Investments in the social impact infrastructure of any country, and not only prop up the economy, but have significant returns reflected in the quality of life of a community. When it comes to India, impact investing remais crucial to make tangible progress towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 is to ‘achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’.
For Sanjana De, Executive Director of Swabhumi Foundation, a new role helming the entrepreneurship, startups and social impact initiatives is on the horizon.
As a passionate investor and important stakeholder in the academia space, De’s role would be to foster women's entrepreneurship and enable women-led businesses to grow in the region through collaboration, partnerships and mentorship from global women leaders. In her new capacity, she would be heading WISE (Women Inspired Sustainable Empowerment) Forum, a one of its kind women-led empowerment forum, between three powerful regions: India, UAE and Africa.
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“Thirty-three per cent of social enterprises in India list empowering women among their objectives. Globally, women and girls are at greater risk of poverty, malnourishment, violence and exclusion,” notes De. She adds, “Women held paradigms are best led by women. The need for training, support, investment and mentoring is now greater than ever to create a world where women really hold up half the sky.”
Following a multi-pronged approach to women empowerment, De would be investing in social enterprises that support women in uniform, as well as those supporting emotional wellness and mental health and skill development through formations of self-help groups (SMEs/Cottage Industries. Another key focus area for De would be women entrepreneurship, women-led startups and social impact. WISE would also be focussing on sports, culture and tribes.
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WISE plans to organize an ‘all women-led delegation’ from UAE to India in the first quarter of 2023, along with other training and networking events that will support its members. Closer home, WISE is in discussion with FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO) in India, as well as Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and African women leaders for broader outreach and more tangible outcomes, says De.
On a personal level, De holds entrepreneurship close to her heart, after having been introduced to it as part of her roots in Kolkata-based business family. An ardent believer of the power of social change through education, De also leads the Swabhumi Foundation, which is the holding trust for a major school in Kolkata and has multiple schools projects in the next 5 years. Since 2014, she has successfully expanded and invested in numerous business ventures.
De has successfully invested in multiple early-stage ventures with a focus on social impact. Additionally, she also supports leading global social impact firms in India working in green trade, education infrastructure, women empowerment and women’s health.
