Global Entrepreneurship Summit Held in New Delhi

In partnership with the Government of the United States of America, NITI Aayog is hosting the eighth annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in India from November 28-30, 2017. The Summit will be addressed by The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi. The US delegation will be led by Ms. Ivanka Trump, Advisor to President Trump. As a lead up to the GES Summit, FICCI has partnered with NITI Aayog to organize five interactive entrepreneurial events as a part of “Road to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) Series”, with the focus on celebrating and empowering women in entrepreneurship.

Left to Right: Mr. Nirankar Saxena, Assistant Secretary General, FICCI; Ms. Rina Dhaka, fashion designer, Member, FDCI; Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, New Delhi; Padma Shri Shahnaz Husain, CEO, Shahnaz Herbals Inc; Dr. Bindu Dey, Secretary, Technology Development Board, Govt. of India; Ms. Poonam Mahajan, National Jt. Treasurer, FLO & CEO, Signage Systems India

The event held in New Delhi on November 14^th, saw participation from eminent women leaders and entrepreneurs including Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, New Delhi, Ms. Poonam Mahajan, National Jt. Treasurer, FLO & CEO, Signage Systems India, Ms. Aparna Saroagi, Executive Chairperson, WEE Foundation, New Delhi, Ms. Rina Dhaka, Fashion Designer, Member- FDCI, Dr. Bindu Dey, Secretary, Technology Development Board, GoI, Ms. Padmaja Ruparel, Co-Founder IAN & Founding Partner IAN Fund, Indian Angel Network, Padma Shri Shahnaz Husain, CEO, Shahnaz Herbals Inc. These events will bring together industry leaders, start-ups, serial entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors as well as enablers of the innovation ecosystem viz. government, international agencies and industry associations not only from India but across the globe.

Left to Right: Mr. Craig Dicker, Counselor for Cultural Affairs, Public Diplomacy, US Embassy, New Delhi; Mr. Nirankar Saxena, Assistant Secretary General, FICCI; Ms. Padmaja Ruparel, Co-founder, IAN /7 Founding partner IAN Fund, Indian Angel Network; Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, New Delhi; Debjani Ghosh, Member - FICCI S&T Committee; Dr Bindu Dey, Secretary, Technology Development Board, Govt. of India; Ms. Poonam Mahajan, National Jt. Treasurer, FLO & CEO, Signage Systems India; Aparna Saroagi, Executive Chairperson, WEE Foundation, New Delhi

The stakeholders deliberated on several aspects related to start-ups such as finance, investment, mentoring and human capital. The event focused on the “Role of Entrepreneurship in Women Empowerment” and heard from the most inspiring women entrepreneurs who have carved a name for themselves in technology businesses/social impact space. Mr. Nirankar Saxena, Assistant Secretary General, FICCI says, “We are taking forward the theme - Women First, Prosperity First today. Women entrepreneurs are transforming families and society across the world, besides making contributions to business development. The rising number of women entrepreneurs around the world suggests that there might be more attention to social problems, using economic solutions. FICCI wanted to get such achievers and hear their stories."

Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi,  Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, New Delhi stressed on the importance of taking such programmes to rural India. She said, “For any nation to be a good nation, women need to be empowered, and such forums like todays should translate into action. Women in the villages inherited a lot of skills which can be further developed. Today we have the technology to fill gaps. There is a need to provide institutional support to these women.”

Ms. Shahnaz Husain, CEO Shahnaz Herbals Inc. who is an inspiration as a women entrepreneur to thousands of women, said, “Women should not be shy in venturing into any field and should come forward in society as equal partners.”  Ms. Rina Dhaka, eminent fashion designer said, “That she had to overcome the conservative mindset of her family before she could venture into the world of fashion and business." She added, “There was a lot of scope for women in the fashion industry. However, the fashion world is fickle and there is a constant need for change. The way to forge trails is to constantly train yourself. That is the way to break the barrier in a male-dominated profession, when you know about your job than most men, you automatically break the gender barrier."

A special pitching session was also organised, where the start-ups presented their pitches to a jury, the two winners got tickets to attend the main GES in Hyderabad.

Since the inception of GES in 2010, it has travelled across the world from Washington D.C. to Istanbul, Dubai, Marrakech, Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur, Silicon Valley, and now finally Hyderabad! This year is the first time GES will be hosted in South Asia, and the event will highlight India’s enabling environment for innovation and entrepreneurship - including actions by the government to increase the ease of doing business, eliminating unnecessary regulations, and supporting start-ups.

At GES 2017, over 1500 attendees, including entrepreneurs, investors, educators, government officials, and business representatives will represent the full measure of entrepreneurial talent from diverse backgrounds across our nation and the world. Through networking, mentoring and workshops, the GES empowers entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas, build partnerships, secure funding, and create innovative products and services that will transform societies for better tomorrow.