BENGALURU: Rashi Agarwal (20), a third-year computer science engineering student from Bengaluru has started “Pandeteens”, a community-building platform to raise awareness about mental health and provide people with a space to communicate with others facing similar issues.
Agarwal participated in the live pitching session organised at the Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI), the 2nd “FoundHer” conclave in Bengaluru on Saturday.
The conclave aimed at providing knowledge at training to women entrepreneurs towards making scalable and profitable businesses. Ranjeeta Greta, president, of WICCI, Karnataka Council for Personal Branding, said that in corporate workplaces there are only 10 per cent of women in leadership positions. Women should be provided holistic training to grow their businesses.
Agrawal started the initiative in October 2022 to provide people with a space to communicate with people. Due to the stigma attached to mental health, people do not always wish to consult a professional for help. She explained that several issues can be resolved by talking to others.
Greta said that WICCI is also proposing to Venture, 91 Springboards, Microsoft for startups, Amazon Saheli and others to collaborate for providing skilful training to women in Karnataka and further extend it to other states as well. The conclave saw 18 women coming forward and pitching their businesses to a panel of investors.