PU’s Women Start-up paves way of success for India’s Young Women Innovators

The vehicle of entrepreneurship which has been propelling the business world has been witnessing countless women behind the steering wheel and driving the start-up ecosystem of India. With the bid to promote women in leadership, city based Parul University once again held and organised one of its flagship events, Women’s Startup Meet 2.0. This virtual gathering of some of the most prominent women who have been leading the scope of entrepreneurship through the most effective business ventures and investments. This two day event hosted eminent personalities such as Ms. Nanda Joshi, Hon’ble Deputy. Mayor, Vadodara Municipal Corporation as the chief guest along with Ms. Piyalee Chattopadhyay, Executive Director, TiE Ahmedabad as the guest of honour. Parul University has been constantly making efforts to nurture within the female students of the University, a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation.

The event is the brainchild of Parul University’s Entrepreneurship Development Centre, and has been established with a goal and focus of helping the female students to innovate ideas and to achieve their goals and make their mark in the world of start-ups. The gathering was a hive of activity with over 36 partner organisations, 25 guest speakers, 15 women entrepreneurs, 15 women led startups. With such a structure, the Women Start-up Meet 2.0 emerged as the most ideal platform for skyrocketing the entrepreneurship dreams of over 4,400 participating students. With the male dominated nature of the start-up sector, the event managed to provide an equal opportunity for women to engage in the field by establishing a uniquely crafted ecosystem.

With the numerous challenges which have been created by COVID-19 in the business and corporate sectors, there have been limited opportunities and a straining of resources for investments. For this reason, the event sought to create a ready-made platform of investment opportunities for women, to provide the much needed support to navigate these trying times. Women Start-up Meet featured events such as “Start-up Yatra” a platform for women innovators to share their journey and experiences in start-ups. Another event of interest was “Start-up Bootcamp” which was aimed at supporting aspiring entrepreneurs to develop an understanding of the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, from ideation to pitching and investment portfolios from successful innovators including Parul University’s student alumni. Other events also included fireside chat, panel discussions and idea pitching.

As a way of inspiring the enterprising female students of Parul University, the platform also included notable personalities in entrepreneurship such as Dr. Anita Gupta , Scientist, Adviser and Head-NSTEDB, National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board, Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, GOI, Ms. Akanksha Bhadoria, Sr. Associate, GUSEC, Ms. Krutika Upadhyay, PATectual IP Law Services LLP, Ms. Avani Patel, Head, Technology Business Incubation, iCreate, Dr. Kruti Patel, Founder & Director – She & WE – Institute of Women Entrepreneurship, Ms. Janaki Joshi, Project Executive at Startup Cell, Government of Gujarat Gujarat, Ms. Tosha Shukla from i-hub, Gujarat, Ms. Arpita Doshi, Founder, Nutrition Dynamic Foods, Ms. Taruna Suryavanshi, Founder and Managing Director at Essence of life, Ms. Sreedevi Raghavan, Founder & CEO, Tattvamasi amongst others.

Through its “Vadodara Innofest” line of events, Parul University continues to make efforts to further the scope of entrepreneurship and business innovation within the city of Vadodara and the State of Gujarat. “Platforms such as this have become of great significance in higher education and also in society today. I am glad to see the success of We Start-up Meet and the keen interest expressed by the young women of Parul University in becoming business innovators. We will continue making efforts to provide such opportunities throughout the learning journey of our students”, said Dr. Parul Patel, the University’s Vice President.