KTR at WE-Hub on International Women’s Day: Telangana to set up single window to help women entrepreneurs

HYDERABAD: K T Rama Rao (KTR), Minister for IT and Industries, has said that the Telangana government will soon establish a single-window mechanism for women entrepreneurs that will serve as a platform for all facets of entrepreneurship.

During the fifth anniversary celebrations of WE-Hub, Telangana's first-of-its-kind and only State-run platform for women entrepreneurs, IT Minister KTR said that Telangana chose to establish WE-Hub after hosting the World Economic Conference in 2017, with the goal of creating a platform for women entrepreneurs to make an impact.

Minister K. T. Rama Rao, said, on the occasion of International Women's Day: "We are on a mission to make Telangana a women's entrepreneur hub, and WE Hub has played a significant role in engaging with over 35,000 women entrepreneurs across India. The upcoming launch of a single window mechanism and targeted interventions will provide a professional identity for women entrepreneurs and enable them to scale their businesses, creating more employment opportunities in Tier-2 and 3 cities".

He said that women in the two Telugu states were very responsible financially, which was evident by the success of self-help groups.

Despite the fact that money was circulated as a result of these, he said that the anticipated wealth creation was not accomplished. He emphasized that there was a need for cross-sector coordination in order to create results.

Job creation is benchmark

KTR believes that the success of a business is determined by the jobs it creates and the problems it solves.

The Telangana government released Rs 750 crore towards interest-free loans as part of its initiatives to support women entrepreneurs, he added. The state government had also established three industrial parks for women, in addition to allocating 10 percent of the total industrial park area to women entrepreneurs.

KTR said that women were excelling in a variety of sectors. Manufacturing offers numerous chances, and the young population could use technology as a force-multiplier to acquire value in a relatively brief period of time.

Success stories of women entrepreneurs

On the International Women's Day, the Government of Telangana celebrated the fifth anniversary of WE-Hub, India's first and only state-led incubator.

The event was held at Taj Krishna and featured notable speakers including a few successful entrepreneurs. While Sahitya Raj of ‘Sweet Tooth’ announced that she had started with a Rs. 1.30 crore funding of SBI loan organised by the WE-Hub, the company now turns over Rs. 15 crore and is valued at Rs.70 crore. Sweet Tooth makes confectionaries and cakes and is tied up with large firms, including major outlets and airlines.

Surabhi Guha, a 23-year-old NIT Warangal graduate, launched a food-tech company, SORTIZY, with the help of WE-Hub.

Pasula Manga of Siddipet started alone with Cheryal paintings and scaled up to 12 persons with the help of WE-Hub. Mallika, who launched a conferencing platform, onboarded close to 400 large companies and offeres conferencing tools. Maya, who set up a an entity by name ‘Oorvi’, makes personal care products with floral waste and works with a few women self-help groups (SHGs) in four districts of Telangana.

The celebration recognised the achievements of women entrepreneurs and honoured their contributions to the economy.

The five successful women entrepreneurs shared their inspiring stories of overcoming challenges and achieving success in their respective fields.

Over 3,000 startups incubated in WE-Hub

Over the past five years, WE HUB has incubated 3,194 start-ups and SMEs by women founders and successfully engaged with over 5,000 women entrepreneurs, 1,247 students, 986 social impact entrepreneurs and 609 urban entrepreneurs. The incubator has been actively working towards enabling women-led start-ups across sectors scale and accelerate through global market access.

Deepthi Ravula, CEO- We-Hub said, "At WE Hub, we believe that women entrepreneurs are a force to be recognised. Our mission is to provide them with the resources and support they need to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances. Through our work, we have seen first-hand the incredible impact that women can have on their communities and the economy. I am proud to lead an organisation that is dedicated to empowering women and fostering innovation in India. Together, we can create a more equitable and prosperous future for all."