'Make in India' and women entrepreneurs make for a winning combination

The start-up revolution is here in India, and seems like it's here to stay! A recent report by NASSCOM named "Startup India: Momentous Rise of Indian Startup Ecosystem" states that India ranks third, globally, with 4200 startups. The Hindu reports that capital worth $9million was invested in the year 2015, which is equal to the total amount of funding between years 2010-2014. The same report also mentions the rise in the active investors in the country. In 2014 there were 220, while 2015 saw the number increase to 490, more than double from the previous year.

The Make in India and Startup India campaigns launched by the government this year have also fuelled the growth of start-ups in the country, and the interesting fact is that many women who have turned entrepreneurs are riding this momentum.

Many entrepreneurs, especially women who have started their ventures from home, have benefitted from how the digital has revolutionised business and work.  Social media is becoming a go-to tool for these women entrepreneurs who have found it to be a support system for their marketing strategy. Founders of Koffee Place, Ashni and Anisha are using digital to get employment to mothers who wish to work from home at flexible timings. They say, "Getting back to the 9-5 job is not possible for many mothers and we wanted to give them an option of working at their convenience from home."

Ashni and Anisha, Founders of Koffeeplace ( Click here to read more about their venture)

Also read: Six stellar women on what it takes to startup, and sustain!

With Make in India, the pride of manufacturing a product at home is tremendous. Karishma Grover of Grover Vineyards says, "Getting a Made in India tag on our product gives a sense of achievement and I take pride in it." The process of documentation has also become more smooth after policies were re-done to support entrepreneurs. Kalpana Saroj, Chairman of Kamani Tubes says, "We do not have to beg and plead for a paper to pass from the office. The officials themselves give us proper instructions and make sure everything is in place so that there is no trouble later on."

Kalpana Saroj ( Picture Credit: rediff.com)

Also read: Five female founders, five early lessons: It’s a must read for startup owners

We also spoke to Rupali Pradhan who is the founder of Pacific Rim Robotics, and she says, “I think Make in India is a tag long overdue rallying cry - a call to action - for all the talent and creativity in India.” Rupali started her venture with her own funds and says it is self sustaining and has had no problem with finances.

Further, there are a number of initiatives that are aiding women entrepreneurs to get funding from big investors. Recently, the Empower event was held in Mumbai,where 15 women entrepreneurs were trained and skilled to pitch their ideas to investors.

Ladies who are driving the business, the opportunities are there to be taken!

Feature Image Credit: supportbiz.com