Tag: Wadhwani Foundation

Business

Wadhwani Foundation announces Sanjay Shah as its Chief Operating Officer for India and SE Asia

Sep 6, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Chief Operating Officer, #Sanjay Shah, #Wadhwani Foundation

Sanjay has over three decades of experience in founding and steering software product companies to the global market. He founded Zapty, Instavans Logistics, Skelta, Everest Software and Accel Computers, some of which were successfully acquired and his last stint was with iManage as its Managing Director for Asia responsible for business development of its solutions in Asia. With M.S. in Computer Science from Virginia Tech and a B.Tech in Aeronautical Engineering from IIT, Bombay, Sanjay sits on the board of Sasken Technologies and Instavans Logistics as an Independent Director, and on the advisory board of Avo Automation.

Expressing happiness on joining the Wadhwani Foundation, Sanjay Shah said, “My experience in building multiple technology startups, working with entrepreneurs and helping businesses to scale using technology has inspired me to embrace the mission of Wadhwani Foundation. Emerging economies today require massive job creation, which can be achieved through large-scale initiatives in entrepreneurship, innovation and skilling. All three are necessary as entrepreneurs and small businesses create brand new jobs, innovation helps drive job creation, and skilling provides the supply of industry-ready candidates to fulfill these new jobs In addition, if technology is used as a force to scale these initiatives massively, it can only accelerate the mission of the Foundation.

Business

Wadhwani Foundation salutes startup and SME entrepreneurs for converting the pandemic challenge into a lifetime opportunity

Aug 19, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Dr Ajay Kela, #President and CEO, #Wadhwani Foundation

India: On the occasion of World Entrepreneurs’ Day, the global not-for-profit WadhwaniFoundation salutes the indomitable spirit of entrepreneurs who have risen to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic resulting in a strong bounce-back that catapulted a record no. of startups to the unicorn club and also resulted in a record no. of M&A deals.

Celebrating the World Entrepreneurs’ Day, Dr Ajay Kela, President and CEO, Wadhwani Foundation, said, “With 21 Indian startups achieving the unicorn status in 2021, it is heartening to see that the Indian entrepreneurs converted the pandemic challenge into a lifetime opportunity. They did this by aligning their solutions with the behavioural changes of their customers, be it doctors and patients, teachers and students, retailers and consumers, organizations and employees, etc. As a result, India saw its first-ever unicorns in healthtech, e-pharmacy, and social commerce space. Wadhwani Foundation salutes startup and SME entrepreneurs that are accelerating the economic development of our country and creating much-needed good jobs. The Foundation endeavours to help these entrepreneurs realize their full business potential through year-long hands-on training and lifelong support via an AI-empowered 360-degree platform that proactively serves customized knowledge and network resources.”

In a nutshell, startup and SME entrepreneurs found new-born opportunities in challenges to ensure the growth of the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem in 2021 and are now beginning to reap the benefits of perseverance, seeing the transition from stabilization to growth.

With digital-focused business models, data-driven business decisions, investment in new technology and increased focus on innovation, the future points towards unparalleled growth for the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem at large!

Business World

Wadhwani Advantage launches an acceleration program exclusively dedicated to Automotive and Industrial segments

Mar 9, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Executive Vice President, #Samir Sathe, #Wadhwani Advantage, #Wadhwani Foundation

New Delhi, 9th March 2021: As the Indian automotive companies emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, their internal capabilities like wallet share improvement, new customer acquisition, robust product development, manufacturing throughput maximization, generation of free cash flows and a sound talent lifecycle management in upskilling the employees are some of the challenges that the industry is facing.

The new acceleration program by Wadhwani Advantage aims to address these challenges and offer solutions to business entrepreneurs for maximizing their growth potential through ‘Do-It-Yourself (DIY)’ discovery and business solution tool kits and other knowledge resources using AI-enabled automated logic and personalized interventions. The goal is to strengthen the business ecosystem without any commercial expectations. Those businesses interested in applying can do so at:

http://bit.ly/WAProgramApplication-MarketingCampaign

The Wadhwani Advantage offerings are high-quality interventions without charging any price. The curated advisors will offer pro bono and subsidized or success-based fees, if needed, to help the businesses to finish their transformation journey and be certified by Wadhwani Advantage. The program plays a leading role in governance and delivering impact in accelerated outcomes of growth and employment.

Wadhwani Advantage has come up with its own proprietary Wadhwani Index and Scoring system that would set the goals for performance improvement. The proprietary automated discovery tool is designed to empower the businesses to measure performance on the basis of 27 key performance indicators, with eight among them as the most important ones, across the seven quarters in the past and into the future and also allows these companies to compare themselves with industry benchmarks. The committed consultants engaged with the program will assist the businesses in using this tool and help the auto component companies aspire towards industry leadership.

The Advantage program has built tens of scenarios for each of the indicators and has used automated intelligence and logic to recommend the appropriate transformation projects that the small businesses must undertake to transform and accelerate their growth.

Speaking on the launch, Samir Sathe, Executive Vice President, Wadhwani Advantage at Wadhwani Foundation, said, “Through this program, we aim to empower the owners, top management, the key functional heads in learning to make sound business decisions using data, an important capability to succeed and sustain. Our deeply engaged, passionate consultants will help the entrepreneurs and functional heads to use this industrial-strength tool for their benefit to maximize their own performance and together help their organisation become a challenger or leader in their industry. This is our core offering, backed up by 300 human years of practical field experience, rigorously tested algorithms and automated insights and deep realization that small businesses need to use data to make decisions to survive and grow.”

He added, “In addition, through our program management office support, we will also offer the auto companies peer and market access networks, connects with the pro-bono advisors and coaches to ensure that we hand-hold them as they navigate the challenges, should the need arise.”

Those businesses interested in applying can do so at:

http://bit.ly/WAProgramApplication-MarketingCampaign

Business World

Edtech startup Utter App, in partnership with Wadhwani Foundation launched CoRakshak , a safety app

Dec 7, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Co-Rakshak Provides Safety Training, #Executive Vice President, #Ratna Mehta, #Wadhwani Catalyst, #Wadhwani Foundation

New Delhi: Utter App, in collaboration with Wadhwani Foundation, today announced the launch of India’s first safety training app for ‘Essential Service Providers’ to protect them against COVID-19 at their workplace and in their daily work routines.

About Co-Rakshak, a Contextualised Safety Training for Essential Service Providers

  1. Co-Rakshak is a multilingual chat-based app combining text, video and audio content to build user awareness and training for essential service providers about the Coronavirus and seek help from the right authorities in times of distress.
  2. The app offers best practices and standard safety protocols to be undertaken at their workplace and at home.
  3. Co-Rakshak offers contextualised safety training for 9 job roles in 5 languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, English, and Kannada.
  4. In the second phase, the app will cover over 40 job roles and make it available in 9 Indian languages.
  5. The content has been created in accordance with guidelines issued by WHO, CDC, FSSAI, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, amongst others.

Why Co-Rakshak?

  1. One of the biggest and most neglected challenges presented by COVID has been the Information Disconnect between governments, employers, health experts and essential service providers.
  2. The information disconnect is especially pronounced amongst the economically disadvantaged sections of the society.
  3. Post-lockdown, essential service providers and blue-collar workers have been forced to come out of their houses to serve the nation and feed their families – leading to a second wave of COVID infections.
  4. It is critical that these workers are adequately aware and trained for self-care while operating in their workplaces and congested living conditions.
  5. Unfortunately, most of the information currently available is too generic and tends to focus on the lifestyles of the privileged sections of society.
  6. This can only be achieved if the information is contextualized to their daily lives and routines and transformed into actionable inputs that are relevant and implementable.

More details can be accessed at our website www.corakshak.in and you can download the app here:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.edmobilelabs.corakshak

Announcing the launch of Co-Rakshak Ninad Vengurlekar, CEO, Utter App said, “Utter is an early-stage startup focusing on functional English and currently fundraising for growth. When Coronavirus struck, we realized that information disconnect with regards to safety at the workplace has been an unaddressed area in the pandemic. So, we decided to use the Utter platform to build Co-Rakshak app to train the blue collar and essential services professionals in safety training related to COVID – in the context of their day to day jobs. We are glad Wadhwani Foundation came on board to help us reach millions of users through Co-Rakshak app.”

 

Ratna Mehta, Executive Vice President, Wadhwani Catalyst Fund at Wadhwani Foundation said, “Wadhwani Foundation is keen to back entrepreneurs who are innovating to help fight the pandemic and improve the overall healthcare ecosystem. Co-Rakshak is a great medium to create health related awareness focused on job roles and train people as they go back to their jobs. We are excited about partnering with Utter and are looking forward to amplifying impact together.”

 

Co-Rakshak Provides Safety Training to 9 Key Job Roles

  1. Delivery Personnel, Shopkeepers, Facility Management personnel like security guards, Home Staff like maids, caretakers, cooks, etc., Police, transportation workers like drivers, mechanics, etc., Hospitality personnel like housekeepers, Government personnel and Health professionals like doctors, nurses, etc.
  2. At the end of the program, there is a short test to assess the understanding of the learners.

Co-Rakshak: A Joint Initiative by Utter App and Wadhwani Foundation

 

The entire cost of development of the app has been funded by Wadhwani Foundation, while Utter App has donated its professional resources and platform for the cause.

Business World

On the occasion of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day 2020, Wadhwani Foundation salutes the indomitable spirit of female entrepreneurs in the country

Nov 18, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Dr Ajay Kela, #female entrepreneurs, #Wadhwani Foundation, #Women’s Entrepreneurship Day 2020

Wadhwani Foundation, a global not-for-profit championing the development of a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in India and other emerging economies advocates the importance of fostering women entrepreneurship in India by adopting measures that will tap into the enormous untapped potential of new women-led businesses.

Only a quarter of India’s workforce is female as against a global average of 49%, and it is clear that India’s growing entrepreneurial landscape has left behind a key demographic – women. It is the need of the hour to unlock the untapped potential of women entrepreneurs by providing them with a support system comprising of an integrated policy framework with equal focus on rural India, women entrepreneurship programs tailored to the unique constraints and skill requirements of women, more gender-responsive financial sector and conscious integration of the formal and informal networks. This could spur economic and job growth of massive proportions.

Says Dr Ajay Kela, President and CEO, Wadhwani Foundation, “Of the 63 million MSMEs in India, only six per cent are women-led, a criminal waste of talent. Growth driving, business-friendly skills such as relationship building, emotional intelligence, and multitasking are second nature to women. Leveraging these unique capabilities and the massive untapped capacity where only 25% of the Indian workforce is women could add $700 billion to India’s GDP by 2030.”

There is, therefore, a huge opportunity to empower women in India to choose entrepreneurship by creating networks that promote an ecosystem to motivate and support women entrepreneurs in taking the leap of faith by providing training in the nuances of entrepreneurship like the initial critical tenure of starting up, the importance of mentoring and optimal use of necessary resources to remain lean, and making technology accessible.

Simultaneously, it is equally important to celebrate the fearless breed of women entrepreneurs who have made it big as role models for inspiring women towards entrepreneurship and facilitating a major mindset shift. With women comprising just 14 per cent of the total entrepreneurial base in India, this is India’s big chance to tap into the precious resource of women entrepreneurs so as to realize their true potential. Leveraging India’s vast talent pool of women and not allowing it to be frittered away, especially at a time when businesses are facing a severe talent crunch could be transformational for the Indian economy and job creation.

Business World

Wadhwani Foundation salutes the spirit of entrepreneurship on the occasion of World Entrepreneurs’ Day 2020

Aug 20, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Dr Ajay Kela, #President and CEO, #Wadhwani Foundation, #World Entrepreneurs’ Day

August 20, 2020: On the occasion of World Entrepreneurs’ Day, Wadhwani Foundation, a not-for-profit with the mission of accelerating economic development in emerging economies by driving large-scale job creation through entrepreneurship, innovation and skills development, salutes the startups and entrepreneurs hit badly by the COVID-19 related business slump and the National lockdown.

The Foundation gives guidance on how startups should ensure liquidity and slow-down the burn rate while diligently planning for an 18-month runway. Also, it strongly recommends that startups should not

waste the crisis, as it provides an unprecedented opportunity to pivot to new businesses and diversify into growth verticals like healthcare, emerging tech, online education, grocery delivery and e-pharmacies.

On the occasion of the World Entrepreneurs’ Day, Dr Ajay Kela, President and CEO, Wadhwani Foundation, has a few words of advice for startups and entrepreneurs – “The COVID-19 disruption has created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for entrepreneurs and startups. Behavioural changes of doctors and patients, teachers and students, retailers and consumers, companies and employees, policy evangelists and policymakers, etc., which would have taken years, have changed overnight and will become the new normal. New entrepreneurs should build solutions that align with these new behaviours, and existing entrepreneurs have the advantage of having started the journey to pivot quickly. Data suggests that the best time to start a company is during a crisis. This pandemic is the mother of all crises, hence, also offers the mother of all opportunities. Please don’t waste the crisis, start something new or pivot to the new norm, and I wish you the very best.”

Most of the sectors, barring a few, will struggle due to the declining demand and low consumer sentiment. Hence, this is the time for startup entrepreneurs to preserve cash, get nimble, be ready to pivot to meet new customer needs through change and innovation, and not hesitate to seek help.