The US Consulate General in Kolkata, in collaboration with Startup India, a government of India initiative, and the New Delhi-based Aroh Foundation, as well as the US-funded Nexus Start-Up Hub in New Delhi, aims to promote entrepreneurial skills, particularly among Jharkhand and Bihar residents.
The programme will be carried out as part of the Women's Global Development Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative's “Academy for Women Entrepreneurs” (AWE).
AWE will support a selected group of 90 prospective women entrepreneurs and early-stage business owners from Jharkhand and Bihar, according to a statement issued by the consulate while inviting applications for the programme. They would also be guided by alumni from the US State Department, local businesswomen, and other partners.
The chosen participants will become members of an AWE network, which will provide them with access to peer-to-peer mentorship and business partners.
In phase one of the programme, aspiring female entrepreneurs can apply for the 'Idea Challenge' to win AWE credits worth $1,000. In phase two, the women entrepreneurs will participate in a University of Arizona online dream-builder programme. High-potential female entrepreneurs will be identified in phase three and flown to Kolkata for a boot camp and pitching session.
The acting consul general Monica Shie said, “The US consulate general Kolkata is committed to strengthening the entrepreneurship ecosystem in East India, with a particular emphasis on empowering women. Our Academy of Women Entrepreneurs programme has already proven to be a success in the northeast and I am happy that we can now bring this program to Bihar and Jharkhand. I invite women entrepreneurs and early-stage business owners to apply for this unique US department of state opportunity.”
In the first week of August, the AWE programme managers held roadshows with leading institutions in Patna, Begusarai, and Nalanda in Bihar, and Ranchi, Jamshedpur, and Dhanbad in Jharkhand. State-level organisations, Startup Bihar and Startup Jharkhand, are assisting AWE initiatives to nurture women entrepreneurs and assist them in establishing innovative ventures in their respective jurisdictions.
AWE is typically centred on DreamBuilder, an online training programme developed through a collaboration between Arizona State University's Thunderbird School of Global Management and the global copper mining company Freeport-McMoRan. The programme gives women the tools they need to start and grow their own businesses, raise capital, and network effectively with other successful business owners.
