BITS Pilani’s technology business incubator, Pilani Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Society (PIEDS), has launched a start-up programme, ‘Womenpreneur for Bharat 1.0,’ in association with the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), incubated within NITI Aayog and supported by Aditya Birla Capital Foundation, the CSR arm of Aditya Birla Capital Limited, as per the official announcement.
The partnership was announced at the state workshop on ‘Enabling Women-Led Development through Entrepreneurship’ at Dorjee Khandu State Convention Center, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh on November 24, 2023. Held under the aegis of the State Support Mission of NITI Aayog, the workshop conducted jointly by the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), the statement added.
‘Womenpreneurs for Bharat 1.0’ aims to provide funding and incubation support to women entrepreneurs who are building solutions for/from Tier 2/3/4 cities across Northeast region, Rajasthan, Haryana and J&K. The programme will seek both for-profit and nonprofit women-led start-ups working across UN-SDG areas and solving business or societal challenges in those regions.
“We are committed to creating equitable, inclusive, and long-term social and economic growth for the country. Through ‘Womenpreneurs for Bharat 1.0’, we aim to provide a platform to nurture the growth of women entrepreneurs in the country, who have the potential of impacting a large number of underserved Indians through innovative solutions,” Vishakha Mulye, director, Aditya Birla Capital Foundation, CEO, Aditya Birla Capital Limited, said.
The programme claims that it will provide funding of up to Rs. 10 lakh to eligible start-ups, along with extended incubation support from PIEDS, including 1-1 mentoring, market access support and opportunities to raise future investments.
“The project embodies a strategic approach to bolster women’s entrepreneurship in the tech4good sector which has significant market and impact potential, aligning with national goals of gender equality, women-led development and digital inclusion. Women entrepreneurs leading innovations in critical development areas with a tech-led approach can have significant gains overall for business and society,” Anna Roy, mission director, WEP, said.
