In a path-breaking development, the Women Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development (W.E.E.D) initiative, a structured one-year program dedicated to fostering women-led start-ups, was officially unveiled at a press conference held at Press Club, Chandigarh.
W.E.E.D, a brain child of Navneet Kaur Dhillon, a former Femina Miss India World, actress, and entrepreneur, is a significant step towards empowering women entrepreneurs by providing them with mentorship, funding opportunities, and industry connections crucial for scaling their ventures.
“W.E.E.D initiative is designed to address key areas vital for business where we will provide women entrepreneurs access to a strong network of mentors, investors, and experts,” said Navneet Kaur Dhillon at the press meet.
Navneet, on being asked about the reason for crossing over from the entertainment industry and taking on a new role of ‘mentor to women entrepreneurs’ said: “I have always been passionate about women empowerment. I conceptualised W.E.E.D as I wanted to do something concrete to empower women. I feel that as a pageant winner, my exposure & experience will help me connect and reach out to women with start-up ideas and encourage them to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.”
Sharing his thoughts on the occasion, Sahil Makkar, Chairman and CEO of Punjab Angels Network (PAN) – which is committed to developing the start-up ecosystem in the region, and owns W.E.E.D as its subsidiary, said: “Through W.E.E.D, we will facilitate collaborations and partnerships for expanding reach. Through investor engagement, we will link high-potential women-led start-ups with investors for business scaling. We will help start-ups connect with financial resources to accelerate growth”
In reply to a question from the media, Makkar, an alumnus of the Indian School of Business (ISB) and executive education from IIM, Bangalore, who brings over 13 years of experience as a CA and finance educator, said: “PAN has played a pivotal role in creating a thriving start-up ecosystem in the region.”
“Similarly, WEED is an initiative that will provide the much-needed support and will facilitate women entrepreneurs to thrive. Through mentorship, funding, and networking, we aim to bridge the gap and create a strong foundation for women-led businesses,” added Makkar, who has written two books on start-ups — How to raise Start-up funding in India and How to Manage Finance @ Start-up’s.
Navneet Kaur Dhillon & Sahil Makkar revealed that the W.E.E.D Program will initially select 10 women entrepreneurs for an intensive three-month mentorship, followed by the inclusion of 10 more women, focusing on scaling their businesses over the next nine months.
With a strong vision to support women from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, WEED aims to create a lasting impact by addressing challenges faced by women entrepreneurs and providing them with the tools and networks necessary for success, they said.
Meanwhile, the launch of WEED coincided with Transform 13.0, an event featuring a line-up of esteemed speakers and experts in women entrepreneurship. Insightful thoughts were shared by Pooja Nayar, Founder of Pratham HR and Legal Solutions, Chair, PHDCCI SHE Forum; Dr Nancy Juneja, CEO and Founder of MENTORx, also a TEDx and Josh Speaker; Ms Mamta Bhardwaj, COO, STPI NEURON Centre of Excellence(CoE) Mohali; Ms Isha Taneja, Co-Founder and CEO of Complere Infosystem, also TiE Women Chair, TiE Chandigarh, and Anuradha Chawla, Founder and CEO of Bbetter Solutions, also a performance coach and corporate trainer.
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