The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) is a scheme launched by the Niti Aayog in partnership with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). It will provide an ecosystem to promote entrepreneurship among women all over India.
Features & Benefits of WEP
The WEP is built on three foundational pillars which are:
- Karma Shakti: Hands-on, practical support in establishing and expanding a business idea
- Gyaan Shakti: Providing knowledge and a supportive ecosystem to encourage women’s entrepreneurship
- Iccha Shakti: Motivation for aspiring women entrepreneurs to launch their own business
Apart from this, the programme provides the following benefits to women entrepreneurs:
- Support for incubation and acceleration of startups that are founded or co-founded by women
- Support to start and scale up a business from scratch through professional hand-holding support
- Partnering with organisations to conduct outreach programmes across the country that encourages entrepreneurship among women
- Professional motivating sessions by established women entrepreneurs for mutual learning through sharing of their entrepreneurial experiences and journeys
- Facilitation of corporate partnerships
- Facilitation of apprenticeship with corporates
- Support for funding
- Mentorship by established and successful entrepreneurs
- Free credit ratings for businesses
WEP Eligibility Criteria
The criteria to be eligible for this programme are women entrepreneurs who:
- Have an established startup
- Have a new startup
- Have a business idea
The following entities who can provide support to women entrepreneurs are also eligible to apply for this programme:
- Research organisations
- Non-Governmental Organisations
- Accelerators
- Incubators
- Corporates
WEP Registration Process
The application form for registration can be found on the official website of the WEP. Registration can be done online using the applicant’s Facebook or Google ID.