WEConnect International Hosts 3-day Conference for Women Business Owners to Build Capacity and Network with Large Corporations
DELHI, INDIA October 13, 2022—WEConnect International hosted a 2-day in-person conference to provide opportunities for 60 women-owned businesses to grow their network and connect with more than 30 large corporations, part of the “Women’s Empowerment Through Economic Inclusion” 3-year project, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.
The objective of the event and thus the project itself is to generate long-term opportunities for women-owned businesses to develop the skills necessary to not only connect but conduct business with large buyers, including local and multinational corporations, government agencies, and non-profit and non-governmental organizations.
“Women business owners constitute the most promising engine of growth in India,” said Saritha Venumbaka, Chief Operating Officer, WEConnect International. “By focusing on women’s economic empowerment and advancing gender equality, India will capture the tremendous economic potential women business owners can bring to the economy, including job creation.”
Highlights of the conference include two capacity-building trainings for women-owned businesses—Unique Selling Proposition for products and services, and Business Resilience emphasizing business growth; a Supplier Diversity and Inclusion Roundtable with leading corporations, local and multinational, on sharing best practices on gender-inclusive sourcing; and a woman-owned business product showcase for cross-business promotions
The business matchmaking session included 1:1 business pitching sessions between women business owners representing a variety of industries including manufacturing, professional services, IT and tech services, and dozens of corporations including Ernst &Young (EY), Proctor and Gamble (P&G), Marriott International, IBM and WIPRO, to discuss opportunities for their businesses as well as learn how to interact with and market their services to potential buyers. The women entrepreneurs also had the opportunity to network with a community of women business owners to learn from and potentially grow their businesses.
“Investing in women-owned businesses makes financial sense for large organizational buyers,” said Eroshan Alagaretnam, South Asia Regional Director, WEConnect International. “Small changes to large organization buying practices, such as inclusive sourcing policies, can have an immense impact on the business and its ability to find the best products and services at the best price.”
The Women’s Empowerment Through Economic Inclusion also includes Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, more than 700women entrepreneurs have participated in capacity-building training sessions and networking with dozens of corporations, many of whom have committed to sourcing from women-owned businesses.
