IIMB – NSRCEL reiterates Women Entrepreneurship through ‘Summit Up’
The annual event offered a platform to women entrepreneurs to network, engage and learn from reputed entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and NSRCEL-IIMB expert mentors
Bangalore : NSRCEL―the incubation arm of IIM Bangalore (IIMB) successfully hosted its 2-day Women Entrepreneurship Summit on 10-11 December 2021. The one-of-its-kind initiative provided a platform for knowledge sharing and networking opportunities to budding women founders with reputed entrepreneurs and NSRCELs- expert mentors. It hosted thought-provoking sessions where renowned speakers talked and discussed with participants about scaling businesses, being first-time founders, building a brand, and raising a family while being an entrepreneur.
The 2-day event focused on key themes centered around entrepreneurship and women such as ‘first-time founder’, ‘entrepreneurship as a second stint post motherhood’, ‘raising money and a family’, ‘building a brand’, ‘women in STEM’, and ‘making an impact through small-scale women entrepreneurship’. Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan- Director IIMB, Sonjoy Chatterjee – Chairman and Chief Executive of Goldman Sachs India, and Prof. Suresh Bhagavatula – Professor, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and Academic Director – Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women at NSRCEL graced the event with their presence and addressed the participants.
Talking about the changing ecosystem for women, Nirmala Shankaran- Co-founder at HEYMATH! said, “People are connected to the culture beyond who they are. They should be encouraged to bring their whole self in a workspace. Society as a whole is changing their mindset to change the ecosystem. Today, women are creators and owners of content in every field.” While Aditi Gupta- Co-founder and Managing partner at Menstrupedia added that women should shed off expectations from the very start and blend according to the company’s culture.
The event witnessed robust talks, discussions, and networking sessions. It focused on finding ways of creating an ecosystem that is conducive to the growth of women entrepreneurs and can create a multiplier impact on the economy. The 2-day summit hosted sessions titled ‘Charting your own Path’ by Vinita Bali (Board member IIMB); ”Creating an environment to enable women entrepreneurs’ by Prof Srivardhini Jha (Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore), Nirmala Shankaran (Founder, HeyMath!), Aditi Gupta (Managing Partner, Menstrupedia), Naga Prakasam,(Partner Acumen Fund & Resident Mentor, NSRCEL); Lessons to my younger self by Vineeta Singh (CEO, Sugar Cosmetics); Shaping India’s Story by Rajeev Gowda, (former MP and faculty at IIMB) and Dr. Kalpana Gopalan (IAS, Ph.D., IIMB, Additional Chief Secretary, Labour & Janaspandana-Public Grievances); Entrepreneurship for impact by Asha Motwani (Founder, Motwani Jadeja Foundation); Recognizing entrepreneurs from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women by Prof. Suresh Bhagavatula (Professor, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and Academic Director – Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women at NSRCEL), Heidi Roizen (Partner at Threshold Ventures) Megha Chawla (Partner at Bain & Company), Rashmi Daga (Founder at Fresh Menu) amongst others.
The Summit also hosted a Fireside chat on ‘Entrepreneurship post motherhood’ with Prof. Vasanthi Srinivasan (Professor, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore) and Sheeba Sen (Co-Founder at Hasten) along with dedicated sessions for networking opportunities. The 2-day Summit ended with Daymond John (Founder – Fubu & Star of Shark Tank) hosting an enlightening session on entrepreneurship.
NSRCEL-IIMB has taken key initiatives for women entrepreneurs through their various cohorts to spot and nurture new opportunities in business, build and grow successful ventures and transform themselves. It is supporting women entrepreneurs across the country by providing them with relevant education and mentorship to grow and scale their ventures. And now this summit has opened doors of opportunities for entrepreneurs to grow in all the major industries including e-commerce, retail, apparel and design, education, F&B, information technology, logistics, manufacturing, healthcare and media to name a few.