– EcoSakhi aims to provide financial backing and market access to five women-led start-ups
– Over a 12-month incubation period, the program will assist these start-ups in developing sustainable and gender-inclusive businesses
18th December, 2023 – Villgro, a prominent social enterprise incubator, has partnered with Accenture to introduce EcoSakhi, an incubation program dedicated to empowering Indian women entrepreneurs in the waste-to-value sector. EcoSakhi will offer financial support of up to INR 40 lakhs each to five women-led growth-stage start-ups, facilitating market access, and providing an enabling ecosystem for product and service adoption. The 12-month program includes strategic mentoring, gender pilot opportunities, and access to gender impact investors, partners, urban local bodies (ULBs), and markets for business expansion.
The EcoSakhi program invites applications from women founders or co-founders meeting specific criteria, including a minimum ownership stake of 50% in waste-to-value businesses. Eligible applicants must be registered as private limited companies in India, with formal business structures and products or solutions ready for market presence or commercialization. Applications are accepted until December 23, 2023, at https://www.villgro.org/programs/ecosakhi/.
After application screening, a jury will shortlist 10 women-led businesses to present their ideas. The jury will then select five start-ups for the year-long EcoSakhi program, offering dedicated support and resources during the acceleration phase from April 2024 to March 2025.
Kalyani Krishna, Manager at Villgro, emphasized, “This collaboration aims to foster impactful women-led innovations in the climate action sector, focusing on waste-to-value. Through EcoSakhi, we seek to provide market access to women-led businesses, promoting the employment of more women and leveraging our expertise to open doors for women entrepreneurs.”
Kshitija Krishnaswamy, Managing Director of Corporate Citizenship at Accenture in India, stated, “Supporting the EcoSakhi initiative aligns with our commitment to enhancing women’s participation in the economy, bringing diverse perspectives to address today’s challenges. We hope to contribute to the development of innovative sustainability solutions while fostering an inclusive future.”
The waste-to-value sector focuses on creating commercial products from agriculture, household, and construction waste, developing zero-waste packaging solutions, and implementing tracking solutions for effective waste management.
