If you can dream it, you can achieve it.- Zig Ziglar
Investing in women’s economic empowerment is an investment worth millions as it sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth. Women make enormous contributions to economies, whether in businesses, on farms, as entrepreneurs, or working as employees from home or in industries.
WEConnect International’s fourth annual ThinkBig Summit is Asia’s largest women entrepreneurship and economic empowerment platform. The main goal of ThinkBig 2016 was to connect women-owned businesses with public and private sector opportunities that could dramatically impact the growth of their businesses. The Summit enabled almost 4,000 dynamic participants to engage in two days of inspiring and interactive sessions.
This is Asia’s largest platform for women entrepreneurs connecting women owned businesses with public and private sector opportunities.
This is an age of innovation, ideas, initiatives and knowledge exchange. #Thinkbig #weconnect gave an apt platform to network, share knowledge, and get to understand the know-hows of business.
Bangalore saw the women entrepreneurs come together like the roaring waves of the ocean at the thinkbig summit 2016. This path breaking initiative was organised by WeConnect International and supported by government of Karnataka. This thingbig summit is surely one which would be remembered by all and appreciated for providing an apt platform to women entrepreneurs where they got a chance to connect, learn, network, Exchange information and ideas, about the latest schemes that have been taken out for the economic upliftment of women. The various panel discussions which were held over a Period of two days were extremely informative and useful. Women joined this summit which almost seemed like a movement for economic development globally. We could see that women from all over the world and our own country, including tier two and three towns, also joined the summit, thereby making it a complete success. This platform served as a source to very many useful informations. ThinkBig saw the launch of the website of ‘Karnataka ladies Association and manufacturers Park’ ( K -lamp) to boost the business prospects of women from Bidar, Yadgir, Bellary, Raichur, Koppal and Gulbarga.
Another programme for women with no previous entrepreneurial background, for start ups was also unveiled, where the IIM-B will give a capsule course to the chosen bright ideas for start ups and this is backed and sponsored by Goldman Sachs, as announced by the CEO of Goldman Sachs, Bunty Bohra.
There were seminars and various panel discussions on such programmes which are there to support women entrepreneurs . The idea of the discussions was to enlighten about what measures are being taken for the upliftment and how they could use it if they have knowledge of the same.
In fact UNDP also threw light on its project Disha which is the new and innovative idea. It is an effort to tackle lack of information, direction regarding entrepreneurship in the segments of our society where Internet and access to knowledge is restricted and less. So the aim of the project is to give right information to the right people by guiding them to right direction, at right time, thereby enabling them to become successful in their endeavours which they otherwise don’t for the lack of information.
To empower women entrepreneurs government of Karnataka is coming up with four exclusive women’s parks at Ramnagar, Bellary, Gulbarga and Dharwad. These are planned keeping in mind the requirement of women entrepreneurs. These will be equipped with the state of the art civil, financial and social infrastructure as announced by CM of Karnataka Sri Siddaramaiah. State government also offers 50 % grant for Sc/ST for setting up industries.
Weconnect International certifies and gives the “women owned businesses” a recognition and also connects them globally. Hence WeConnect , ThinkBig summit provided a right approach and also a platform for the public-sector, government sector, private companies and industries and entrepreneurs to come together and look for sustainable way to bring social and economic empowerment of women for complete transformation. The panel discussions on building partnership, on economy and technology, on human rights and business ethics, were absolutely mind-stirring as so much of knowledge exchange and Idea sharing happened in these dialogues among the Panelists and the global audience. Everybody, from grassroots level to the creamiest layer., had something to ask, inquire, suggest and talk about.
There were discussions where personalities like Lalita Kumaramangalam, who is the chairperson of National commission of women, Elizabeth, the CEO of Weconnect international, Bunty Vohra, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, Jenny Grieser who is the senior director for women’s economy empowerment for Walmart, Dr. Priti G.Adani, chairperson for Adani foundation, Ratna Prabha, addl. chief secretary of government of Karnataka, were actively pronouncing and delivering messages and supporting the cause of the coming together for this summit. The representation from IKEA, AWAKE and also many other NGOs was also there in strong number.
The presence of big names like the Amazon, Shop clues, Walmart, the various consulates from world over, the specialists in their fields and a lot many from every walk of life made it a very successful and fruitful event.
The beautiful cultural shows by artists from various states and parts of our state too made it a very colourful event. Women from smallest of towns and villages, from the self help groups, to the biggest of industries, everyone enthusiastically participated in putting up exhibition and stalls of their products
Hence WeConnect ThinkBig made it an apt ground to solve, resolve, suggest, network, connect and evolve for women in business and otherwise. The smiles on so many faces make me more modest, the success stories of women from Rural backgrounds inspires us and stories of women who go on struggling without any support and despite failures, is something that commands respect from every woman who is Cocooned, loved and respected and inspires us to take a path breaking initiative to extend the similar support to such people who don’t get any. For with rights also come duties, if you have right over something then you also are obliged towards someone.
I am proud to be associated with the WeConnect international and ThinkBig 2016 as the blogger for the event. It makes the belief of a she in herself stronger for the ones who are unsheltered, unprotected and yet the Shakt, the inspiration. At this Summit, women took back knowledge, networks, ideas with them along with the belief of dreaming big, thinking big, and acting big with the ThinkBig 2016.
I will be posting the video chats with a lot many of women entrepreneurs and influential personalities hereafter.
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