Visa is continuing its commitment to empower women by equipping them with essential tools, resources, and funding opportunities to sustain and scale their small businesses. Visa's She's Next Grant Program is now in India and is dedicated to provide opportunities for women by helping them take their business to the next level of growth.
As a part of the program, Visa invites small businesses owned and/or led by women to apply for the program, of which Visa will select and support three local women entrepreneurs with a grant of $10,000 each. T&Cs apply.
Additionally, Razorpay will provide the winners of the She’s Next Grant program an automatic entry into its RIZE Program. This will give you access to a community of founders and mentors, access to Razorpay products and partner tools etc.
Globally, female entrepreneurship is rising, with 153 million women operating established businesses.
Yet gender gaps continue. Globally, just 10% of women are new entrepreneurs, compared to nearly 14% for men. Women who own and manage businesses have a unique set of challenges, including access to capital and networks.
Supporting this growing sector and addressing these obstacles is why Visa launched She’s Next.
Applications will be open to women-owned/women-led businesses, for a period of 45 days, starting from July 14, 2023.
After the application date closes on 27th August, 2023, a smaller pool of 15 applicants will be shortlisted basis their submissions. These applicants who will be assessed by the Jury based on further submissions will make it to the final pool of 5 applicants. These finalists will go through an interview and business presentation to the Jury.
Towards the end of September, the three winners will be announced and awarded grants of $10,000 each.
The applicant should be a legal resident of India.
The applicant should be an Indian citizen.
The applicant should be at least the age of majority (18 or older).
The applicant should be a woman entrepreneur.
The applicant’s business should be digital-first (business presence on one or more digital platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc.)
The applicant’s business has an annual turnover of Rs 10,00,000 or more.
The applicant’s business should have been in existence for a year.
Bunko Junko was founded in 2017 by Bhavini with a vision to create environmental sustainability in the textile industry. Reports show that about 15% of fabric is left on the cutting room floor in textile factories. Bunko Junko uses this leftover fabric to manufacture clothing, accessories, and home linen. Led by Bhavini, who has spent close to three decades in the clothing industry, Bunko Junko also provides employment opportunities to more than 1,000 women from low socio-economic groups in Mumbai. They are trained by Bhavini in skills that will allow them to earn a sustained living. Bunko Junko aspires to expand its footprint across India and enter global markets including the US and Australia.
“We intend to utilise this grant to enrich our product portfolio and bring a broader variety of environment-conscious clothing. Additionally, some part of the grant will be utilised to upgrade our infrastructure and further enhance the working environment of women embroiders at our Karjat centre. We hope our efforts will help them become more independent professionals. Bunko Junko is committed to creating jobs and improving societal awareness about textile upcycling.”
Bhavini N Parikh, Founder & CEO, Bunko Junko
An architect by profession and a motorcyclist by passion, Jai is a staunch supporter of women relying on mobility to support themselves. At a biking expedition from Hyderabad to Vietnam, Jai saw employment opportunities that existed for women if they could ride two/three-wheelers – something uncommon in India.
MoWo (Moving Women) was born in 2019 to empower women through skills in mobility to make them more independent. The not-for-profit organisation aspires to create a safe and reliable commute option “for and by women”. Of the 1,200 women that MoWo has reached out to so far, 250 have been trained to ride two-wheelers and have got the required driving licences. Close to 90% of women trained by MoWo come from lower income groups. They also liaise with organisations for job opportunities in mobility, and in policy advocacy to ensure women can drive safely and confidently. Some of MoWo’s protégés have already been employed in logistics delivery services.
"We plan to develop robust communication channels to enhance our outreach and encourage more women to pick up mobility as a skill. The grant will enable us to spruce up our training capabilities besides helping us find more employment opportunities for women by piloting the fleet services." Jai Bharathi Addepalli, Founder & CEO, MoWo Social Initiatives Foundation
Reading is an integral part of a child’s life and is a key foundational skill for childhood development. With a clear goal of creating a community of little readers and helping parents pass on the love of reading to the next generation, My Chapter One came into being in early 2020. Ranjani, who has been associated with education for several years, found in her research that parents valued reading as a skill that they were willing to invest their time and money to develop.
My Chapter One aims to instil the habit of reading through enjoyable experiences for young minds and to provide career opportunities for more than 40 mom-preneurs as “reading hosts”. During the pandemic, My Chapter One moved to an entirely virtual platform and helped many kids get back into the immersive world of books.
“Knowledge acquisition has been identified as an important 21st century skill, and reading is the best way to go about it. We want to reignite the fire for reading among children and make it a fun experience. We are looking to partner with publishing houses to explore possibilities of distributing books to our students. We are also in the process of expanding in Bangalore and Hyderabad.” Ranjani Indrajith, Founder, My Chapter One
Effective date: April 14, 2023
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