A Mentoring Platform for Women-led Startups launched at Assam Startup – the nest

Women-owned business enterprises are crucial for the socio-economic empowerment of women. Nevertheless, women entrepreneurs are thwarted by challenges like dearth of resources, higher risk factors, lack of marketing, management and financial skills, and compliance costs, among others. Women entrepreneurs especially from the eastern and north-eastern parts of the country are impeded by an absence of mentorship as well as an ecosystem that could guide and strengthen first generation women entrepreneurs.

Keeping the above issues in mind, Assam Startup and IIM Calcutta Innovation Park have collaborated with Contact Base (Banglanatak dot com), in association with the U.S. Consulate General Kolkata to launch a platform exclusively dedicated to mentoring and supporting women-led startups in East and North East India to help them overcome the growth impediments. The platform was launched on June 28 at Assam Startup – the nest during a special workshop that was attended by 45 representatives from different incubators, funding bodies, alumni networks, universities, social organisations and women-led startups from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Maharashtra and West Bengal.

Initiated as part of a one-year project by Contact Base and U.S. General Consulate Kolkata – Women Wielding the Workplace – to increase women’s workforce footprint in South Asia, the mentoring platform aims to engage institutions and specialized infrastructure and service providers in assisting the women-led startups with required resources to support prototyping, early-stage market testing, funding and patenting, among others. With its coveted network of mentors, investors, entrepreneurs and industry experts, Assam Startup – IIMCIP will have a crucial role to play in enabling the purpose of this platform see the daylight.

If you are a women entrepreneur looking for a similar support; or if you are either an entrepreneur, academician, head of a business incubator, or a professional engaged in management consulting/ tax/ corporate law/accounting, who is willing to help women-led businesses in your region, please visit www.women4economy.net to join the program.