BANGALORE: Of the many obstacles that a woman in business faces, access to capital, support to sustain the business and entrepreneurial education are some of the major hindrances. WeConnect International, a non-profit organisation connecting women-owned businesses with multi-national corporations hopes to provide the necessary support to these women to help them succeed. In this direction, a business forum, ‘Think Big’ will be held this week.
The event will provide a platform for women entrepreneurs to network with each other, connect with big corporations as well as upgrade their professional skills.
There will be panel discussions and presentations made by successful entrepreneurs in order to help women entrepreneurs ‘think big.’
Sucharita Eashwar, executive director of WEConnect International’s India initiative said, “Most often, these women businesses tend to stay small, either due to lack of economic support or socio-cultural hurdles. So we have picked women from different areas who have made it big and can inspire the participants. Women who have scaled up their businesses, like Pallavi Gupta whose restaurant chain Mast Kalandar runs into 100s, will also talk to the women. We are also getting people from corporations like IBM, Accenture, Marriott, Walmart, who will explain how women can work with multinational corporations as vendors/suppliers. Dancer, publisher and activist Mallika Sarabhai and actor Kalki Koechlin will address the gathering.”
Why does India need more women entrepreneurs? According to a study by UN Women, women are crucial to economic growth — the country’s GDP can increase by at least another 4.2 per cent if women are given the chance to contribute to the economy as producers, employees and entrepreneurs.
Over the past few years, there has been a significant rise in the number of women-owned enterprises, says Sucharita. Since the inception of the organisation three years ago, WeConnect in India has seen a vast increase in the number of women branching out on their own.
At present, they work with over 900 businesses helping them scale up and reach new markets. “With the right support from banks, investors and the corporate sector, we will see a significant growth in the number in the coming few years,” Sucharita adds.
‘Think Big— Women in Business Forum 2014’ will be held on September 11 and 12 at Ritz Carlton, Residency Road from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm on both days. For details, send an email to nsetty@weconnectinternational.org.