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Women Acceleration Program : WECS
You got Wings, Let's fly now !
In India, women entrepreneurs are a crucial yet underrepresented force in the start-up ecosystem, facing significant structural challenges. Access to financing remains a major hurdle. Women-led businesses are facing an unmet credit gap of US$11.4 billion and receiving just 5.2 percent of credit from public sector banks. Familial funding, a common source of financing in India, is often inaccessible to women, with 43 percent reporting a lack of family support for their ventures.Additionally, women-led start-ups secured only
9.3 percent of VC funding in 2023, a sharp decline from 14.7 percent in 2021. Total funding raised by women-led start-ups fell dramatically from US$2.4 billion in 2022 to US$0.5 billion in 2023, reflecting systemic biases and limited support for women entrepreneurs. These funding challenges hinder the growth of women-led businesses and reduce their chances of achieving scale and sustainability.
Through this program we want to achieve –
A strong ecosystem for women Acceleration: Despite India’s strong entrepreneurial landscape, the support ecosystem for women entrepreneurs continues to be fragmented and insufficiently tailored to their needs. A significant number of women-led enterprises remain concentrated in traditional, low-value sectors and operate informally, limiting their ability to scale, improve productivity, and access larger markets. Women entrepreneurs frequently encounter challenges such as limited access
to finance, inadequate mentorship, weak professional networks, low levels of digital adoption, lack of export preparedness, and restricted access to technology and mobility. Additionally, most existing incubation and acceleration initiatives are designed as gender-neutral programs and often do not address the unique constraints faced by women entrepreneurs. The absence of a dedicated institutional framework in India that supports women-led enterprises across the entire entrepreneurial journey—from ideation and incubation to growth and market expansion—highlights a critical gap that presents a strong opportunity for focused intervention.
Some notable models that can
draw lessons from include
which has created a dedicated state-led platform for supporting women-led startups through incubation, market linkages, funding access, and global partnerships.
WE Hub
which offers mentorship, financing support, skilling opportunities, and ecosystem partnerships at the national level.
Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP)
which runs specialized programs for women entrepreneurs focused on incubation, acceleration, and investment readiness.
NSRCEL
provides business education, mentorship, and access to capital for women entrepreneurs globally.
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women
supports women entrepreneurs through mentoring, digital training, and financial inclusion programs.
Cherie Blair Foundation for Women
offers pitching opportunities, mentoring, investor connections, and networking support for women founders.
TiE Women
supports women founders through grants, incubation support, and networking opportunities.
Women Startup Programme by Kerala Startup Mission
while broader in scope, has significantly supported women-led micro-enterprises through collateral-free loans.
MUDRA Yojana
promotes entrepreneurship among women through institutional credit support.
Stand-Up India
helps women entrepreneurs access international markets and export opportunities.
SheTrades Initiative
supports high-impact women-led businesses through funding and mentorship.
Cartier Women’s Initiative
enables peer learning, digital access, and business networking.
Dell Women Entrepreneur Network (DWEN)
offers women-focused innovation support and startup development programs.
Maharashtra State Innovation Society Women Entrepreneurship Programs
Women Startup Cell
A dedicated Women Startup Cell will serve as a single-window platform for women founders. This cell can:
Support idea-stage women entrepreneurs
Facilitate registration and compliance
Connect women founders to investors
Offer startup readiness programs
Provide incubation referrals
Coordinate with universities and incubation centers
Dedicated Women Entrepreneurship Facilitation Cell:
Beyond startups, many women operate traditional businesses that require modernization and scale support. A separate Women Enterprise Facilitation Cell will address MSMEs, rural enterprises, artisan businesses, and home-based ventures. This cell can support:
Formalization of enterprise
Udyam registration
GST onboarding
Quality certification
Packaging support
Product diversification
Branding assistance
Access to government schemes
WECS Women Mentor Network the
Platform that connects aspiring women entrepreneurs with:
Successful women founders
Branding specialists
Industry experts
Export consultants
Financial institutions
Technology experts
Legal advisors