When like-minded people come together, they can make a huge difference. While the pandemic has drastically transformed the nature of networking, many organizations have now formalized and moved such interactions online. This has opened a world of new possibilities for entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs, giving them access to formerly untapped resources and professionals. The Women Entrepreneurship Platform is one such initiative.
What is the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP)?
NITI Aayog, in partnership with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBISIDBI), has established the WEP – an initiative to provide female entrepreneurs with an online portal to meet and connect with other women entrepreneurs from across the country. As a member of WEP, you have access to an ecosystem of support, learning, and collaboration.
- Iccha Shakti: Represents the motivation and support provided to these aspiring entrepreneurs to start their businesses.
- Gyaan Shakti: Represents knowledge and support to women entrepreneurs to nurture their business.
- Karma Shakti: Represents first-hand support to women entrepreneurs in setting and scaling up their businesses.
What services does the Women Entrepreneurship Platform offer women entrepreneurs?
The WEP gives you access to all the necessary tools you need to grow as an entrepreneur and support your business. As a member of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform, you can make use of the following services:
1. Community and Networking:
Knowing how to network and develop fruitful professional relations is the #1 skill all entrepreneurs need to have. The WEP strives to form an active network of women entrepreneurs and uses its website’s community module in combination with offline networking events to achieve this.
2. Skill Development and Mentorship:
As a Women Entrepreneurship Platform member, you have access to numerous online courses on business management, money management, general awareness, growth management, people management and marketing, and sales management. Building proficiency in these domains is necessary for all entrepreneurs, especially since not every business owner has access to surplus funds when starting out to hire people who specialize in them.
3. Incubation and Acceleration:
A little extra help and advice never hurt anyone. To help its members develop viable business ideas and refine their business plans, the WEP provides you with incubation and acceleration programs to speed up your growth.
4. Marketing Assistance:
Quality marketing has become an important factor in the success of a business, especially with so many people staying home due to the pandemic. So, the WEP offers marketing assistance to help you improve your business’s market presence. They connect you with programmes and channels that help in broadcasting your products and services directly to customers in their homes.
5. Compliance and tax Assistance:
WEP members have access to compliance services that help you fulfil your duties as a registered business in India. The Platforms also helps you with things like registering your business, licensing counselling, and filling out applications for business loans and IPR.
6. Funding and Financial Assistance:
Funding is a key problem area for women entrepreneurs, so the WEP assists you in finding the right sources to acquire different types of funding for your business such as equity, debt, grants, etc.
Check out other sources and government schemes to access funding.
Who can join the Women Entrepreneur Platform?
You can register on the WEP as a Partner or a Member.
To register as a Member, you need to have one of the following:
- An established business
- A new start-up
- A business idea
Partners of WEP assist the Platform in their key services and provide support to women entrepreneurs. This puts them in a unique position to aid the most promising entrepreneurs of the country in their journey to success. Current WEP partners include SIDBI, CRISIL, Facebook India, NASSCOM, United Nations, FICCI, and Finsafe India.
The following entities qualify to become a WEP Partner:
- NGOs
- Research Organizations
- Accelerators
- Incubators
- Corporates
How do I register to become a part of the WEP Community?
Registration to become a WEP Partner or Member is extremely easy!
Just visit the official website https://wep.gov.in/ and click on the “Register” option on the top right corner of the home page. You can even use your Google or Facebook ID to register.
Once you’ve set up your profile, you can access all the WEP services mentioned above! The right mentor, network, and community can make or break a budding business venture. So, register and get started on your road to entrepreneurial success.
Possibilities Enabled!