Seeking Funding For THE Idea? Women In STEM, Here's Your Call For Proposal

To really walk the talk, what can we do differently so women in STEM can thrive? For years now, Indian women have proved their mettle in STEM fields - but are we completely ready to bet on them? Have the women in tech received the right platform and mentorship to further their work, execute their ideas, and multiply their investments? This International Women’s Day, IHFC - Tech Innovation Hub of IIT Delhi -  in collaboration with Google India and SheThePeople launches a ‘Call For Proposal’ for women who specialise in Tech innovations and STEM to submit their ideas and proposals for funding or mentoring. To get a better understanding of how this campaign can help women in the field, SheThePeople interacted with Ashutosh Dutt Sharma, CEO of IHFC and Piya Basu, Lead - Marketing at IHFC.

Why Call For Proposal Matters

With the StartUp ecosystem in India proliferating, it becomes more crucial to back budding entrepreneurs and investors who are going to add to India’s economic advancement. IHFC is leading the way in doing that. So, how did the idea of a ‘Call For Proposal’ for women in STEM come to fruition?

Piya Basu, Lead - Marketing at IHFC: The IHFC stands for I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics which basically means collaborative robotics. So, for the past year, we've been deliberating why don't we have something which is, you know, includes solely women. Women are so fabulous with collaboration. They do everything so beautifully when it has to be collaboratively done - whether it’s family, work, or networking - women are natural collaborators. So, it is just very apt that women should be given an opportunity, especially women in STEM should be given an opportunity because what they might bring to the table may be very solution-driven. After all, they have answers and solutions to so many problems in this world, because they are the ones who face day-to-day problems in many aspects, let it be household, let it be in the fields, let it be at work, let it be in the office. They’re practical thinkers, right? So, that's why we thought women probably would bring much more to the table when it comes to innovation and STEM fields. And as last year, we've been thinking that we should learn something, particularly for women. And we thought March 8, what better day than to launch something just for women to empower them, and to bring their innovative ideas and creativity out there to the table.

How do you think such campaigns can help the bridge can help to bridge the gap and encourage more investment in women-led ventures?

Ashutosh Dutt Sharma, CEO - IHFC: See, the recent call for proposal that we are coming out with, you know, is something specifically targeted towards women. At IHFC, we feel that women's entrepreneurship is something which is going to take us a notch ahead as compared to the other countries. When we talk about the 1.4 billion population of our country, I must say that almost 50% of it is women, and unless and until we take them along, unless and until we make them part of that mainstream revolution which is happening, especially in the area of startups, I don't think we are going to be as successful as we plan to be. So, that's very much mandatory. 

From a mindset perspective, we would need to accept the fact that women entrepreneurs are second to none. So, with these kinds of calls for proposals, we want to change that mindset. We are geared up for that. And we hope to see more of such initiatives coming in from other entities as well, which promote women entrepreneurs, and we have so many success stories, you know, to talk about. I don't think we need any testaments and examples to be set forward. We just need to trust them and move forward. Because that's an imperative part of our success. And we can't do without that.

India has seen a rise in women advancing in STEM fields, especially in the past decade as tech innovators and entrepreneurs. However, entering the field of innovation, you know, is not just challenging, sometimes there's a downward spiral to it, because of lack of support. That is what we're talking about - the lack of guidance and the ecosystem that is not as supportive. What do you think is required to fill that gap? Because we do have women who want to pursue excellence in STEM, but the gap widens when they are not given the opportunity.

Piya Basu: I heard a talk by your founder Shaili Chopra few weeks ago. She inspired me when she said, ‘Women have voices that need to be heard, all they need is the correct platform and the guidance.’ So, I think that is what is needed by women, a lot of them take a backseat in their career and their lives. Could be because of various circumstances, could be family, could be a shift, could be health issues, but I think a lot of them are just looking for the right platform and also correct guidance and support, and I don't always mean financial support, I also mean mentorship. I also mean women saying, ‘Okay, fine, I will bring this to the table but what next; what do I do with my innovation, who will guide me to go to the market, who will guide me on my strategy, who will connect me to the industry?’ 

So, a lot of people have that apprehension, and that is where we come in, we provide a 360 solution where we not only give them a platform to be heard, to present what they have in mind in terms of STEM and robotics, and whatever they have in their innovation. But we also give them guidance, space, mentorship, you know, let's say hand holding them through the industry connects. We will introduce them to the big companies, the big MNCs, who will further help them in their innovation, and bring it to the table to go to market. That is what is required, because a lot of them get lost in just the innovation and prototype, and then what? So, we help them complete that journey. They often take a step back because they don't know what to do as the next steps. So, that is where we come in as we actually provide the help to start and then follow through with the next steps and that is what is needed in society. Women should be given the opportunity for the next steps to come forward with what they're thinking. And then you can see miracles being created.

What more do you suggest India and its education systems can adopt when it comes to inspiring women in STEM?

Ashutosh Dutt Sharma: A lot of times what we have seen is a lot of dropouts with respect to women in the education system. We have seen that happening, before class 12th, and and even while getting into graduation, there are a lot of dropouts which happen. I was going through a stat and it said, now after graduation, there is almost a 25% dropout, which happens, and from class nine to class 12, there is almost 13% dropout, and the majority of it is women. I think this is something that we need to change as a society - the mindset has to change. We see a lot of successful women in all fields. I mean, it's not only startups, we need to see them, you know, as equal and give them opportunities to make that possible. So earlier, it used to be like, if it is a girl, and she's supposed to go for medical science, or she is supposed to go for arts. If it is a boy, then he has to go for engineering, if not medical. I think that mindset has to change. It's not only the education system, I think it's like a society as a whole. We need to start looking at women as equals and give them agency, wherein we don't differentiate concerning the kind of career that they want to choose in their lives.

If you are someone who is looking for not just funding but also the right mentorship for your business growth, apply now through the QR code in the image above.