rates

Financial institutions understand the importance of providing access to capital at favorable terms for women-owned businesses. As a result, Unsecured Business Loans often come with competitive Business Loan interest rates, making the borrowing process affordable and cost-effective. Lower interest rates enable women entrepreneurs to manage their finances more effectively, improve profitability, and invest in sustainable growth strategies. Women-owned businesses can leverage these competitive Business Loan interest rates to maximize their return on investment.

Shorter Loan Terms

Unsecured Loans often have shorter repayment periods compared to Secured Loans. This is because lenders try to mitigate their risk by limiting the time during which the borrower has to repay the loan.

Networking and Support

Many financial institutions that offer Unsecured Business Loans for women entrepreneurs also provide networking opportunities, mentoring programs, and support services specifically designed to assist women-owned businesses. These additional resources can offer valuable guidance, connections to potential customers or investors, and access to industry-specific expertise, further boosting the chances of success for women entrepreneurs.

Quick and Convenient Application Process

Financial institutions, such as NBFCs, understand the value of time for women entrepreneurs. The application process for Unsecured Business Loans is streamlined, making it quick and convenient. These institutions prioritize efficiency and aim to minimize the time and effort required for loan approval and disbursal.

Flexible Loan Amounts

Unsecured Business Loans offer flexibility in loan amounts, allowing women-owned businesses to access the capital required for various purposes. Whether it's expanding operations, purchasing inventory, investing in technology, or marketing initiatives, Unsecured Business Loans can be tailored to meet specific business needs.

Business Expansion and Growth

Unsecured Business Loans provide women-owned businesses with the financial boost needed to expand operations and foster growth. Whether it's opening new locations, hiring additional staff, or investing in marketing and advertising campaigns, these loans offer the necessary capital to fuel expansion plans.

Enhanced Cash Flow Management

Maintaining a healthy cash flow is vital for any business's success, and Unsecured Business Loans can play a pivotal role in achieving this. Women-owned businesses often face challenges in managing cash flow due to factors such as delayed payments or seasonal fluctuations. Unsecured Business Loans provide the necessary liquidity to bridge these gaps, ensuring a steady cash flow and enabling businesses to meet their financial obligations promptly.

Conclusion

Unsecured Business Loans have emerged as a game-changer for women-owned businesses, providing them with the financial support they need to thrive and succeed in today's competitive business environment. The advantages of easy access to funding, financial independence, tailored loan amounts, competitive Business Loan interest rates, business expansion opportunities, enhanced cash flow management, building credit history, and networking support contribute significantly to the growth and success of women entrepreneurs. By leveraging these advantages and accessing Unsecured Business Loans, women-owned businesses can unlock their full potential, drive innovation, and contribute to economic empowerment and gender equality in the business world. 

WE HUB Graduates the 1st Cohort of Students Innovators through its WE Alpha Program

Twelve student-led teams moved from the idea stage to creating prototypes in the fields of Agriculture & Sustainability, EV & Automation and Deep-Tech. They will be supported in registering as DPIIT Recognized startups.

WE HUB start-ups provided internship opportunities to selected participants to enable them to get a feel of entrepreneurship.

WE HUB, India’s first and only state-led incubator by the Government of Telangana to foster and promote women entrepreneurship to start-up, scale-up and accelerate with global market access graduated announced the graduation of its first cohort of students who moved from idea/innovator to entrepreneurs. The student entrepreneurship program christened “WE Alpha” takes college students through creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship, which are key pillars of the National Education Policy (NEP2020). The program focused on a curated curriculum & hands on learning to impart creative & critical thinking approaches towards Innovation & Entrepreneurship. The high-quality program selected 12 student teams across six colleges from Telangana.

The first cohort for WE ALPHA included students from engineering and humanities colleges. The program kicked off with Training of the Faculty, from the selected colleges to hone their skills for creating effective outcome driven Incubation programs, Entrepreneurship training spaces for students as part of the New Education Policy. These selected student teams were taken through an in-person eight-week program, encompassing the ideation, technical mentoring, design knowledge, business skills, interpersonal skills, team building skills and communication skills. They also had an opportunity to pitch for internships with WE HUB-incubated startups to enable students to progress in their journey as entrepreneurs. 

The program culminated with 12 teams developing prototypes. The teams will be supported by WE HUB to register with DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) as startup companies.

Mr Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary to the Government of Telangana (IT E&C) said “One of the key focus areas for us in the Government of Telangana is to ensure that we can spur innovative & entrepreneurial thinking in students including from schools across Telangana. Inculcating innovative thinking at the student stage will spur the innovation mindset throughout their career and ensure the participation of Girls and young women in the Economy of Telangana. Students are and will continue to be an important pillar in transforming the economy of Telangana to Quaternary sectors, where innovation is the backbone. We would like to encourage all the colleges across Telangana to engage with the Telangana innovation ecosystem through programs like WE Alpha. Congratulations to the 12 student’s teams and we are looking forward to supporting them as they scale further in their journey”

Ms Deepthi Ravula, CEO, WE HUB said, “Over the past 4 years of the inception of WEHUB, we have been working on enabling a funnel where we can have more Women enter the fields of Innovation & Entrepreneurship. WE HUB has created WE Alpha with a focus on students not only learns about Entrepreneurship but also how to learn, Emphasis of the curriculum design of WELPHA was to enable students to think critically and solve problems, be creative and multidisciplinary, and to innovate, adapt, and absorb new material in the novel and changing fields. We are glad that the 12 ideas that have been selected are all on their path to the next stage of their innovation journey which is Entrepreneurship & registered startups.

Applications for the next cohort of WE Alpha are now open, and colleges and students are invited to apply by reaching out to us on info-wehub@telangana.gov.in

The deadline for the same is 15 August 2022.

About WE HUB:

WE HUB is the first-of-its-kind and only state-run platform for women entrepreneurs by the Government of Telangana. WE HUB supports women entrepreneurs with innovative ideas, solutions and entities focusing on emerging areas in technology and allied sectors. WE HUB also supports under-explored/unexplored sectors, such as FMCG, retail and e-commerce, including the service sector. The mandate and goal of WE HUB are to eliminate financial and societal barriers for women and help them succeed in their enterprises. 

WE HUB aims to create a supportive community for aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs where they can interact with venture capitalists for funding, connect with corporates for scaling their business, get advice from mentors to fine-tune ideas and benefit from technical mentoring.

Bank of Baroda and RBI's Innovation Hub Partner to Boost Financial Inclusion of Women Using Technology

RBIH launches Swanari TechSprint - a programme aimed at developing digital solutions to bridge the gender gap

Recently RBI Innovation Hub (RBIH), a wholly owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India, has signed an MoU with IIT Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC) to develop a fintech ecosystem in India that is necessary to support and scale fintech startups in early stage.

Now in a latest, Bank of Baroda, one of India’s leading public sector banks, announced today that it is  partnering the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) to promote financial inclusion of women in India. RBIH has launched a programme on Gender & Finance named "Swanari" that seeks to combine technology with a greater focus on women to help women achieve financial security and independence. To that end, RBIH is launching the inaugural edition of Swanari TechSprint, which Bank of Baroda is supporting as a scale-up partner, to create digital solutions to close the gender gap.

TechSprints are problem-solving sessions that promote innovation and collaboration to create technology-driven solutions to complex problems. The core objective of the Swanari TechSprint is to improve financial inclusion of women in India using technology and will serve as a platform to encourage women-led start-ups and women in tech to create and produce smart, creative and sustainable solutions for underserved women from low and middle income backgrounds and women-owned enterprises in India. The Swanari TechSprint will be held from April 18 to April 22, 2022.

Shri Vikramaditya Singh Khichi, Executive Director, Bank of Baroda said, “Using technology to provide solutions to the country’s critical problems is a powerful idea. Bank of Baroda is proud to extend support to RBIH’s Swanari TechSprint initiative to help bridge the gender divide in India. A collaborative approach, centered on innovation will ensure the best outcomes for women, accelerating financial inclusion and boosting the economic empowerment of women in the country.”

The Swanari (स्व-नारी) TechSprint will bring together fintechs, financial service providers, innovators and subject matter experts to collaborate, ideate and find solutions to specific problems and code prototype solutions in real-time.

There are seven problem statements that have been identified and two event tracks are available for participation. One track will focus on creating a minimum viable product (MVP) with enough usable features to be tested by and validated by users. The second track will focus on solving problems and designing prototypes in collaboration with others. Registrations are open at www.swanaritechsprint.in.

RBIH has also released a whitepaper titled “Gender and Finance in India” supporting the Swanari TechSprint, which is available at www.swanaritechsprint.in.

About Bank of Baroda:

Founded on 20th July, 1908 by Sir Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, Bank of Baroda is one of the leading commercial banks in India. At 63.97% stake, it is majorly owned by the Government of India. The Bank serves its global customer base of over 150 million through over 46,000 touchpoints spread across 18 countries in five continents. Through Its state-of-the-art digital banking platforms, it provides all banking products and services in a seamless and hassle-free manner. The recently launched bob World mobile app provides customers with a saving, investing, borrowing and shopping experience, all under one single app. The app also serves non-customers by enabling account opening through video KYC. The Bank’s vision matches its diverse clientele base and instills a sense of trust and security. It is moving well in that direction and bob World is a testimony of its roadmap towards Digital Transformation.

15 Women-led Startups Pitched to 11 Investors in 3rd Edn. of TiE Women Pitch Competition

Santhoshi Sushma of Autocracy Machinery seen pitching at TiE Investor Connect at Bisness Women Expo

TiE Hyderabad organised the TiE Women Pitch Competition - 2022, an initiative by TiE Global to Embrace, Engage and Empower women entrepreneurs across the globe. It was held on Saturday at the Hitex Women in Business Expo 2022. TiE Hyderabad also successfully conducted the TiE Investor Connect - Women Special Edition!

TiE Investor Connect is a platform that enables curated start-ups to present their business venture to top Indian PE/VC/Seed/Angel funds across the industry. This was the first session of TiE Hyderabad Investor Connect -2022 with a new approach and vibrancy and focused on Women Entrepreneurs. 15 Startups led/Co-led by Women Entrepreneurs, from the Early & Revenue stage from various sectors pitched to 11 Investors.

Out of the 80 applications received from women-led start-ups, a panel of the Investor Committee curated and lined up 15 Women Entrepreneurs from various sectors who presented their ventures to 11 Investors. For deeper dialogue, investors have shown interest in at least 10 startups and will further engage with them one on one. Sectors represented were Manufacturing, Technology, Education, Fashion, Food, Health & Wellness.

Dr. Varsha Prabala of 365veda seen pitching at TiE Investor Connect at Bisness Women Expo

Srusthi of B Arm seen pitching at TiE Investor Connect at Bisness Women Expo

The startups selected for the pitches include: 365veda (365 Wellness and HealthTech Pvt Ltd) represented by Dr Varsha Prabala; Autocracy Machinery Private Limited by Santhoshi Sushma Buddhiraju; B Arm by Srusthi; Eat Confetti by Niharika Gollapalli; Innomet Advanced Materials Pvt Ltd by Saritha Chilakapati; Involute training by Bala Mukkamala; Kriyo by Sucharitha Dasireddy; Snackerstreet Pvt. ltd by Divya Medar; Nextgen Property Adviser Private Limited by Anju Yadav; Nutrizzo Naturals Industries Pvt Ltd by Sindhu Saithi; Rev Your Soul by Sandhya Nagavarpu; Six Yards Plus by Mrinalini Shastry; Starbuzz (Krisattva Pvt Ltd) by Krishna Priya; WhatIsMyGoal by Humera Nishat.

The investors who these start-ups pitched include---Murali Krishna Gunturu from Inflexor Fund; Rathnakar Samvedam from Hyderabad Angels; Abhiram Katta from Endiya Partners; Srikant Tanikella from Pavestone; Shyam Penumaka from Dallas Venture Capital Prashanth Menon from Stratcap Advisory; Dr Ramakrishna Nalluri from Smileline Dental; Gaurav Mathur from Arteans; Ms Ravuri Lakshmi Reshma from Meenakshi group; Chandran Krishnan from Chennai Angels and Zaran Bhagwagar from Anthill Ventures

WEFT Foundation Launches Womentastic App and Honours Women Entrepreneurs from Various Fields

Woman Entrepreneurs For Transformation (WEFT) Foundation - a not for profit organization formed to support and provide a networking platform for women; honored women achievers from different walks of life in Bangalore. The event felicitated female entrepreneurs as a way to celebrate women’s empowerment.

The winners comprise of -

• Somya Luhadia  - WEFT Young Achiever of the Year
• Sujyothi N Prasad - WEFT Woman for Woman Award 
• Pushpalatha MS  - WEFT Achiever of the Year
• Dr. Shreya Govind  - WEFT Consultant of the Year
• Gayathri Vamsi - WEFT in Business Excellence of the Year
• Swati Jha - WEFT Author of the Year
• Deepthi Babu - WEFT Innovative Woman Leader of the Year
• Anuja Soni - WEFT Artist of the Year
• Deepti Bhandari - WEFT Dreamer of the Year
• Dr. Samina F Zamindar - WEFT Women Leader of the Year
• Roopa Deshraj - WEFT in Design Excellence of the Year
• Shilpa Kulshrestha - WEFT Changemaker of the Year
• Rashmi V Kulkarni - WEFT Women Edupreneur of the Year
• Manjoo Shree. N - WEFT Transformational Leader of the Year
• SARGAM DHAWAN BHAYANA - WEFT Young Achiever of the Year (D2C) Category
• Swarna Raja  - WEFT Entrepreneur of the Year in Art and Culture
• Dimple Verma - WEFT Techpreneur of the Year
• Sudakshina Bhattacharya - WEFT Most Influential Women of the Year
• Priti Kabra - WEFT Emerging Author Wellness Trainer and Coach of the Year
• Smitha Arangaly - WEFT Homepreneur of th Year Award
• Aarti Notiyal - WEFT Woman in Public Relations of Year

The occasion was made more significant for all the women as WEFT launched its app ‘Womentastic’ - is a digital platform for women entrepreneurs to connect, network with each other, talk freely and opinionate and find solutions to their problems.

The fact that women entrepreneurs face numerous challenges in every field in different ways, thus WEFT Foundation began as an initiative to facilitate women with their entrepreneurial dreams. And the launch of the APP, is an extension and taking the efforts to another level by providing women a common platform to gain instant access and visibility. 

Womentastic - the app fulfils the fundamental need of women entrepreneurs – to reach and connect. Womentastic which has been founded by Iti Rawat, Sanjay Kaul, and Gaurav Raheja was received with an amazing response even before its launch and several women downloaded the App at the launch event itself. 

The event was attended by dignitaries like the App’s Founders, along with Rekha Sharma, Dipika Trehan, Aparna Vedapuri Singh, AlinaAlam, VandanaSuri, Anisha Singh.

Ms. Iti Rawat, Founder of Weft Foundation commented on the event and the Womentastic app, "It is been an overwhelmingto see the wonderful reponse at the successful launch of the event and the support from the community for the app. Womentastic is the result of our belief that women already have the innate capacity and skill to succeed as entrepreneurs, and giving them a digital platform like Womentastic will further enhance their entrepreneurial skills and facilitate mutual support among them. Networking is an essential aspect of being an entrepreneur, and our app makes it easier than ever. Imagine being able to acquire funding with a single click of a button, or finding legal, health, counseling at different levels and other help by just submitting your query to the relevant group. Womentastic has everything a woman entrepreneur might want, from careers to business opportunities, and more. Our motto is ‘stronger together', as we believe that women supporting each other is the best way to promote women’s empowerment.”

WE HUB Organised One of a Kind 'Girls in STEAM' Conference to Mark International Women’s Day

From discussing gender gap in STEAM fields to celebrating the women entrepreneurs from the state, the event was focussed on breaking the Bias

The event had eminent speakers such as Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, Ms. Deepthi Ravula, Mr. Andrew Fleming, Ms. Katherine Von Ofenheim amongst others sharing thought-provoking insights.

WE HUB, India’s first and only state-led incubator by the Government of Telangana to foster and promote women entrepreneurship to start-up, scale-up and accelerate with global market access, today organised an exclusive one-of-its kind ‘Girls in STEAM’ Conference to mark the International Women’s Day. Aimed at recognizing undulating spirit of Girls in STEAM, the event emphasized accomplishment of the 'Data Science for students' program and provided a platform to the inspiring women leaders, women entrepreneurs, corporate and government representatives to share their remarkable stories.

The event brought together eminent dignitaries such as Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, IAS Principal Secretary, ITE&C Department, Government of Telangana, Ms. Deepthi Ravula, CEO, WE HUB, Mr. Andrew Fleming, UK Consulate General, Ms. Katherine Von Ofenheim, US, Vice Consulate, Mr. Malcolm, head of School, Srinidhi international School, Ms. Srilakshmi, Keystone (Robotics) amongst others. The event took off with a welcome address and a presentation by seven groups on topic such as Decent work and Economic Growth, Inequalities in the Workspace, Girls Education in Rural India, Visual Impairment etc.

 
Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary ITE&C Department, Telangana, said,” WE HUB has been instrumental in transforming ideas into fruition and inspiring women across Telangana and India since the past 4 years. The first of its kind Girls in STEAM program in association with WiDS, Stanford University and MathWorks is a pillar in the Student Entrepreneurs vertical of WE HUB. It is delightful to see various students from the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Telangana, congregating to create solutions for creating a positive impact in the society, and paving paths to a brighter future.”

Speaking on the occasion, Deepthi Ravula, CEO of WE HUB said,” Women are the foundation of development. At WE HUB we firmly believe that women make significant contributions to the workplace, to society, community, and family. We see the Girls in STEAM as a key step er program in that direction. This pilot was with 6 international schools to ensure that we create a best practise model which can be scaled slowly but surely to more than 100 schools by next year and collaborate with more corporate partners, industries.”

The audience of the event was 150 which comprised of 75 Girl Students from the program, representatives from 4 schools (Keystone, Chirec, Oakridge, Srinidhi) and Corporates such as Mathworks, Boston Dynamics, Qualcomm, S&P & Wells Fargo. Aiming to encourage more girls to pursue STEAM courses, Hon. Mr. Andrew Fleming, UK Consulate General presented the global view of Girls in STEAM during the event. Further, the program winners were facilitated by Hon. Ms. Katherine von Ofenheim, US Consulate General.

The 'Data Science for students' program was launched in Telangana in June 2021. Through its 'Data Science for students' program, WE HUB has trained 75 girl students across 3 states in India to actively think about solutions to real-world problems which can create an impact on the environment and society. Girls were trained to apply principles of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence to solve India-specific problems. Further, the program was concluded by organising the 'Girls in STEAM' Conference.

WE HUB also announced its collaboration with MathWorks during the event which was forged in the presence of Mr. Sanjay Gopinath, Marketing lead, MathWorks India. This collaboration will help young minds understand data handling in a lucid manner and be adept to the future of data science.

Since past 4 years, WE HUB has been actively working towards enabling Women led start-ups across sectors scale & accelerate through global market access. Till now, WE HUB has incubated 238 technology enabled start-ups by Women founders.

About WE HUB:

WE HUB is the first-of-its-kind and only state-run platform for women entrepreneurs by the Government of Telangana. WE HUB supports women entrepreneurs with innovative ideas, solutions and entities focusing on emerging areas in technology and allied sectors. WE HUB also supports under-explored/unexplored sectors, such as FMCG, retail, e-commerce, including the service sector. The mandate and goal of WE HUB are to eliminate financial and societal barriers for women and help them succeed in their enterprises. WE HUB aims to create a supportive community for aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs where they can interact with VCs for funding, connect with corporates for scaling up their business, get advice from mentors to fine-tune ideas and benefit from technical mentoring.

T-Hub Celebrates Outstanding Achievements of 50 Women Entrepreneurs and Leaders to Mark International Women’s Day

T-Hub hosted its first of kind event ‘The Womenpreneur’ bringing together all the stakeholders to celebrate the tremendous contributions and achievements of women entrepreneurs and leaders.

The event had 20+ eminent speakers delivering inspiring and insightful keynotes and panel sessions and had 250+ attendees join the event physically as well as virtually.

T-Hub, which leads India’s pioneering innovation ecosystem, organised ‘The Womenpreneur’ event with thought-provoking conversations from women entrepreneurs, women leaders, government representatives to inspire the next generation of leaders and dreamers this International Women's Day. The event had 20+ eminent speakers delivering inspiring and insightful keynotes and panel sessions and had 250+ attendees join the event physically as well as virtually.

With the spirit of innovate, inspire, and ignite, the event aimed at understanding the journey of women entrepreneurs, how they overcame gender bias in their growth journey, with the support of ecosystem enablers such as T-Hub, WE HUB, TSIC etc. The event brought together eminent dignitaries such as Dr. S. Glory Swarupa, Director General, National Institute of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (NIMSME), Anu Acharya, CEO, Mapmygenome, Cerasela Tanasescu, Director, La Trobe University, Dr. Shanta Thoutam, Chief innovation officer (CIO), Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC).

  
MSR, CEO, T-Hub addressing the event said, “The overall number of women enterprises and jobs these enterprises create in the country are very less currently, and I believe that all the ecosystem stakeholders should come and work together to find ways and means that will help create an impact where potentially we can create 40 million women enterprises in India in the coming years and possibly create about 150 to 170 million jobs from those enterprises. This requires a profound transformation that will help empower our personal, economic, social status. Today’s collaboration is one such opportunity for us to reflect, to think, and to come up with ideas on how we can accelerate this whole transformation piece.”

Dr. S. Glory Swarupa in her special address talked about one of the biggest difficulties for women is access to finance. Studies have shown women entrepreneurs can create millions of jobs, contributing to the economy and as a national institution taking responsibility for women's participation in MSME, NIMSME is keeping a 3-year vision - and have shared its proposal to the MSME ministry on the difficulty women are facing and how to overcome this.

Anu Acharya in her keynote address pointed out how the next generation is gender-free and that we might not need to have discussions on removing gender biases but on the way forward strategy to strengthen the women workforce.

Another keynote speech, which was addressed by Dr. Shanta Thoutam, talked about how some of the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs are being overcome through incubation centres like T-Hub, and WE HUB. Shanta urged the women entrepreneurs to trust in their decisions while running their own businesses.

The event organised a fireside chat session on ‘Women trailblazing entrepreneurship’ moderated by Deepthi R, Chief Executive Officer, WE HUB with the panel members Tanuja Abburi, Founder, Beyond Pinks, Kritika Narula, Lead, Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy, Startup India, Government of India, Rashida Adenwala, Co-founder & Partner, R & A Associates, Jugnu Jain, CEO, Sapien Biosciences, Sreedevi Devireddy, VP - Startup Ecosystem, XELP, Sabina Kamal, Founder & COO Paytm m'Loyal (Mobiquest).

The event also witnessed the book launch by MSR for the book “Accelerating Her Business” co-authored by Poornima Shenoy and Supriya Panchangam. Keeping the strong narrative for women in India, the event showcased inspiring voyages of founders like Priya Ananth, Co-founder, Life Circle, Kalpana Ramesh, Founder of Rainwater Harvest Project and Krupala Nune, COO of LifeOfGirl startup.

A panel discussion titled “Women entrepreneurs as the next frontier for employment” was also organised which was led by Rashmi Pimpale, CEO, Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH), Government of Telangana, with panelists Madhura Dasgupta Sinha, Founder & CEO, Aspire For Her, Samir Sathe, Executive Vice President, Wadhwani Foundation, Poornima Shenoy and Supriya Panchangam, Authors of Accelerating Her Business book.

T-Hub also took this opportunity to felicitate 50 people to honour their contribution in inspiring, retaining and enabling the spirit of women entrepreneurship across the globe. These included women entrepreneurs like Anindita Banik, CEO, of SmartWinnr, Sarada Kalavapudi, Founder of Hivedin, Aparna Bhogu, Co-Founder of Monitra, Hema Nandiraju, Co-founder of HESA Global, and women mentors like Neetika Maheshwari, Founder of Accelero Corporation, Nirajita Mitra, Senior Director at Oracle India, Mytri Reddy, Partner at Varuna Law Associates, Nandita Sethi, Founder and Managing Director of The Entrepreneur Zone, and corporate women leaders like Rajita Singh, Head HR of Broadridge Financial Services, Urvashi Katyal, Strategic Partnership Manager, Community & Impact at Meta, and Swetha Balasa, Director at Honeywell Aerospace, among others.

The event concluded with an introduction to Startup India Awards 2022 by Aakanksha Chandra, Associate, Startup India, Government of India which will identify and celebrate innovations across 17 sectors, 50 sub-sectors and 7 special categories.

T-Hub has designed and delivered 100+ innovation programs in the last 6 years, enabling 1800+ startups to scale nationally and globally, and connected them with various influential ecosystem stakeholders. T-Hub will continue to develop strategic programs to elevate the levels of innovation by effectively engaging stakeholders and will keep supporting other ecosystem enablers – TSIC, T-Works, WE HUB, RICH, TASK by sharing knowledge and resources, as and when needed.

ABOUT T-HUB

T-Hub (Technology Hub) is an innovation hub and ecosystem enabler. Based out of Hyderabad, India, T-Hub leads India’s pioneering innovation ecosystem. With a mission of enabling and empowering an ecosystem hungry for innovation, T-Hub is creating impact for startups, corporations and other innovation ecosystem stakeholders. Incorporated in 2015, it has provided over 1800+ national and international startups with access to better technology, talent, mentors, customers, corporates, investors, and government agencies. It has elevated innovation for leading national and global corporations, transforming their business models for the better. Working in collaboration with innovation partners and enablers in Telangana, India and worldwide, T-Hub is building a future-ready innovation ecosystem.

Finance Platform Tide to Incubate 5,00,000 Women-led Small Businesses in India by the End of 2027

Aims to support women in India to start and run their own businesses

Launch ‘Tide Women Entrepreneurs Mentorship Programme'

Create an internal Women in Business Mentor Panel for advisory services

Tide, the UK’s leading business financial platform1, with operations and an imminent launch in India, today announced their target of supporting 500,000 female-led businesses, start out by the end of 2027.

This move comes on the heels of Tide’s ‘Women in Business’ initiative in the UK and the company’s plan to work as an incubator for women business owners in India. Through this initiative, Tide aims to help women led SMEs start and grow their businesses.

Today women run fewer than 13 percent of businesses in India. The primary reason for this low representation of women in business is access to finance. Nearly 20 percent of women entrepreneurs face rejection by lending institutions, more than twice the rate of 8 percent for men. Other key challenges that hold back women entrepreneurs include, absence of support networks and financial inclusion.

To further power the company’s vision for women entrepreneurs, Tide has also created an internal Women in Business Mentor Panel under their 'Tide Women Entrepreneurs Mentorship Programme'. The internal panel will feature in-house experts in Leadership, Marketing, Capital Investment, Hiring and Payroll, Taxation, and Legal, among others to provide one-on-one advice and host regular masterclasses, webinars, and AMA sessions for women entrepreneurs.

Gurjodhpal Singh CEO Tide IN

"Tide believes that there is a huge untapped potential for women entrepreneurs to contribute to the Indian economy. We want to support entrepreneurial women in their journey and believe we’re in a strong position to do exactly that. From the lessons learnt by working with small businesses every day in the UK, we understand the support and guidance needed to crack it as a small business owner. We believe this mentorship programme will not just prove instrumental in addressing their financial challenges but will also foster digital inclusion," says Gurjodhpal Singh, CEO, Tide (India).

The mentorship panel will also play an advisory role for women-led small businesses and support them with tracking progress and reporting issues.

Select Tide employees who will be part of this mentor panel have been chosen based on the specific domain knowledge they possess. The business financial platform also plans to partner with external mentors, who have or are working in the MSME space, to play an advisory role in the programme.

About Tide:

Founded in 2015 and launched in 2017, London-based Tide is now the leading business financial platform in the UK. Tide helps SMEs save time (and money) in the running of their businesses by not only offering business accounts and related banking services, but also a comprehensive set of highly usable administrative solutions. Tide has over 400,000 SME members in the UK (7% market share).

Tide has been funded by Apax Digital, Anthemis, Augmentum, Creandum, Goodwater, Jigsaw, Latitude, LocalGlobe, Passion Capital, SpeedInvest and The SBI Group. It employs 800+ professionals worldwide, has recently been awarded the UK Fintech Awards' ‘Banking Tech of the Year’ and is among the Sunday Times Fast Track Disruptors to Watch. Tide has a long-term ambition to be the leading business financial platform globally.

Tide selected India as its first international market in 2020. With over 350 highly skilled employees in India, most based in its Hyderabad technology centre, Tide is presently ramping up operations for a full-fledged launch in India later this year.

1 Tide is not a bank and does not hold or claim to hold a banking license.Tide is a business financial platform and the leading digital challenger in business banking services. We believe that a platform approach is the future of business banking, allowing us to offer both financial and admin services to SMEs, saving them time (and money) to allow them to focus on what they love: running their businesses. Tide Business Accounts are hosted and virtual debit cards are provided through our partner bank which is an RBI-licensed bank. Tide follows all security standards prescribed by the partner bank, in accordance with RBI regulations.

Vyaapar Jagat Fempreneur Conference and Awards – Celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav & Women Entrepreneurs of Aatma Nirbar Bharat

Running a business is no child’s play and being a woman business leader is an even tougher job. Vyapaar Jagat Fempreneur Conference and Awards Celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav & Women Entrepreneurs of Aatma Nirbar Bharat is an exclusive platform celebrating women who break the glass ceiling in being super women! Countdown begins in honor of Indian Women Entrepreneurs the edition of the Fampreneur Convention and Awards will be held in March every year. We are delighted to announce the launch of the Women Entrepreneurs Celebration of an extraordinary self-reliant India.

Vyapaar Jagat works with entrepreneurs and change makers, helping them tell their stories and build connections in the industry Vyaapar Jagat Fempreneur Conference and Awards – Celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav & Women Entrepreneurs of Aatma Nirbar Bharat aims to be the most prestigious honour that recognizes and celebrates the contribution of women in the mission of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat and Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. With more than 2500 delegates, 40+ award categories to recognize women achievers and 100+ leaders, this conference and recognition ceremony promises to be most exciting event of the year.

Vyapaar Jagat Fempreneur Awards:

Fempreneur Conference & Awards gives an emphasis to give recognition to women entrepreneurs in different categories such as COVID Warrior - Food Provider Award, COVID Warrior - Shelter Provider Award, COVID Warrior - Resource Provider Award, COVID Warrior - Education Support Award, COVID Warrior - Medical Support Award, COVID Warrior - Counsellor Award, COVID Warrior – Rising Entrepreneur Award, Trend setter woman of the year (Individual & Organization), Young business woman of the year, Innovator of the year(Individual), Best Mompreneur of the Year (Individual), Best Angel Investor Award, Best Community service –Individual, Best Community service – Organization, Best Mentor Award, Best influencer Award, Innovator of the year(Organization), Creative entrepreneur of the year, Social Impact Creator Award, Green Business of The Year, Home Grown Business of The Year, Excellence in E-Commerce business Award, Excellence in Customer Experience Award, Excellence in use of Technology Award, Excellence in use of Government Scheme Award, Excellence in Apparel Business Award, Excellence in Beauty & Fashion business Award, Excellence in Health & Wellness business Award, Excellence in Tourism business Award, Serial Entrepreneur of The Year, Woman ahead Startup of the year

Founder of the year, CEO of the Year Award, Social Entrepreneurship Award, Business Leader of the year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Professional Entrepreneur of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year in Product or Manufacturing Business, Entrepreneur of the Year in Service Business, Entrepreneur of the Year in Trading Business and a few more.

The awardees will get to feature their brand story on VyapaarJagat.com & listing of their business on VyapaarJagat.com/Directory along with many more advantages such as a free PR package more than worth INR 100000 and amazing online brand presence. The awardees will be decided based on the decision of the judges as well as votes made by the public.

Award Nomination and Evaluation:

Feel free to help yourself filing a self-nomination form and submit it online. Any business organization /entrepreneur /allied sector can apply for one or multiple categories. Self- Nomination forms should be submitted along with the prescribed fee online. The nominees in each category will be presented to the final jury for determination of winners. For self nomination visit: https://fempreneur.in/awards/

VyapaarJagat.com works with entrepreneurs and game changers. We believe in the India story. We have one of the biggest economies in the world where is the top priority for all top businesses to set up their international branch in India. Foreigners taking advantage of the economic strength of our country but with the country’s initiatives of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat and Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav we are determined to give a larger platform for our inborn businesses. We help businesses tell their stories, so that people can believe in their dream and expand their business.

Vyapaar Jagat also aims in attracting likeminded people to partner and build connections in the industry. The Fempreneur Conference and Awards is the most prestigious honour that recognizes and celebrates the contribution of women in the mission of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat and Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Every Year.

Visit following important links to participate:

• Self-Nomination for Awards: https://fempreneur.in/awards
• Become a Speaker/Share your Story: https://fempreneur.in/become-speaker/
• Become Event Supporting Partner: https://fempreneur.in/partner/
• Register to Attend: https://fempreneur.in/attend/
• Visit Website for more details: https://fempreneur.in

Contact Founder: Dr. Pravin Parmar at pravin@vyapaarjagat.com

 
For any queries regarding Fempreneur Conference & Awards (FCA), reach out on https://wa.me/919879933475

Applications Invited from Indian Women Scientists and Entrepreneurs for National Tech Excellence Award for Women 2022

Applications have been invited from Indian Women Scientists and Entrepreneurs to felicitate a select few with the prestigious India National Tech Excellence Award for Women 2022 for pursuing, prevailing, creating an impact, and etching out stories of inspiration for future young girls.

Technology Development Board, a statutory Body of the Department of Science and Technology, on the special occasion of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, has instituted the award to honour the outstanding contribution of women scientists and entrepreneurs in commercializing innovative indigenous technologies. 

The awards will be presented on International Women’s Day on 8th March, 2022.

The awards are categorized under two categories National Women Scientist Award for Excellence in Translational Research and National Women Entrepreneur Award. 

Both the awards will be presented in two distinct subcategories as -

1. Senior (45 years and above) - Prize of ₹3Lakh
2. Young (Below 45 years)      -  Prize of ₹1Lakh

The awardees will receive a cash award of ₹3 Lakh and ₹1 Lakh for senior and young, respectively, and number of awards will be two in each category.

Women empowerment is vital to our development. Indian women continue to lead in different walks of life. Our space programmes, including the Mars Orbiter Mission, have had immense contribution from our women scientists.

- Narendra Modi

The contribution of Indian women in the science & technology and entrepreneurship has been exemplary, and they have proved that they can own businesses, work tirelessly to show that they are adept and successful in the entrepreneurial space. 

In rural India, too, women entrepreneurs have made their way and emerged as leaders across different sectors, proving that they are capable mentors for future generations.

The contributions made by women across sectors have been evident over the centuries, science and technology being one of the most benefitted. Women like, Leelavati, a mathematician and astrologer; Janaki Ammal, first Indian scientist to have received the Padma Shri Award in 1977; Kadambini Ganguly, one of the first female physicians of South Asia to be trained in western medicine; Anna Mani, an Indian physicist, and meteorologist, also the former DDG of the Indian Meteorological Department; Indira Hinduja, the first Indian women who delivered a test tube baby; Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman & Managing Director, Biocon Limited, Kalpana Chawla, a first Indian woman in space, Dr. Renu Swaroop, first Woman Secretary to lead DST and Dr. Alka Mittal, first woman CMD of ONGC have made significant contribution to sectors such as aerospace, medical science, biotechnology, meteorology, and many others, they have proven it time, and again, that opportunity and access to knowledge & resources can make all the difference.

The Government of India has been continuously focusing on women empowerment in Science and Technology, through various schemes and initiatives like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, "KIRAN" (Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing), “GATI” - Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions and many other women scientist schemes. 

 All these aim to support the talents of Indian women, and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has played a key role in supporting talented women in science.

For applying, interested candidates may visit www.tdb.gov.in