WEP Partners With Josh Talks To Spotlight Women Entrepreneurs in Northeast India

New Delhi, Sep 5, 2024: The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), a public-private partnership-led aggregator platform, and Josh Talks, a regional content and upskilling platform, have collaborated to build a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem for women. 
     
As an aggregator platform, WEP supports women entrepreneurs through bespoke initiatives based on collaboration and convergence among ecosystem stakeholders. It provides a continuum of support across six pillars: skilling, access to markets, access to finance, compliance and legal due diligence, business development services, and mentorship and networking. The overall vision is to empower women to start, sustain, and scale their businesses.

Josh Talks, a women-centric Josh Talks Aasha YouTube channel that works on women equity is aligned with the vision and mission of WEP.

Under this collaboration, WEP and Josh Talks have agreed to work together in showcasing the journeys of women who have traversed the path of entrepreneurship with the aim to motivate others. In the first phase of this collaboration, it was decided to release three impactful videos on the Josh Talks Aasha YouTube channel, covering WEP’s Project Maitri Award-to-Reward (ATR) program. These videos highlight the personal and entrepreneurial journeys of three remarkable women entrepreneurs selected from a cohort of 30 homestay owners from the Northeast, under WEP's Project Maitri Award-to-Reward program, held in collaboration with MakeMyTrip and ITC Hotels.

Driven by the vision of fostering women-led development through entrepreneurship, Anna Roy, Principal Economic Advisor, NITI Aayog, and Mission Director, WEP, commented, “WEP's mission has always been to create a supportive ecosystem that empowers women entrepreneurs across the country through collaboration and convergence amongst stakeholders.”

WEP recognizes that public-private partnerships are crucial as they bridge the gap between government initiatives and private sector innovation, driving sustainable growth. One-way WEP is advancing this is through its ATR (Award-to-Reward) programs, which exemplify WEP’s commitment to enhancing entrepreneurial capacities. ATR is a plug-and-play program that brings together different stakeholders to collaborate in supporting women entrepreneurs. These programs focus on selecting high-potential women entrepreneurs through competition, recognizing and nurturing them through capacity building, reward, and recognition. They offer a structured pathway comprising curated master classes, access to valuable networks, mentorship opportunities, and the potential to meet the specific needs of individual enterprises.

With a vision to empower women entrepreneurs across the country, WEP's Project Maitri ATR program exemplifies the platform's commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs in the North-East through public-private partnerships. In collaboration with MakeMyTrip and ITC, Project Maitri focuses on supporting women homestay owners from North-East India by providing skill development and entrepreneurial training tailored to the hospitality industry.

While speaking about the Project Maitri ATR program, Roy stated, “The initiative has already seen the successful execution of two capacity-building programs in Delhi, where 30 women entrepreneurs received one week intensive hands-on training in branding, marketing, and operational efficiency from industry experts.”

Supriya Paul, CEO & Co-founder of Josh Talks, expressed her enthusiasm for the collaboration stating, “We are thrilled to partner with WEP to bring these incredible stories to a wider audience. At Josh Talks, we believe in the power of storytelling to inspire change and create impact. Through these videos, which have already been viewed more than 150,000 times, we aim to highlight the resilience and determination of women entrepreneurs from Northeast India, showcasing their journeys and the transformative impact of Project Maitri. This collaboration is a testament to our shared commitment to empowering women and fostering entrepreneurship across India.”