TVARAN - Accelerating women entrepreneurs driving climate resilience

India’s pioneering incubator for social enterprises, Villgro, and CISCO India, have jointly selected seven women-spearheaded startups in the climate action segment for a six-month targeted acceleration program- TVARAN. This unique initiative aims to expand the market presence of women-led start-ups innovating in renewable energy, water and waste management and climate-smart agriculture.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), women are more affected by climate change than men, and yet green-tech is currently a male-dominated field. Moreover, it is well documented that the participation of women in climate response actions leads to better outcomes overall. However, one of the largely unaddressed challenges for women entrepreneurs remains access to markets.

While women-led green-tech startups are creating significant impact, they continue to face many obstacles, including access to capital and market. TVARAN is intended to help overcome this problem, through a focused market-entry and market expansion program to help seven of the country’s upcoming women-led climate solutions.

These seven enterprises will undergo the six-month acceleration program designed to finance and implement the go-to-market strategies of women entrepreneurs.

Through this high-engagement program, Villgro and CISCO will deploy support mechanisms in the form of financial support of Rs 1.4 crore (up to Rs 20 lakh- grant support of Rs 18 lakh and technical support of Rs two lakh per start-up). Additionally, they will be provided support in capacity-building, business planning, mentorship and peer learning that are focussed towards implementation of go-to-market strategies.

Talking to Bizz Buzz, Jenaan Lilani Bhargava, COO, Villgro, said, “Women are creating waves in the climate change sector. We believe that with the right guidance and access to resources, these women entrepreneurs can create a ripple effect of change that can lead to a sustainable future.”

According to Bhargava, “Through the TVARAN initiative, we aim to provide these innovative startups access to capital, mentorship, and networks that will help them seize new market opportunities, and scale business impact. The seven enterprises are at the forefront of developing innovative solutions, and we aim to empower women entrepreneurs, who are committed to solving critical social and environmental challenges.”

Applications for the TVARAN Accelerator Program were opened up for early stage women entrepreneurs last October. Only start-ups in

the climate action sector that are founded or co-founded by women with at least 50% shareholding, and a decision making role were eligible for this program. The program received 140 applications from across India out of which 11 start-ups across various sub-sectors in the climate action space were selected based business innovation, potential to scale, and environmental impact.

The 11 applicants underwent one-month of focussed go-to-market and scaling support, including four master classes on critical topics such as finance for scaling, the business value of impact data, understanding customers through design thinking, and building strong pitches. In addition, the start-ups were also given customized mentoring through one-on-one calls and discussions.

Post this program, all the start-ups pitched to a Jury consisting of experts from CISCO, Villgro, and BYST (Bhartiya Yuva Shakti Trust). The top seven became eligible for the grant and to undergo acceleration support from April.

The seven select innovative start-ups include:

Climate Sense: Increases India’s bio-diverse forest cover in close partnership with rural communities by undertaking afforestation projects, measuring carbon sequestered with the SAAS model and ensuring end to end implementation of afforestation projects

Green Grahi: Raises black soldier flies to convert food waste into high-quality protein, fat and bio-fertilizer, to be used as aqua-feed, pet feed and as organic fertilizers for crops

Green Delight: Produces feminine hygiene products from sustainable fibre – Kenaf, which absorbs Co2 abundantly, benefitting both women and the environment.

MOWO Fleet: Tech-enabled women drivers' fleet for last mile commute and delivery services. The EV run fleet will take care of women drivers' schedules as per their availability

Swachha Eco Solutions: Integrated waste management organisation working to collect, transport, aggregate and recycle waste plastic

from households and industries. Dry waste that is collected is segregated and processed to plastic granules, which are either used to create in-house products or mixes or sold to vendors

KNP Arises Green Energy: Collects used cooking oils and fats from restaurants and converts them into biodiesel in order to promote a greener and pollution-free environment.

Bharat Krushi Seva: A tech-based advisory platform that offers an automated weather alerting system that keeps farmers informed about the changing weather conditions and delivers farm-specific, crop-specific and crop stage-specific actionable recommendations