Calling Women Entrepreneurs to join the
Maharashtra Women's
Economic Empowerment Program
To Transform Your Startup Into a Sustainable Business Venture
Application Deadline : 25th Feb 2022
Funded program under SANKALP by Department of Skill Development, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Government of Maharashtra for supporting Early-Stage Women Entrepreneurs
About the Program
The Maharashtra Women’s Economic Empowerment Program is designed to enhance the entrepreneurial and managerial skills of women leading early stage ventures by coaching them in hard and soft entrepreneurial skills, training, and creating a local women’s network to provide continuous peer support after the end of the program. A series of training workshops will support existing ambitious and innovative women entrepreneurs by enabling them to transform their business venture into a sustainable enterprise. The program aims at expanding inclusive economic growth in Maharashtra by empowering women entrepreneurs
Women Entrepreneurship Cell (WEC) of the Maharashtra State Innovation Society(MSInS), under Department of Skill Development, Employment and Entrepreneurship and ACIR have collaborated to conduct this program for women entrepreneurs in Maharashtra. The WEC was set up with a clear one-point focus of planning and undertaking initiatives for spurring women entrepreneurship in the state of Maharashtra. The cell works in collaboration with public as well as private sector organizations and enables sharing of best practices amongst women entrepreneurs and partner organizations and promotes evidence-based policy making for women entrepreneurship. The Cell undertakes various initiatives to support state’s women entrepreneurs and ensures a conducive environment for women to take up entrepreneurship. The Cell has planned various activities to support women entrepreneurs through different programs like Acceleration programs, Mentorship and Incubation support, Financial assistance & Compliance support.
The Maharashtra Women’s Economic Empowerment Program invites applications from all 36 districts of Maharashtra spread over the 6 divisions - Nashik, Nagpur, Amravati, Kokan, Pune, and Aurangabad.
Benefits
Benefits
Benefits
Fully sponsored by the
Maharashtra State Innovation Society
Get mentored by top
women entrepreneurs
Top 6 finalists to be
incubated by the leading
Nexus Incubation Program
Foster
collaborations
Build a strong
local network
Peer to Peer
learning
Program Structure
120 women entrepreneurs will be selected to go through the Startup Launch Program, ACIR’s self-paced online program for early-stage entrepreneurs. The virtual program has 7 modules on the topics of launching and running a startup, all explained by international experts.
60 entrepreneurs will be shortlisted to join the one-day virtual workshop that will offer business knowledge to build sustainable businesses.
30 selected entrepreneurs will be invited to an advanced two-day virtual workshop where they will undergo more in-depth, advanced business training. Further, the top 6 entrepreneurs will get the opportunity to join the Nexus pre-incubation program.
4 virtual workshops will be conducted thereafter for the advanced training participants.
Eligibility Criteria
01
Only women entrepreneurs are eligible to apply
02
Applicant should be the founder or co-founder of an innovative venture/startup
03
Applicants must be over 18 years of age
04
Participants must have a working knowledge of English as all classes will be in English.
05
Applicants must have Indian nationality and residence from Maharashtra
Selection Criteria
This program is for women entrepreneurs from Maharashtra.
Startup applicants for the one-day workshops will be selected using the following criteria:
-
Startups/Women led businesses with idea at the stage of a proof-of-concept (POC) are preferred
-
Relevance of the problem in the respective region
-
The startups/Women led businesses must have a woman founder/co-founder
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How to apply?
A. Last date to apply for this program was 25th Feb 2022. Applications have now been closed.
Q. How will I know if I am selected?
A. In case you are selected you will be informed via email on your registered email ID by 1st March 2022.
Q. Is there any fee for this program?
A. No. The program is fully-funded.
Q. Where can I reach out for more details?
A. For more details please feel free to contact us on malika@startupnexus.in and ruchi@msins.in
Q. Which platform will be used for online workshops?
A. All the workshops will be conducted on Zoom, you will recieve a link to join on your selection. Learn how to join meetings on Zoom by watching these short videos – Marathi Tutorial | English Tutorial
For more details contact us at malika@startupnexus.in
Q. What is the selection criteria for the advanced two day workshop?
A. The following criteria will be used for the advanced two day workshop:
-
Be innovative. The Startups/Women led businesses must have some kind of an innovative process or products that they are introducing to the market.
-
Have intellectual property rights protected or have a plan for their protection.
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Should be comfortable with both spoken/written English.
About Maharashtra State Innovation Society (MSinS)
Maharashtra State Innovation Society (MSInS) is a nodal government agency to boost innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem in the state of Maharashtra. Established under the Department of Skill Development, Employment and Entrepreneurship (SDEED), Government of Maharashtra, the society aims to foster innovative approaches and create conducive environment for innovative businesses to operate in Maharashtra.
Under the aegis of Maharashtra State Innovative Startup Policy 2018, released in February 2018, the team at Maharashtra State Innovation Society is driving various initiatives to provide support at multiple levels to the startup ecosystem.
Partners
Sankalp
About ACIR
The Alliance for Commercialization and Innovation Research (ACIR) is an American non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization providing consulting, training and program management services in the fields of innovation, incubation and entrepreneurship.
ACIR has successfully run entrepreneurship programs around the world including in South Korea, Kazakhstan, Russia, Georgia and the United States, with the most recent being the Nexus Incubator and Startup Hub in New Delhi, India (www.startupnexus.in).