Qualcomm, WEP to support 8 women-led startups in India

New Delhi: Qualcomm India on Monday announced a collaboration with Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) to support eight selected women-founded technology startups in the country.

Under the initiative, the third cohort of selected startups will benefit from the mentorship and insights of industry leaders, as well as masterclasses on intellectual property (IP), marketing, and more.

Launched in 2020, the Qualcomm Women Entrepreneurs India Network' has empowered 25 early-stage women-led startups over the last two years. "Women-led organisations often bring a new perspective to innovative problem solving, not only creating profitable businesses but also delivering societal good," said Varsha Tagare, Senior Director, Ventures, Qualcomm Technologies. The programme aims to support the entrepreneurial efforts of female innovators in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The initiative goes beyond mere lessons and provides deep exposure to high-caliber, industry-seasoned mentors, and experts. The third cohort will benefit from increased visibility among the startup ecosystem through a curated demo day and the opportunity to connect with various government bodies and network with industry leaders, VCs, investors, industry associations and other accelerators.

"Startups are important value creators for the economy, providing impetus to India's innovation goals. Women can play a much larger role in India's startup story than they are presently," said Anna Roy, senior advisor, NITI Aayog. The WEP was incubated at NITI Aayog and presently being operated as an public-private partnership initiative with an independent governance structure.