In a significant collaboration, Indian School of Business (ISB) has introduced a comprehensive capacity building initiative called EmpowHer in partnership with the ANSR Foundation and SAFA Society in the city of Hyderabad, aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs in micro businesses. The program seeks to support women entrepreneurs in building their financial literacy, business skills and digital literacy, and provide better access to formal financial systems.
One of the biggest challenges for women entrepreneurs is the difficulty in accessing formal credit, financial management tools, digital platforms and formal support for business growth despite having good products and awareness of local markets. EmpowHer by ANSR Foundation is committed to filling these gaps by mentorship, hands-on training and community-based support.
The program will start with a diagnostic assessment of each enterprise in order to understand their strengths and areas for improvement. Entrepreneurs will be provided with personalized support in financial literacy, business growth and digital enablement based on the assessment. Training will include sales, cash flows, profit making, break even analysis, getting credit ready, branding, packaging, pricing, communication of value, payment through digital, and customer approach.
Key Highlights:
- ISB, ANSR Foundation, and SAFA Society launch EmpowHer for women-led micro-enterprises in Hyderabad
- The program offers training in finance, business growth, and digital skills to help women scale their businesses
- Impact will be tracked through research and case studies to support future women entrepreneurship initiatives
An impact measurement framework will also be implemented to track the impact of participating enterprises over time. The results will be recorded in the form of case studies, policy briefs and knowledge platforms that will help inform future women entrepreneurship initiatives.
The initiative will be implemented on the ground by SAFA Society, a group with almost 20 years of experience in working with women in Hyderabad, in the areas of self-help groups and livelihood programs.
Anvesh Thirukovalluru, Associate Director, ISB Centre for Business Innovation, said that while a lot of women micro-entrepreneurs have good business instincts, they may not have access to the systems, knowledge, or support that is needed to just grow their business. He noted that the program is structured to offer hands-on advice on finance, pricing, packaging, credit readiness, and digital access, and to help ISB learn from the experiences of the entrepreneurs to create improved models to develop women-led businesses.
The initiative is different from traditional training as it equips women entrepreneurs with actionable tools to help them make business decisions, said Caroline Fernandez-Ahuja, Managing Director of the ANSR Foundation. She also said that the partnership with ISB and SAFA Society provides a comprehensive approach of mentorship, financial preparedness, market access, and digital support to empower women to grow their businesses with confidence.
The collaboration between SAFA and HADWAR is meant to empower women who are socially and economically disadvantaged by providing sustainable livelihood opportunities, said Rubina Nafees Fatima, Founder and President of SAFA society. “With the financial inclusion spotlight continually on the agenda, the program will support women to progress from skills training to access to finance and enhanced business skills and capacity, and ultimately to long-term economic resilience,” she said.
ISB will also engage in research on structural barriers of women's economic participation in India, apart from providing support to the entrepreneurs. The institution will disseminate findings of the program in research publications and via policy platforms, thereby adding to the evidence base for women-led enterprise development approaches. The partnership between ISB, ANSR Foundation and SAFA Society seeks to develop tangible, impactful, and lasting growth potential for women-run micro-enterprises.
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