WEISA 2024: Women Entrepreneurs Succeeding Unconventionally, Unconditionally
The status of women in the startup ecosystem, no doubt, has been improving. However, women-led startups secured over USD 480 million in 2023, an 80 per cent decline from the previous year's USD 2.4 billion. Moreover, the number of deals for women-led startups decreased by more than 50 per cent, from 238 in 2022 to 118 in 2023. Out of the USD 10 billion raised collectively by Indian startups in 2023, five per cent was obtained by women-led startups, a decrease from the previous year's USD 2.4 billion, which accounted for 9.6 per cent of the USD 25 billion funding.
If we consider funding figures, it's difficult to argue that we are in a better position compared to previous years. However, this isn't entirely accurate, as it's primarily due to the funding winter the ecosystem has grappled with. This downturn broke the funding streak for startups, and women-led startups were no exception. Female founders typically excel in gender parity, inclusive policies and more.
While growing a business, women entrepreneurs often face roadblocks, with networking with the right industry people being a major pain point. Recognising this challenge, BW Disrupt, a observer in the ecosystem, in association with BW Businessworld, organised the WEISA 2024.
The Initiative
From edtech to the not-so-easy-to-handle defensetech and spacetech, women entrepreneurs are sailing high. This is truly encouraging. Reports year after year indicate their growing interest in entrepreneurship. To honor the journey of women entrepreneurs who have established successful enterprises and motivated others, WEISA 2024 provides a platform for women entrepreneurs to grow with like-minded people in the industry.
The Women Entrepreneur, Intrapreneur Summit and Awards, now in its sixth edition, aim to recognise and celebrate women leaders making strides across various industries. This year, BW presented awards in 14 categories: Women Entrepreneur/Intrapreneur, CEO of the Year, Creative Women Entrepreneur/Intrapreneur, Education and Education Tech Women Entrepreneur/Intrapreneur and so on.
The Process
Nominations received for BW Disrupt WEISA were put through a multi-tier screening and shortlisting procedure. Over 150 entries were received, brought down to over 55 after the first screening round. Subsequently, after the second level of deliberation, they were invited to be present before the power-packed jury panel to shortlist the top 31 based on scores received from jury members.
The Jury
The esteemed jury panel included Priyanka Gill, Group CEO, Good Glam Group; Sushma Kaushik, Founding Partner, 108 Capital; Rema Subramanian, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Ankur Capital Fund; Kamini Saraf, MD Owner, Angasutra & Fashion Yatra, Roshini Bakshi, Managing Director, Private Equity & Head of Impact, Everstone Capital; Bala C Deshpande, Founding Partner, MegaDelta Capital; Lavanya Ashok, Partner, Trifecta Capital; Chirag Shah, Senior Vice President, Fund Raising, Investment & Strategy, Blacksoil Group; Utpal Doshi, Partner, CVC; Sukriti Gupta, Co-founder, Sipping Thoughts; Dr Annurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld & Founder Exchange4Media (e4m), Noor Fathima Warsia, Group Editorial Director, BW Businessworld and Jyotsna Sharma, Senior Associate Editor, BW Businessworld.
Winners
