Women Startup Summit – Ecosystem For Women Entrepreneurs In India To Be Promoted

The Women Startup Summit was held recently in Kochi and was hosted by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM,) in association with the Indian Women Network, under the Confederation of Indian Industries.  The summit brought together various women entrepreneurs and women leaders from different parts of India, who shared their experiences and stories with a crowd of students and aspiring entrepreneurs.

The main topic of the day long summit was to tackle the problems which restrict the women of Kerala from entering the field of entrepreneurship.  The topic was discussed by the speakers of the summit, which included Kerala State Planning Board member Dr. Mridul Eapen and Kerala IT Secretary M. Sivasankar.  Mr. Sivasankar listed the three main reasons which stop the women of the State from venturing into the business sector.

The first of the three reasons he stated was “social barriers,” such as girl students not being able to put in more study hours at their school or college because of strict hostel rules imposed for their safety.  The second reason cited by Sivasankar was the increased need for experienced woman with professional experience of 5 to 10 years heading “brown startups.” The third reason mentioned was the lack of women coordinators at the KSUM Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centres. 

Dr. Mridula Eapen said the lack of awareness among the women of Kerala about their potential may be a factor in less women opting for a career in the field of entrepreneurship.  She stated in her inaugural speech, “The proposals and points emerging in a meet like this will have their resonance in the policy making decisions of the board. The summit is definitely a strong step towards women empowerment.” 

The meet also hosted the “She Loves Tech 2019 Global Startup Competition,” with Dr. Nusrat Sanghamitra of CyCa OncoSolutions winning the competition.

Despite having a high literacy rate only few women from Kerala are willing to venture into the field of startup.  Kerala Government organized the Women Startup Summit in an effort to eliminate this problem and encourage the women of Kerala to participate more in the startup industry.