Women business owners constitute the most promising engine of growth in India- WEConnect International
New Delhi- 12 October 2022: WEConnect International hosted a 2-day in-person conference to provide opportunities for over 100 women-owned businesses to grow their network and connect with more than 30 large corporations, part of the “Women’s Empowerment Through Economic Inclusion” 3-year project, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. The project focuses on to generate long-term opportunities for women-owned businesses and develop skills necessary to conduct business with large buyers, including local and multinational corporations, government agencies and non-profit and non-governmental organizations.The Women’s Empowerment Through Economic Inclusion also includes Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Till date, more than 700 women entrepreneurs have participated in capacity-building training sessions and networking with dozens of corporations, many of whom have committed to sourcing from women-owned businesses.
“Women business owners constitute the most promising engine of growth in India,” said Saritha Venumbaka, Chief Operating Officer, WEConnect International. “By focusing on women’s economic empowerment and advancing gender equality, India will capture the tremendous economic potential women business owners can bring to the economy, including job creation.”
Highlights of the conference include two capacity-building trainings for women-owned businesses—Unique Selling Proposition for products and services, and Business Resilience emphasizing business growth; a Supplier Diversity and Inclusion Roundtable with leading corporations, local and multinational, on sharing best practices on gender-inclusive sourcing; and a woman-owned business product showcase for cross-business promotions.
The business matchmaking session included 1:1 business pitching sessions between women business owners representing a variety of industries including manufacturing, professional services, IT and tech services, and dozens of corporations to discuss opportunities for their businesses as well as learn how to interact with and market their services to potential buyers. The women entrepreneurs also had the opportunity to network with a community of women business owners to learn from and potentially grow their businesses.
“Investing in women-owned businesses makes financial sense for large organizational buyers,” said Eroshan Alagaretnam, South Asia Regional Director, WEConnect International. “Small changes to large organization buying practices, such as inclusive sourcing policies, can have an immense impact on the business and its ability to find the best products and services at the best price.”
