Maharashtra signs MoU to set up start-up hub to support women entrepreneurs

Maharashtra will establish a dedicated women's entrepreneurship hub to foster women-led businesses and start-ups across the state, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Tuesday.

To implement the initiative, the Maharashtra State Innovation Society (MSINS) — under the Department of Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation — signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Udyati Foundation, an official release stated.

The partnership aims to create a stronger ecosystem for women entrepreneurs in the state by improving access to finance, markets and business support.

Under the agreement, the MSINS and the Udyati Foundation will serve as technical and knowledge partners and assist in establishing a women's start-up hub, the release said.

The initiative will boost the economic empowerment of women in Maharashtra, the release quoted Fadnavis as saying.

The MoU was signed by MSINS Chief Executive Officer Dr Shrikanth Patil and Udyati Foundation Founder and CEO Pooja Sharma Goyal in the presence of Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha.

The hub will function as a coordinating platform, bringing together government departments, ecosystem partners and support organisations to strengthen opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

An accelerator model for women-led enterprises in Maharashtra will be developed and implemented. Through the accelerator, the Udyati Foundation will provide technical assistance to the MSINS in areas including mentorship, industry requirements, access to finance, market linkages and coordination with various state and Central government schemes.

The partnership will also work towards developing and institutionalising a women's start-up index to assess the progress of women's entrepreneurship across departments and districts using gender-disaggregated data.

The partnership will further support the establishment of an interdepartmental steering committee to guide the implementation of the women's start-up index.

The Udyati Foundation works to accelerate women's participation in India's economic and entrepreneurial sectors. In collaboration with state governments and private-sector companies, the foundation aims to bring 156 million employable but currently unemployed women into the workforce, the release said.