American India Foundation’s Post

#News | RBIH's white paper uncovers disparities in funding for women entrepreneurs, especially in Tier 2 & 3 cities. Shockingly, just 20% of India's MSMEs are women-led, with most being sole proprietorships. #RealtyNXT #RBIH #WomenEntrepreneurs #Empowerment #Tier2Cities #Tier3Cities #MSME #Funding

In India's burgeoning tier II and III cities, women entrepreneurs often face a delayed start. Access to formal credit and mentorship remains elusive, creating obstacles that can dim the brightest of business dreams. 🌱 At GAME, we're bridging this critical gap. Through our transformative Women Entrepreneur Financial Empowerment Program, we're tackling the twin hurdles of finance accessibility and expert guidance. We're not just advocates for change; we're active catalysts, providing the tools and support these trailblazing women need to ignite their entrepreneurial journey. 🤝 Our partnership with the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) is a testament to our commitment. Together, we've introduced pivotal credit enhancement mechanisms and fostered the Vitta Sakhi network - an empowering community of women financial advisors reshaping the landscape of rural entrepreneurship. Read the article to know more about the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs: https://drp.li/8PgU8 Ravi Venkatesan | Madan Padaki | Mekin Maheshwari | Ketul Acharya | Women Economic Empowerment Program | IKEA Foundation #FinancialInclusion #WomenInBusiness #RuralImpact #GAMEChangingImpact #NRLM #VittaSakhi #Entrepreneurship #WomenEntrepreneurship #EconomicEmpowerment #WomenEmpowerment #RuralInnovation #FinancialInclusion #MassEntrepreneurship #EconomicDevelopment #WEFEP

Happy to share a joint paper with Payel Roy, Ruben Das and Mercy Hembrom Ghosh, G., Roy, P., Das, R., & Hembrom, M. (2024). Women Empowerment as a Tool to Attain Sustainable Development Goals: A Study of a Remote Area of West Bengal, India. In B. Paul & S. Poddar (Eds.), Sustainable Partnership and Investment Strategies for Startups and SMEs (pp. 271-286). https://lnkd.in/g5b95mTy

Discover the 𝐔𝐝𝐲𝐚𝐦 𝐒𝐚𝐤𝐡𝐢 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖. It's designed to empower women entrepreneurs within the MSME sector by offering access to a wealth of resources, including financial assistance, policy updates, and various programs, all curated by the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. 𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: The portal's mission is to nurture women-led enterprises through guidance, support, and advocacy, ensuring they have the necessary tools to launch, develop, and expand their ventures. For more information, you can visit the official press release on the PIB website. Link: https://bit.ly/4dWfb7u Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India | Ameya Prabhu | Abhyuday Jindal | Brij Bhushan Agarwal #IndianChamberofCommerce #ICC #WomenEntrepreneurs #UdyamSakhiInitiative #WomenInBusiness #WomenEmpowerment #SmallBusinessSakhi

Why aren’t there more women entrepreneurs succeeding in Tier II & Tier III towns despite government aid? This is a common question and the answer to it is that it not that simple! Women entrepreneurs are braced with challenges, right from the bottom to the top. According to the Bharat Women Aspiration Index Report by Tide India, MSMEs led by women in Tier I and Tier II cities struggle to find reliable sources of funding. As a result, they are reliant on lenders who charge high rates of interest. Several reports point to the same thing: women founders have a lot to overcome; especially when it comes to receiving equitable funding for their businesses. Want to know more about the challenges that women entrepreneurs face in the MSME sector? Click the link and read the report here: https://lnkd.in/gndusczw #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFoundersFirst #LevelThePlayingField #womenentrepreneurs

In a shocking development, about 95 per cent of Indian women are unaware of existing government financial schemes or initiatives to leverage for their business, according to a survey report by the Bharat Women Aspiration Index (BWAI). The report mentioned that this indicates women are turning to the informal sector for access to credit. About 52 per cent of women entrepreneurs have access to financial credit, indicating that one in two entrepreneurs has access to finance, while 47 per cent said they face challenges. Annurag Batra | Tanvie Ahuja | Noor Fathima Warsia #IndianWomen #WomenEntrepreneurs #FinancialInclusion #WomenEmpowerment #BusinessFinance #Entrepreneurship #EmpowerWomen

The Livelihood and Entrepreneurship program is empowering women across India! FWWB provides essential resources, training, and mentorship to help women build and grow successful businesses. FWWB focuses on financial and digital management, business strategies, market linkages, and more to create a nurturing environment for women at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey. FWWB equipped over 36,150 women entrepreneurs across 8 states with the skills and confidence to achieve financial independence, increase their business income, and become strong community leaders. FWWB is helping women achieve financial independence, driving economic growth, alleviating poverty, and creating lasting change in communities. This has been possible by fostering a supportive ecosystem and addressing the gender digital divide. #WomenEmpowerment #FinancialInclusion #Entrepreneurship #FWWB

Lakhpati Didi , Microfinance & Women Entrepreneurs Execution is the key. Bring all three aspects together to really make an impact. Government should look beyond the obvious and factor in the entrepreneurial spirit of women. Enabling individual didis to be entrepreneurs under a collective nation wide initiative for supply chain and distribution platform should be the way forward. Harnessing the individual energy and creating a formal S n D channel will infact bring the benefit to them. Government should look for integrated and creative execution model to create an impactful solution. #budget2024 #government #microfinance #supplychainmanagement #lakhpatididi #womenentrepreneurs

#CatalystsOfProsperity - "When our women came to us for economic empowerment, they were very clear that they did not want to get into the available work streams of construction labourers or stone breakers. So we decided that the Mann Deshi Foundation should focus on areas that our women want to address and empower themselves economically, and generate additional income." - Chetna Gala Sinha, Founder, Mann Deshi Foundation Through its collaboration with Samhita-CGF, Mann Deshi Foundation empowered countless women in rural areas, providing them with access to credit, financial inclusion, entrepreneurial skills, and essential tools for self-reliance. Their innovative approach, including the introduction of digital, financial and entrepreneurship education, has not only bridged the gender gap in entrepreneurship but also ignited economic revolutions in traditionally underserved communities. Watch Part 1 of our #CatalystsForProseperity Spotlight featuring Samhita-CGF's Founder, Priya Naik in conversation with Chetna Gala Sinha, Founder of Mann Deshi Foundation to discuss the need for sustainable financial independence for women across all communities, and our work together as part of the REVIVE Alliance to achieve this common goal. Watch out this space for more insightful discussions with thought leaders across industries who are transforming communities, one good deed at a time! You can follow the complete conversation here https://lnkd.in/dmkYUeAG Societal Thinking Priya Naik USAID UNDP Omidyar Network India Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, India #womenempowerment #samhita

The investment sector needs to invest more in its women. Across the world, only 2% of venture capital investments are in women-owned/led businesses. In India, it is only 0.3%. Moreover, the participation of women in the PE/VC workforce is only around 25% in the country. It’s even lower at senior levels, with women holding less than 15% of decision-making positions. If this status quo is to be changed, accountability to achieve gender goals must be adopted. Investments in women-owned/led businesses can be amplified by linking stakeholders' incentives (carried interest/bonus) to gender goals such as investing in women and hiring women in the supply chain and the organization. Furthermore, the industry must work together to structure a quantitative approach toward analyzing an organization’s contribution toward gender goals. It is important that we identify and implement such solutions that reduce gender inequity in our industry. Hopefully, this might also trigger similar transformations across sectors, and in our society. No doubt, changing the system would take time, but taking the first step is vital. #womeninfinance #womeninbusiness #womenentrepreneurs #entrepreneurship #business #womenempowerment #genderequity #genderdiversity #genderlensinvesting #genderinclusion #genderbalance #womenceos #womenchangemakers #leadership #leaders #decisionmaking #decisionmakers #womenleaders #workforcemanagement #funding #fundmanagers #fundmanagement #femalefounders #startups #investing #investements #gendergoals #goals #c4dpartners #wemindthegap