WE Hub secures $105 million investment from US firm WKH

NEW YORK: US-based investment firm Walsh Karra Holdings (WKH) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with WE Hub, India's first state-led nodal organisation for women's entrepreneurship, pledging a total investment of $105 million over the next five years.

The MoU, signed in New York in the presence of Telangana Chief Minister Anumula Revanth Reddy and IT Minister D Sridhar Babu, outlines a $5 million direct investment in WE Hub and a further $100 million earmarked for start-ups within the Telangana ecosystem, including those incubated by WE Hub.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy expressed his support for the initiative, stating, "Women entrepreneurship will liberate our society and unleash the truest potential of Telangana. No society can achieve its fullest potential without enabling and empowering women."

WKH, co-founded by Greg Walsh and Phani Karra, focuses on early and growth-stage companies committed to innovation, sustainability, and profitability. "With this initiative," explained Greg Walsh, "WKH will invest $100 million in start-ups incubating in the Telangana ecosystem over the next five years, thus becoming a reliable partner in the growth story of both urban and rural Telangana."

Phani Karra, who began his career in Hyderabad, expressed his commitment to giving back to India. "With this partnership," he stated, "we have found a reliable agency to ensure our investments make a positive impact in India."

The investment will support WE Hub in implementing targeted programmes and world-class entrepreneurship, incubation, and acceleration programmes over the next five years. Sita Pallacholla, CEO of WE Hub, expressed her gratitude for the investment, stating, "This investment will be used to design and deliver a flagship programme of international standards to women entrepreneurs of India."