New Delhi, August 16, 2023: Villgro, a prominent social enterprise incubator in India, has teamed up with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India to unveil a transformative initiative aimed at accelerating women-led businesses across the country. Titled 'EMPOWER Her Journey,' the program is set to provide essential support to women entrepreneurs, bridging financial gaps and equipping them with digital tools to expand their market reach.
Recognizing the pivotal role played by women entrepreneurs in driving economic growth, generating employment opportunities, and fostering innovation, 'EMPOWER Her Journey' seeks to address the various challenges they encounter during their entrepreneurial pursuits. These challenges range from limited awareness of government and banking schemes to cultural constraints and obstacles in accessing mentoring and networking resources that hinder business growth.
The newly launched program will tackle these issues head-on by offering peer-to-peer learning sessions, comprehensive training modules, networking avenues, and mentorship. Additionally, it will empower entrepreneurs with digital transformation tools to boost sales and introduce business acceleration strategies like Go-To-Market plans, fundraising tactics, and impact measurement techniques.
Gender parity in the economy is essential for achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. At UNDP, the mission to establish a more inclusive and equitable ecosystem for women's economic empowerment remains a central focus.
The 'EMPOWER Her Journey' initiative is inviting applications from Indian enterprises founded or co-founded by women, or with women occupying senior executive roles. Eligible businesses should have less than 5 years of operational experience across any sector, including startups at the ideation, pre-revenue, or revenue-generating stages.
“We hold the firm belief that empowering women entrepreneurs extends beyond economic growth; it sets in motion a ripple effect that profoundly influences families, communities, and the nation. With 'EMPOWER Her Journey,' we envisage a future wherein women-led enterprises lead in driving social progress and sustainable development, further strengthened by the unwavering support of UNDP,” said Jenaan Lilani Bhargava, Advisor, Villgro.
She further added, “As part of Villgro's ongoing commitment to supporting women entrepreneurs in India, the 'EMPOWER Her Journey' programme complements initiatives such as the TVARAN Accelerator and Powering Livelihoods. With this programme, we aim to leverage our 20+ years of expertise, empowering 1,600 women across the country to thrive in entrepreneurship, foster growth, and achieve remarkable success.”
“Empower Her Journey” has been specifically designed to unlock the untapped potential of women-led start-ups with incubation and acceleration support. With Villgro as a partner, we are confident that this initiative will catalyse the entrepreneurial journey of all women entrepreneur participants.” said Amit Kumar, Head of Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, UNDP India.
The inaugural cohort of the program will feature the participation of 100 dynamic women-led startups and women entrepreneurs. Interested parties are encouraged to submit their applications by August 30, 2023, for an opportunity to be a part of this transformative journey towards women's economic empowerment.
