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<ul><li>It has been exactly a week since International Women's Day when we were spammed with ads related to struggles women go through every day. </li><li>However, we have all forgotten about their contributions and struggles a week later, and moved on. </li><li><keyword id="10253869" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="anushka-iyer">Anushka Iyer</keyword>, Founder and CEO, Wiggles.in writes a few challenges that women founders face in our country.</li></ul>Raised eyebrows are a given when it’s a woman founder at the helm, doing what she does best, driving change. From using the rolling pin in the kitchen to mastering a spacewalk, a woman has come a long way from where she began. 'Be a man,’ is the most common advice women entrepreneurs receive. And it is this very gender stereotype that needs to be shattered. The business world is no longer a ‘man's world.’ There has been a spurt of women entrepreneurs in recent years but not without facing their more than fair share of challenges while building their start-ups. As gender stereotypes, lack of support from mentors, unequal pay, lack of financial backing and many other issues continue to exist, here are a few elementary challenges that women founders face daily in spite of the changing times. Getting A Seat At The Table According to the sixth economic census, by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), women comprise as much as 13.76% of the total entrepreneurs in India. One of the uncomfortable realities of being a female leader is walking into a meeting and realizing that you’re one of the few women in the room among your male counterparts. The pressure of being the only one is undoubtedly overwhelming. The odd one out is often treated differently and subjected to discrimination. With such challenges, women find it hard to speak up and voice their opinion. Women need to support each other in their journey to the top. More women leaders need to turn role models and flow against the tide. Instead of sitting back, it is imperative to step forward and make a lasting impression by being both seen and heard. Policies that don’t help Financial and HR policies don't make it any easier for women. Most financial institutions favour men over women when it comes to providing loans. Even the HR policies, although they are now being altered, make it difficult for women to take an extended maternity leave and ultimately, she may not be considered for an upcoming promotion although she is deserving of it. Financial institutions and banks do not consider unmarried women, working women or young women as ‘proper applicants’ for loans since it is the general belief that her business plan is going to be short lived. Shattering the Glass Ceiling For some of us, the ceiling is considered a mere illusion, but for the rest, it is still very real and exists despite many women shattering it time and time again. Opinionated and passionate are seen as ‘crazy’ and shut down when they voice their opinions. Their ideas are seen as ‘impractical’ or ‘unrealistic’ and often confused with the women being too emotional. The struggle to shatter the glass ceiling is another hurdle that is stopping women from becoming leaders. But, things are changing gradually. As mentioned in a study by Google and Bain &amp; company, today, India has 13.5–15.7 million women-owned enterprises, representing 20% of all enterprises. This definitely becomes a talking point for future generations. Patriarchy The market, especially for entrepreneurs, is male-dominated. Women still struggle to find their place in a man’s world. There is already a lot of competition in the market when it comes to operations, marketing, organizing and setting up your business, add to that a patriarchal society where a woman is discouraged every step of the way, it gets harder for women to pursue their dreams. Raising Funding Women entrepreneurs have to rely on their own savings or family and friends to get the seed money to start their own business. As for women who do start their business, finding investors and convincing them to believe in her is a whole other challenge, as her abilities are often doubted. Less than 3% of all capital in the world is invested into female founders. All in a time when 93% of daily purchases are made by women. This massive surge in female led funds does prove that people are investing in female founders, so there is indeed a shift happening. Work-Life Balance A lot of us ask ourselves, ‘Can we really have it all?’ In reality, men and women in leadership positions are challenged with balancing their career and personal life, it is a given. However, women are expected to play a larger role when it comes to juggling responsibilities as compared to their male partners. Working mothers, single mothers have the responsibility of taking care of their children, the family and their business. Trying to create a balance between the two, leaves a person feeling exhausted and unable to perform their best. Skepticism There’s a lot of skepticism around women entrepreneurs ‘making it.’ They are not taken seriously enough, her business is seen as a hobby and nothing more. When faced with such issues, it becomes a challenge for most women to convince investors, her family, the society that she means business. In the workplace, much like everywhere else, women continue to face unfair gender biases and discriminations. However, a different perspective, can show these obstacles and challenges as stepping stones to make one stronger and resilient to face any obstacles. The way in which a difficult journey unfolds will always bring in a positive impact and inspire everyone to handle difficult situations with finesse. Post-COVID, the world has changed. It has made us realize that we are just a tiny minuscule part of this universe and the saying, “To live and let live” holds true. If it's going to be the survival of the fittest, women are definitely all armed to take the world by storm now. Come to think of it, bring on the challenges, a woman’s going to find her way through it all.

Elementary challenges for women founders will continue to exist

<keyword id="6355629" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="google" source="Orion">Google</keyword> on Tuesday announced its <keyword id="14193636" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Startups-accelerator-programme" source="Orion">startups accelerator programme</keyword> that will nurture about 20 startups led by women founders in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>. The programme is aimed to help women founders address challenges that are unique to their experience, including fundraising, hiring and many others. The inaugural batch of Google for <keyword id="8826137" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Startups-Accelerator" source="Orion">Startups Accelerator</keyword> - India Women Founders programme will accept up to 20 women-founded/ co-founded startups in India, including startups at the minimum viable product stage, and support them through a three-month programme. The programme will place special focus on areas like access to networks, access to capital, hiring challenges, mentorship and many others which, for a variety of social reasons and low representation, prove challenging for female founders. In addition to these, the curriculum will include workshops and support around AI/ML, Cloud, UX, android, web, product strategy and growth, as well as provide access to a global community of women founders. India is the world's third largest startup capital, trailing only the US and China. It boasts over a 100 unicorns with 22 getting added to the list just in 2022, spanning verticals such as e-commerce, healthtech, fintech and many others. However, only 15 per cent of these <keyword id="3357129" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-unicorns" source="Orion">Indian unicorns</keyword> have one or more women founders. "The new programme is part of a larger effort by Google towards improving the representation of women across different sections of India's digitally-trained workforce, be it entrepreneurship, professionals looking to upskill or young graduates seeking a head start on their career, with the ultimate objective of making technology universally relevant and helpful," the tech giant wrote in a blogpost. The applications for the programme are open till July 10, it added. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/mukesh-ambani-and-disney-to-get-into-an-intense-bidding-war-for-another-ipl-package-heres-why-it-matters/articleshow/92203554.cms">Mukesh Ambani and Disney to get into an intense bidding war for another IPL package – here’s why it matters</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/elon-musk-lost-as-much-as-mukesh-ambanis-total-wealth-in-2022/articleshow/92203221.cms">Elon Musk lost as much as Mukesh Ambani's total wealth in 2022</a>

Google to launch accelerator programme for women entrepreneurs in India

Zoho founder, Radha Vembu, tops India’s self-made women billionaires list

They might be boasting of a trend they have rightly caught up with. But they aren’t really ready to set the equilibrium. The start up culture in India has given India an entrepreneurial identity in the global map, yet none of the companies has a single woman employee in its executive leadership. 
 
India's biggest, most funded and perhaps the fastest growing startup, Flipkart, is beginning to reflect the problem haunting the country's much bigger technology industry that of gender diversity at the top, informs a news report by The Economic Times. 
 
Not only Flipkart, Myntra Ola, Quikr, Freshdesk and several others have long ignored the need to achieve gender diversity at the top. The ET report believes, perhaps the founders have been too busy building their startups. 
 
But building an equitable culture and at least trying to put together a diverse leadership team is a responsibility they cannot shy away from, especially if more than third (and in some cases nearly half) of their employees are women. 
During Women’s day and other ‘seasonal’ events, these companies bring out a hyped gender diversity debates. But this issue is far too important to be raised only during the season, and secondly, March is too far, far away to wait, states the news report by the financial daily. 
 
The ET lists out some dynamic founders of startups such as MapMyGenome (Anu Acharya), Limeroad (Suchi Mukherjee), Tracxn (Neha Singh), Mad StreDen's Ashwini Asokan and Trucksfirst (Gazal Kalra). But other than this it's really difficult to spot women entrepreneurs and top startup executives. Some of them may lack experience in managing large, complex organisations. But that's an area of improvement for many, many professionals of the opposite gender. 
 
The ET asks the right question- if founders and startups can spend so much of time debating, arguing, calling each other names, about issues of hiring, evil investors, intellectually challenged boards - why not set some time aside on solving the global tech's oldest problem? 
 
Perhaps somebody in India could put together "a list of boss ladies" the way Silicon Valley veteran Sukhinder Singh Cassidy did with this Boardlist. 
 
For its part, Flipkart seems to have realised that it needs to do better in terms of gender diversity. Couple of weeks ago, it announced an attractive maternity package to retain its women staff across the company. 
 
But a detailed questionnaire sent on last Friday to Flipkart, Zomato, and several others remained unanswered. In fact, Paytm was the only company to have responded. 
 
Some would argue (and perhaps rightfully so) that with the rise of new breed women founders at startups such as Trucksfirst, MapMyGenome and several others, things are much better off and there is no need to demand gender diversity at companies such as Flipkart. 
 
But the real issue is not just about having a good number of women founders in the ecosystem. It's more about ensuring diversity at startups such as Flipkart that are no more small; employ thousands of staff, and are seen as role models for the entire ecosystem. They need to urgently address the aspirations of their (potential) women leaders and set an example, suggested the news report.

Startups in India: No place for women?

<keyword id="3003094" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Startup-India">Startup India</keyword> hosts the women panel to celebrate stories of innovative women entrepreneurs in the country, a great step for the transforming startup ecosystem. But all the panelists agreed on one point that “Women need to be on panels, not just women entrepreneur panels”. 

	Women are transforming the startup industry but they want o be recognised as an achiever and not as a women achiever. While starting up a new venture and raising funds, the first question that comes to the apprehensive minds is whether the investors will entertain women entrepreneurs.
 “There are investors who don’t judge us being a women,” said Anisha Singh, co-founder of <keyword id="736994" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="mydala">mydala</keyword>. Sairee Chahal, founder of <keyword id="2589674" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sheroes">Sheroes</keyword> said that though India produces the maximum women graduates in the world, they cannot make the right career choices due to the environment created around. 

	Narendra Modi has a lot to live up to. here’s what the women entrepreneurs expect from the government.
 

	1. Make the ecosystem transparent and curated.
 

	2. Create a more immersive ecosystem for women.
 

	3. Create active mentorship for women.
 

	4. Create more jobs for women.
 

	5. Create clarity on the structure. Most of them don’t know where to go for resources, how to get a loan etc. Create a simplified ecosystem.
 

	6. Digital opportunities are gender agnostic at present. Change it.
 

	7. “Make it startup every day from startup day”.
 

	“Do you fight the old or do you build teh new! And I think it is time to build the new!” said Chahal from Sheroes.

	 
	 
	(Image credits: Twitter)

#startupindia: Why women entrepreneurs need to be shoulder-to-shoulder with their male counterparts

<ul><li>The biggest task for today's marketers is to abolish gender roles and work on an honest <keyword id="1616270" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="portrayal-of-women">portrayal of women</keyword>.</li><li>We reached out to a few leading women from the advertising, marketing and media industry to discuss a few stereotypes they are tired of seeing, how we can change the portrayal of women and making the industries more inclusive.</li></ul>The advertising industry was infamous for perpetuating gender stereotypes -- from a sacrificing mother to a man being the bread-earner, the portrayal of women has remained very shallow for years. How brands depict women and their role in society has evolved today, she is independent, she has a voice and is slowly learning to care less about society’s judgement, but we haven’t taken a big leap yet. She is still a woman who is ‘aesthetically pleasing,’ fair-skinned, doesn’t come from a minority community and is a little far from real. We are limping towards <keyword id="2414535" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="INCLUSIVITY">inclusivity</keyword>. It is only when there’s an equal representation inside Indian advertising agencies and media organisations that we will have diverse voices in a brainstorming session, which ultimately gets reflected in a brand’s communication. Recently, women have faced greater economic hardship through the Covid-19 pandemic, disproportionately losing jobs and income. LinkedIn’s report shows how Covid-19 has disproportionately impacted women’s careers. Our latest Opportunity Index findings show that 85% of women in India have missed out on a raise, promotion because of their gender. Women’s careers are observed to have been more adversely affected despite increasing flexibility at work, as 68% of women and 74% of working mothers in India say it is difficult to balance career and familial responsibilities today. More than 7 in 10 women and working mothers in India also say that household responsibilities often come in their way of career progress. So, it is safe to say that we are far away from building an inclusive environment for employees of all gender spectrum. We reached out to women in leadership across media, brand and advertising industry to understand how we can bridge the gender gap and improve <keyword id="10891888" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="portrayal-of-women-in-advertising">portrayal of women in advertising</keyword>. Here is what they had to say: Pooja Jauhari, CEO, The Glitch: <div type="twitter" handle="admediainsider" handlename="Advertising and Media Insider India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1281482517443305472/8RPcjmow_normal.jpg" favoritecount="3" retweetcount="1" status="#iwd2021: @followtheglitch's CEO, @PoojaJauhari talks to us about nurturing an inclusive environment at work and sh… https://t.co/JVNVXS4kO2" createdat="1615008600000" id="1368071342319235075"></div> Malini Agarwal, Founder of MissMalini and Creative Director at Malini's Girl Tribe <div type="twitter" handle="admediainsider" handlename="Advertising and Media Insider India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1281482517443305472/8RPcjmow_normal.jpg" favoritecount="2" retweetcount="0" status="#IWD2021: @MissMalini's Founder @MaliniAgarwal on how the messaging of beauty ads can damage young girls by forcing… https://t.co/o3o34sMRxV" createdat="1615209968000" id="1368915943628316673"></div> Divya Dixit, SVP, Marketing, Direct Revenue &amp; Analytics: <div type="twitter" handle="admediainsider" handlename="Advertising and Media Insider India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1281482517443305472/8RPcjmow_normal.jpg" favoritecount="11" retweetcount="3" status="#InternationalWomensDay: @ALTBalaji's @dxtdvy's team is made up of 90% women. She shares a few skillsets that women… https://t.co/c2n5SGOZAM" createdat="1615197601000" id="1368864070548520962"></div> Juhi Bhatnagar, Strategy &amp; BD, India, Snap Inc: <div type="twitter" handle="admediainsider" handlename="Advertising and Media Insider India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1281482517443305472/8RPcjmow_normal.jpg" favoritecount="5" retweetcount="0" status="#InternationalWomensDay: @juhibhatnagarr, Strategy &amp; BD, India, @Snap Inc shares how we can make the AdTech industr… https://t.co/JlpD7yIzuE" createdat="1615188600000" id="1368826317010055168"></div> Shradha Agarwal, Co-founder and COO, Grapes Digital: <div type="twitter" handle="admediainsider" handlename="Advertising and Media Insider India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1281482517443305472/8RPcjmow_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1" retweetcount="0" status="#iwd2021: @GrapesDigital's @shrads_agarwal tells us why it is important to have more women in leadership positions.… https://t.co/4HvUb3vL5m" createdat="1614941492000" id="1367789870916063237"></div> Unmisha Bhatt, Chief Strategy Officer &amp; Director - India &amp; MENA region, Tonic Worldwide: <div type="twitter" handle="admediainsider" handlename="Advertising and Media Insider India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1281482517443305472/8RPcjmow_normal.jpg" favoritecount="4" retweetcount="0" status="#InternationalWomensDay: @TonicWorldwide is run by 60% women. Tonic's Chief Strategy Officer &amp; Director - India &amp; M… https://t.co/GJBePGhc5Y" createdat="1615186801000" id="1368818774376247297"></div> Rajni Daswani, Director, SoCheers: <div type="twitter" handle="admediainsider" handlename="Advertising and Media Insider India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1281482517443305472/8RPcjmow_normal.jpg" favoritecount="4" retweetcount="0" status="#InternationalWomensDay: @TheSoCheers' Director, Rajni Daswani on how portrayal of women needs to change in adverti… https://t.co/PIXba4KRaR" createdat="1615184655000" id="1368809772527480833"></div>

Leading women from the advertising, marketing and media world on making the industry more inclusive

<ul><li>The influencers include dignitaries such as <keyword id="6354361" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kiran-Bedi">Kiran Bedi</keyword> and Ravi Shankar Prasad and many prominent women leaders. </li><li>The list comprises influencers from diverse industries such as financial services, startups, HR, social impact, and IT Services. </li><li>Indian contributors are three times more likely to respond to comments on posts and received over ten times more engagement in the past year.</li></ul>Social media platform <keyword id="28120" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Linkedin">LinkedIn</keyword> has put out its third annual list of 25 most-influential voices for India that has featured Indian dignitaries like Kiran Bedi, Ravi Shankar Prasad and several other prominent women leaders like Debjani Ghosh, Pooja Kapur, Ester Martinez, and Sairee Chahal. The list features contributors who have shaped industry opinion, analysed key trends, and used the platform in innovative ways inspiring other professionals to join conversations and share opinions. The influencers hail from diverse industries such as financial services, startups, HR, social impact, and IT Services who are industry leaders writing about a range of topics from HR policies and work culture to data privacy, women issues, entrepreneurship, and technology. Influencers who made to the list for the first time include <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiran-bedi-15154b57/">Kiran Bedi</a>, Lt. Governor of Puducherry and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankarprasad/">Ravi Shankar Prasad</a>, Minister for Law &amp; Justice &amp; Electronics &amp; IT of India, who have regularly shared updates on the progress they are making regarding government campaigns such as <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6465414101538566144">Digital India</a> campaign and have been vocal about the growing security concerns with the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-building-india-team-to-curb-fake-news-but-government-is-not-satisfied/articleshow/65292048.cms">spread of fake news</a> via social platforms. The contributors have shared opinions on trending topics such as <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/orbits-ankur-warikoo/">entrepreneurship</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/womens-way-leading-sairee-chahal/">women in leadership roles</a>,<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6440158559043973120">developments in technology</a>, and the <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6405420129366179840">startup ecosystem</a> that have kickstarted engaging industry discussions. The posts that performed exceptionally well and earned the highest social signals and public engagement include <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidpai/">Siddharth Pai’s</a> article on ‘<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/limbic-thought-artificial-intelligence-siddharth-sid-pai/">Limbic thought and artificial intelligence</a>’ and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/vartika-kashyap-30653245/">Vartika Kashyap's</a> article on ‘<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/morning-habits-keep-my-productivity-levels-sky-high-vartika-kashyap/">Morning Habits That Keep My Productivity Levels Sky High</a>’. Also, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/warikoo/?originalSubdomain=in">Ankur Warikoo’s</a> video series <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/content/?keywords=%23WarikooWednesdays&amp;origin=GLOBAL_SEARCH_HEADER">#WarikooWednesdays</a> has drawn more than 44,000 video views and more than 1,000 social signals. Here’s the full list: <ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/swatyaggrawal/">Swati Agarwal</a>, General Manager, Social Venture Partners</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamal-bandyopadhyay-818b2b9/">Tamal Bandyopadhyay</a>, Consulting Editor, Business Standard</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiran-bedi-15154b57/">Kiran Bedi</a>, Lt Governor, Puducherry, Government of Puducherry</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sairee/">Sairee Chahal</a>, Founder, CEO Sheroes</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/schandra100/">Subhash Chandra</a>, Founder, CrowdWisdom360</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/annesha-dutta/">Annesha Dutta</a>, Consultant &amp; Corporate Trainer- Communications &amp; Branding</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/debjani-ghosh-48298b1/">Debjani Ghosh</a>, President, <keyword id="6372077" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="nasscom">NASSCOM</keyword></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jraja/">Raja Jamalamadaka</a>, Leadership coach, Advisor to startups</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojakap/">Pooja Kapur</a>, Ambassador of India to Bulgaria and Macedonia</li><li><a href="https://in.linkedin.com/in/vartika-kashyap-30653245">Vartika Kashyap</a>, Marketing Manager, ProofHub</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/estermartinez/">Ester Martinez</a>, CEO &amp; Editor-in-Chief at People Matters</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansimehrotra/">Hansi Mehrotra</a>, Founder, The Money Hans</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonpurnima/">Purnima Menon</a>, CMO, Microland Limited</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/procyon/">Procyon Mukherjee</a>, Chief Procurement Officer, LafargeHolcim</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidpai/">Siddharth Pai</a>, Founder and General Partner, Siana Capital</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayashreepatnaik/">Jayashree Patnaik</a>, Chief Strategy Officer, CFA Technologies</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankarprasad/">Ravi Shankar Prasad</a>, Minister for Law &amp; Justice &amp; Electronics &amp; IT of India</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/pooja-sareen-23874151/">Pooja Sareen</a>, Editor in Chief &amp; Co-founder at Inc 42</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/limasehgal/">Lima Sehgal</a>, Senior HR Advisor &amp; job market specialist</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kunalshah1/">Kunal Shah</a>, Advisor to the Board, Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd.</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/riteshbusinesseconomist/">Ritesh Kumar Singh</a>, Founder and Chief Economist, Indonomics Consulting</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tapansinghel/">Tapan Singhel</a>, Managing Director and CEO, <keyword id="113665" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bajaj-Allianz-General-Insurance">Bajaj Allianz General Insurance</keyword> Co. Ltd. </li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesomani/">Amit Somani</a>, Managing Partner, Prime Venture Partners</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/harimrinal23577532/?originalSubdomain=in">Hari T. N</a>, Head HR, <keyword id="964794" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BigBasket">BigBasket</keyword></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/warikoo/">Ankur Warikoo</a>, Cofounder &amp; CEO, <a href="http://nearbuy.com/">nearbuy.com</a></li></ul>

Here are the 25 most influential people on LinkedIn in India

<ul><li>Zone <keyword id="6362513" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="startups">Startups</keyword> India recently concluded the empoWer accelerator program saw 18 <keyword id="74945" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Women-Entrepreneurs">women entrepreneurs</keyword> get seed funding for their business. </li><li>7 of them will go for a 1-week market access trip to Montreal by Government of Quebec.</li><li>The selected startups work on areas of Deep tech, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning among others.</li></ul>After a 6-month accelerator program, 18 female entrepreneurs got a seed funding of ₹5 lakh each at the concluding demo day of Zone Startups India empoWer accelerator program. An accelerator program is a cohort-based one which helps entrepreneurs find their way into the startup world through mentorship, networking and funding. The empoWer accelerator program’s 3rd cohort concluded on March 29 and saw women in <keyword id="6355118" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="technology">technology</keyword> take a leap in business. Over the course of 3 years, through three cohorts 24 women have got equity free seed funding from the program. "Till date we have invested just about INR 2 Crores through empoWer but, the 2 past cohorts have cumulatively raised in excess of INR 40 Crores and there have been 3 acquisitions. Being through such a program and getting grant funding, definitely puts theses entrepreneurs in good stead while pitching to other investors. It is also 'validation capital' from the program,” said Ajay Ramasubramaniam director India, Zone Startups. Of the 18 winners from the latest cohort, 7 were further awarded a 1-week market access trip to Montreal by Government of Quebec. Focusing on areas such as Deep Tech, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Enterprise Mobility, Search &amp; Feedback Engines, Enterprise Software, over the 6-month program, the founders were introduced to over 90 mentors and industry leaders. From startups that are working on a device that will analyse soil health to give a quantitative estimate of nutrients present in the soil to ones that focus on women health and hygiene and even a startup that simplifies manufacturing of steel alloys, aluminium alloys etc., there was a varied range of innovation seen as a part of the accelerator program. India is the world’s third largest startup ecosystem and still sees that <a href="https://scroll.in/article/887200/india-the-worlds-fastest-growing-startup-ecosystem-has-little-space-for-female-entrepreneurs">only 9%</a> of the startup founders in the country today are women. The Indian government has introduced several schemes like Mudra Yojana Scheme For Women which provides loans to women entrepreneurs. Recently, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had decided that from the government’s<a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/more-women-take-to-entrepreneurship-launch-businesses/article26636158.ece"> Fund of Funds</a> of ₹10,000 crore, one-third of the amount will be allocated for women-led startups. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/google-will-groom-these-10-indian-startups-that-use-ai-and-machine-learning/articleshow/68384856.cms">Google will groom these 10 Indian startups that use AI and machine learning</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/google-91springboard-launch-entrepreneurship-program-for-women-in-tier-ii-cities/articleshow/65337077.cms">Google, 91Springboard launch entrepreneurship program for women in tier-II cities</a>

18 Indian women just got funding for their technology startups

The business reality show '<keyword id="11924074" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="shark-tank-india" source="Orion">Shark Tank India</keyword> 2' offers a platform for entrepreneurs with scalable, sellable business ideas. From Paithani sari brand owner impressing the <keyword id="6785521" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sharks" source="Orion">sharks</keyword> with her story, struggle, and setting an example for women entrepreneurs, to Stage, an OTT platform in local Indian dialects that provides employment to over 1,000 Haryanvi artists. But what has grabbed the eyeballs of viewers is a pitch for which the sharks offered Rs 5 crore. The promo has raised curiosity levels by not showing the pitch, but one of the judges, CarDekho.com co-founder and CEO <keyword id="30126" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="amit-jain" source="Orion">Amit Jain</keyword>, said: "5 crore 5 per cent." Shaadi.com founder and CEO Anupam Mittal heightens the excitement by adding: "Biggest offer on 'Shark Tank India'." The caption reads: "Who are these pitchers and why are the Sharks offering them ₹5 crore?" Indeed, it is a lucrative offer, but the identity of the beneficiary and the pitch that attracted it will become known only in the coming episode of reality show. 'Shark Tank India' features six sharks: Anupam Mittal (founder and CEO, Shaadi.com - People Group), Aman Gupta (co-founder and CMO, boAt), Namita Thapar (executive director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals), <keyword id="246967" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vineeta-singh" source="Orion">Vineeta Singh</keyword> (co-founder and CEO, SUGAR Cosmetics), <keyword id="824423" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="peyush-bansal" source="Orion">Peyush Bansal</keyword> (founder and CEO, Lenskart.com) and Amit Jain (CEO and co-founder, CarDekho Group, InsuranceDekho.com). 'Shark Tank India' airs on Sony Entertainment Television. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/peyush-bansal-and-aman-gupta-invested-1-crore-in-hoovu-know-all-about-this-floral-startup/articleshow/96730114.cms">Shark Tank India judges Peyush Bansal and Aman Gupta invest in Hoovu Fresh - Here’s all about this floral startup</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/nadella-advocates-using-tech-to-drive-inclusivity-and-making-a-difference-says-microsoft-very-committed-to-india/articleshow/96730670.cms">Nadella advocates using tech to drive inclusivity and 'making a difference', says Microsoft 'very committed' to India</a>

CarDekho founder Amit Jain offers ₹5 crore for a pitch on 'Shark Tank India'

<ul><li><keyword id="6358361" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="biocon">Biocon</keyword> founder <keyword id="55796" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kiran-Mazumdar-Shaw">Kiran Mazumdar Shaw</keyword> wanted to be a brewmaster before entering pharmaceuticals.</li><li>In an interview with Twitter India, Shaw said the idea for Biocon was created ‘on a rebound’ after getting pushed out of the brewing industry.</li><li>Despite breaking myths about women in daring businesses, she said, "The world still doesn’t get it."</li></ul>Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is India’s richest self-made woman in India with a net worth of $3.2 billion. But before she founded Biocon, she wanted to be a brewmaster — a person who supervises the brewing process of malt liquors. "I trained to be a brewmaster, but that was not to be because the brewing industry is quite a male bastion. They just couldn’t hire a woman," she said in an interview with <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterIndia/status/1235826195737890817">Twitter India</a> celebrating International Women's Day 
	<div type="twitter" handle="TwitterIndia" handlename="Twitter India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1012752671344771072/V7P59P0p_normal.jpg" favoritecount="77" retweetcount="10" status="The #Catalyst: @KiranShaw Tweets for women in science and women in the workplace. She Tweets for #EveryWoman https://t.co/dg4Wc7uqB0" createdat="1583478900000" id="1235826195737890817"></div>



 It was only after getting pushed out from the brewing industry that Shaw decided to go into pharmaceuticals instead in 1978. "I guess it was on a rebound, that I took up the opportunity to start my own biotech company," said Shaw. Even then, it wasn’t an easy journey. Banks weren’t ready to lend money to someone to start a business in a sector that was still in its nascent stages. It — so it took some time before people took the company, and its founder, seriously. "I think it was a very tough time for me initially because I have to overcome that credibility challenge of being a young girl who no-one took seriously," said Shaw. The world still doesn’t get it — but it’s getting better Biocon entered the US market and soon became the first company in the world to gain approval from the USFDA for two biosimilars used in cancer treatments. Now, not only is Shaw the <keyword id="7766819" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="richest-woman-in-India">richest woman in India</keyword>, she is the 54th richest person in India overall, according to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/kiran-mazumdar-shaw/#1970143a59ad">Forbes.</a> "It’s a myth to think that women are not bold enough to run daring businesses. It’s a myth that all of us have busted over time. So, I’m really surprised that the world still doesn’t get it," she told Twitter. However, she holds out hope for the future. "What I’m heartened by is that women are getting stronger and more vociferous and more articulate about what they believe in. It’s an endurance game. You’ve got to tell your story well, and don’t give up. Keep going with what you’ve started off with because that commitment and conviction will finally get you to where you want to be," she added. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international-womens-day-indian-women-still-a-long-way-off-from-empowerment/articleshow/68313107.cms">Women’s day in numbers: 9 grim reminders that Indian women are still a long way off from empowerment</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/brands/article/remembering-bumbles-brand-journey-before-international-womens-day/articleshow/74489656.cms">Remembering Bumble’s brand journey before International Women’s Day</a>

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw wanted to be a brewmaster before building the largest biotech company in India

Even as Indian women face low representation in leadership roles in the workforce (18 per cent), they are now seeking more entrepreneurship opportunities as compared to men, according to new <keyword id="28120" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="linkedin" source="Orion">LinkedIn</keyword> data released on Wednesday. The data, published in the <keyword id="69007" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-economic-forum" source="Orion">World Economic Forum</keyword>'s 2022 <keyword id="2573327" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="global-gender-gap-report" source="Orion">Global Gender Gap Report</keyword>, showed that the share of female founders grew by 2.68 times compared to 1.79 times among men between 2016 to 2021. The growth rate of female entrepreneurship showed to be the highest during the pandemic -- in 2020 and 2021. Besides being underrepresented in leadership roles, the data also revealed that women are also not being promoted internally to leadership in companies at the same rate as men. Men are 42 per cent more likely to be promoted into leadership positions than women. This could explain why women in leadership roles also increasingly lag behind their male counterparts in the senior stages of their careers, with the proportion of women in the workforce decreasing along the corporate ladder. In <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>, the representation of female leaders has dropped from 29 per cent at the senior level to a staggering 18 per cent at the managerial level. "Our new data is indicative of one thing: working women in India are being held back by more barriers in the workplace when compared to men. But despite the adversity, many women remain undeterred and continue to chart their own path by pivoting to entrepreneurship and building careers that allow them to work on their own terms with greater flexibility," said <keyword id="10697755" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="ruchee-anand" source="Orion">Ruchee Anand</keyword>, Senior Director, <keyword id="14445297" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india-talent-learning-solutions" source="Orion">India Talent &amp; Learning Solutions</keyword> at LinkedIn, in a statement. "We saw this especially in the years of the pandemic (2020 and 2021), when women sheltered from a shrinking job market by starting their own businesses that also created opportunities for other women," Anand added. However, the new data also reveals that there is progress being made. More women are being hired into leadership roles from eight years ago, shooting up to 24 per cent this year -- 1.36x since 2015. However, more needs to be done. "As employers navigate this challenge of making work 'work' for women, they must remember that factors like internal mobility, fair hiring practices with a focus on skills, and flexibility are going to prove key in not just levelling the playing field for women, but also improving efficiency through balanced representation, diversity of perspectives and inclusive leadership at the workplace," Anand said. Further, to support female entrepreneurs, and women in the workforce, LinkedIn has also unlocked some of its courses for free until August 22. These include <keyword id="6358360" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="gender" source="Orion">Gender</keyword> in Negotiation; Getting to Yes: Advice for Female Founders on How to Get Funded; Leadership Strategies for Women; and <keyword id="14445296" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="success-strategies-for-women" source="Orion">Success Strategies for Women</keyword> in the Workplace. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/australias-health-minister-warned-that-millions-could-get-covid-19/articleshow/92866659.cms">Australia's Health Minister warned that "millions" could get COVID-19</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/mindtree-lampt-infotech-infosys-indusind-bank-and-other-hot-stocks-on-july-14/slidelist/92865161.cms">Mindtree, L&amp;T Infotech, Infosys, IndusInd Bank and other hot stocks on July 14</a>

You Searched For "women founders in india" and got 11 results

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18 Indian women just got funding for their technology startups

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Kiran Mazumdar Shaw wanted to be a brewmaster before building the largest biotech company in India

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LinkedIn data reveals that Indian women are now seeking more entrepreneurship opportunities than men

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