Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) program

Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) program is sponsored by IIMA Ventures (with support from the Gates Foundation). This program targets technology-enabled solutions that can significantly enhance the growth, predictability, and resilience of incomes for women across India, aiming to bridge economic disparities through innovation.

Women’s Economic Empowerment - IIMA VENTURES Women’s Economic Empowerment An AI and Innovation Program for Women’s Economic Empowerment Women’s Economic Empowerment An AI and Innovation Program for Women’s Economic Empowerment The Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) program is designed to support startups building scalable, high-impact AI and technology-enabled solutions with the potential to positively impact the growth, predictability and resilience of incomes of women in India.

Led by IIMA Ventures, the WEE program is supported by the Gates Foundation. The rising participation of women in the workforce has opened up a large opportunity for startups. Formalisation has enabled women, especially from lower-income households, to become more visible and aspiring.

By facilitating the adoption of the right technology solutions, startups can help unlock their full earning capacities and build resilience against risks.

The WEE program seeks to support such startups to unlock new women customer segments, build scalable business models, and sustainable growth strategies through pilots and scale-up partnerships with women-focused last-mile organisations & large-scale delivery systems Roundtables and Workshops Curated discussions with the development sector, startups and investors to identify scalable opportunities for deploying AI and technology solutions that enhance livelihoods of women workers and micro-entrepreneurs.

High visibility competitions in collaboration with partner organisations to identify innovative solutions that will receive financial and other support for pilots and beyond. Financial support, active handholding and portfolio management support to enable product refinement, pilot implementation, growth de-risking and fundraising.

The Program seeks to support technology solutions that improve livelihood outcomes for low-income women across rural and urban India, particularly those engaged in agriculture and allied sectors, micro-entrepreneurship, gig and informal economy. Rural SHG Women & Women Farmers Innovations for members of Self-Help Groups and women engaged in agriculture and allied activities.

Informal Workers & Micro-Entrepreneurs Innovations that improve earnings and security for women in informal jobs and micro-business owners. Women in Emerging Gig/Service Sectors Solutions for women in roles like platform-based gigs, domestic and care work, urban services. Care Economy and Domestic Work Innovations developing sustainable micro-enterprises in care services or improving wages/quality for domestic workers.

* Please check the FAQ section for more information and examples. We are looking to support startups designing AI and other technology-driven innovations with the potential to be refined further for usability by women. Examples of indicative solutions are mentioned below.

Market Access, Commerce & Growth AI-enabled Digital market linkage platforms for women producers and micro-entrepreneurs Tech-driven Demand forecasting tools for women producers to plan production cycles Supply Chain, Operations & Efficiency End-to-end supply chain visibility tools for women-led enterprises Tech-enabled aggregation models for sourcing from dispersed women producers Product, Design & Merchandising Product cataloguing and digital asset management tools for women entrepreneurs AI-assisted product design, variation, and trend analysis for local products Skills, Productivity & Enablement AI-enabled training and skilling platforms tailored for low-literacy users Vernacular, voice-based tools for business operations and decision-making Infrastructure, Access & Inclusion Tech solutions improving access to raw materials and inputs for women-led enterprises Platforms that reduce dependency on intermediaries for women entrepreneurs Data, Insights & Decision Support AI-driven business insights dashboards for small women-led enterprises Tools for tracking performance, growth, and operational bottlenecks Trust, Safety & Reliability (Workplace & Market) Technology solutions improving safety and reliability in women’s work environments Grievance redressal and support tools for women in informal or platform-based work Financial Products and Services, including Credit, Savings, and Insurance for Women Alternative credit scoring and community-based lending platforms Cash-flow–based credit products tailored to women micro-entrepreneurs USD 50,000 and more for every startup supported.

Partnerships for pilots and scale-up with organisations & large-scale delivery systems working with low-income women. Insights on customers, technology, policy and industry from those who know them best. At partner and regional showcases, end-of-term presentations and to large-scale delivery partners.

Handholding from pitching to deal closure. Cloud credits of up to USD 250,000 from Google Cloud, Microsoft Web Services, and Amazon Azure and payment gateway support from Razorpay and PhonePe.

Frequently Asked Questions The Program is designed to support startups building technology solutions across domains that increase the incomes of low-income women in India and benefit women in the most marginalised forms of work and enterprise – including agriculture, informal labour, and the gig economy. What are the innovation themes for this Program?

Rural SHG Women & Women Farmers: Innovations for members of Self-Help Groups and women engaged in agriculture and allied activities.

Solutions here could include climate-smart agriculture advisories, agri-input or output market platforms tailored to women farmers, tools to formalise SHG micro-enterprises, etc. For example, an app that digitises SHG financial records and builds credit profiles can unlock formal loans for thousands of women (addressing the current lack of credit history for SHG members).

Informal Workers & Micro-Entrepreneurs: Innovations that improve earnings and security for women in informal jobs – e.g. home-based producers, street vendors, artisans, and micro-business owners. This includes women running nano enterprises (like small retail kiosks or food stalls) or engaged in trades (tailoring, handicrafts, etc.).

Solutions might range from digital marketplaces for their products to tools that aggregate demand or reduce supply-chain intermediaries to micro-franchise or cooperative models enhanced with tech. Also, financial products (credit, insurance) custom-built for informal women entrepreneurs fall here. The focus is on moving women from subsistence activities to higher-value market participation.

For instance, a bundled support model in a pilot with women potato farmers offered improved seed, training, credit, and a buy-back agreement – resulting in a targeted 20% increase in productivity and income. We will scale such integrated livelihood innovations.

Women in Emerging Gig/Service Sectors: Solutions for women in roles like platform-based gigs (ride-hailing, delivery, beauty services), domestic and care work, urban services (e.g. sanitation workers, home cooks), and non-traditional sectors (transport, logistics). Innovations could address barriers like safety, training, access to assets (vehicles, smartphones), or unfair algorithms.

E.g., a mobile app that provides flexible scheduling and fair pay assurances for domestic gig workers, or an AI-driven tool that helps women drivers optimise ride routes and safety. Another idea is fintech products like real-time earnings advances or insurance for gig workers.

Care Economy and Domestic Work: Innovations here might develop sustainable micro-enterprises in care services (childcare, eldercare, community health, etc.) or improve wages/quality for domestic workers. Non-tech process innovations (like cooperatives of care workers) coupled with digital scheduling/payment tools can formalise this sector.

We will encourage problem statements around reducing drudgery and increasing pay in traditionally feminised roles (like waste picking or caregiving). For example, a digital platform could connect trained caregivers with urban families, standardise pay, and provide legal protections. What is the format of the Program?

The Program is designed to provide bespoke support to each startup based on its needs. IIMA Ventures, in consultation with the startup, will set specific milestones for the engagement. The startups will then work towards achieving these milestones with our support.

IIMA Ventures will enable connections with development sector organisations and large delivery systems in India. Training, mentoring, technical assistance and market access will be provided as needed and feasible. Investor Demo Days are organised by us for industry-investor interactions, in addition to facilitating 1-1 conversations.

Regular check-ins will be scheduled for up to a year. assistance and market access will be provided as needed and feasible. Investor Demo Days are organised by us for industry-investor interactions, in addition to facilitating 1-1 conversations.

Regular check-ins will be scheduled for up to a year. The empanelled impact measurement agency will engage with the startup at different intervals over the Program duration (up to 2028). Do I need a registered company to apply?

You need not be a registered firm to apply. However, we require you to be an entity registered in India before we can confirm your selection and are able to support you. My startup has participated in other Programs before.

Can I still apply? Yes. We are open to considering your application.

We request that you to highlight the support you have received from the previous programs/accelerators. How will the applications be evaluated? When will I know if my application has been selected?

Once an application is received, we will review it for alignment with Program objectives and evaluate based on criteria such as innovation, potential for impact, team strength, etc. 2-3 rounds of pitching and feedback sessions can be expected. Applications for the Program will be evaluated on a rolling basis. Applications for the Hackathon tracks will open periodically.

Please expect an update within one month of applying for the Program. Are we expected to move to Ahmedabad (or any other location) for the duration of the Lab? No. The Program does not specifically require the startups to be based out of Ahmedabad during the Program.

We may organize short duration bootcamps/events at Ahmedabad and/or other places. You will be required to participate in the Program. How will the financial support be disbursed?

A Service Agreement will be signed between IIMA Ventures and the startup capturing the product, market opportunity, engagement objective, expected activities, budgets, etc. Funds will be disbursed in tranches based on fund requirements and the milestones set.

Startups may be required to provide a utilisation certificate before receiving the next tranche/end of the Program support period if so required for audit and reporting related purposes. Will IIMA Ventures receive equity?

To ensure alignment of the founding team with the Program offerings and recognising that early-stage ventures need comprehensive longer-term support, the startup will be onboarded as an incubatee, for which a mentoring equity of 2-5% is expected. Do I get access to seed funding through the Program? The Women’s Economic Empowerment Program has provisions to support promising startups with additional funding.

We will endeavour to provide additional funding through grants, convertible debt, etc., through our various other programs. Startups will also have the opportunity to pitch to investors during our investor showcases. We will also facilitate introductions to investors on a case-by-case basis.

However, selection to the Program does not guarantee additional funding from us or any other investors. What are IIMA Ventures’ expectations from the startup? Our objective is that the startup is able to create a positive income impact on a large number of women through its innovation.

The Program works best when the support provided and the startup’s needs are well aligned. We strongly prefer working with founders who are engaged with the Program and its objectives, i.e. participate in Program activities, share their challenges, be receptive to inputs and work collaboratively. The startups will be required to participate in the Program’s impact measurement study.