The government of Telangana is on a mission to make the state a women entrepreneurs’ hub, Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao said on Wednesday.
Rao said the upcoming launch of a single window mechanism and targeted interventions will provide a professional identity for women entrepreneurs and enable them to scale their businesses, creating more employment opportunities in Tier 2 and 3 cities.
The minister was speaking at an event organised to mark the fifth anniversary of ‘WE HUB’, India’s first and only state-led incubator.
He said WE HUB has played a significant role in engaging with over 35,000 women entrepreneurs across India.
The achievements of women entrepreneurs were recognised and they were honoured for their contributions at the event organised on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
According to the organisers, WE HUB has been a beacon of hope for women entrepreneurs in India over the past five years, providing them with the resources and support they need to succeed in the business world.
A video presentation was made showcasing the projects, initiatives and programmes that have helped women entrepreneurs in their entrepreneurial journey. Five successful women entrepreneurs shared their inspiring stories of overcoming challenges and achieving success in their respective fields at the event.
Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Information Technology (IT), emphasised the importance of women’s participation in entrepreneurship and applauded WE HUB’s role in promoting women entrepreneurs.
Over the past five years, WE HUB has incubated 3,194 startups and SMEs founded by women. It has successfully engaged with over 5,000 women entrepreneurs, 1,247 students, 986 social impact entrepreneurs and 609 urban entrepreneurs. The incubator has been actively working towards enabling women-led startups across sectors.
“At WE HUB, we believe that women entrepreneurs are a force to be recognised. Our mission is to provide them with the resources and support they need to succeed, regardless of their background or social circumstances. Through our work, we have seen first-hand the incredible impact that women can have on their communities and the economy,” said WE HUB CEO, Deepthi Ravula.
WE HUB is the first-of-its-kind and only state-run platform for women entrepreneurs run by the government of Telangana. It aims to create a supportive community for aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs where they can interact with venture capitalists for funding, connect with corporates for scaling up their business, get advice from mentors to fine-tune ideas and benefit from technical mentoring.