When you think about the investor community, do they consider women and men entrepreneurs equally? Do they prefer to fund women entrepreneurs over men entrepreneurs? The whole investment world derelicts women entrepreneurs with biased thought processes. Today, many platforms are working to bridge the gap in the male-dominated market to unlock career growth and financial independence for women who aspire to create a difference. One well-known platform, IIMB NSRCEL, has collaborated with Goldman Sachs to empower women to grow in their careers. It is investing to fuel women’s dreams through a program named Goldman Sachs 10,000 ‘Women Finance for Growth’.

The highlight of this program is how peacefully, successfully, and fruitfully IIMB NSRCEL & Goldman Sachs encompassing good opportunities to connect women entrepreneurs to investors, not one or two, you will find a pool of investors in the field who are keen on lighting the courage of every women entrepreneur. With a plethora of good ideas and pitches, the platform is creating an equitable environment where women have equal opportunities for advancement, fair compensation, and respectful treatment.

Prof. Srivardhini K Jha, Chairperson-NSRCEL, Professor-Entrepreneurship, IIM Bangalore, says, “I believe that with the right encouragement and a community uplifting each and every woman can reach her true potential. Let's keep pushing for change and inspire every woman’s growth in every industry”.

To celebrate the success stories along with the other remarkable personalities who have a common passion for creating a strong ecosystem for women entrepreneurs in India. And also empowering women to thrive in their careers is about more than just opportunities, it is all about creating an environment where they feel valued and supported every step of the way. Therefore, a show by IIMB NSRCEL and Goldman Sachs on the 8th of November at NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore was put up to recognize the financial progress of women entrepreneurs. The outrageously delightful All-women entrepreneurs occasion was embraced by many admired and sought-after key persons like Radhika Gupta, MD & CEO of Edelweiss Asset Management Ltd, Nithya Balasubramanium, CFO – IKS Health and Ex Managing Director at AB Bernstein, Prof. Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, Sanjana Govindan, Vice President, Office of Corporate Engagement, Goldman Sachs, Balaji Sivasubramanian, Head of Engineering-India and Global Co-head of Enterprise Partnerships Engineering within Platform Solutions, Goldman Sachs, Vinay Bansal, Co-Founder & CEO, Inflection Point Ventures & Partner, Physis Capital, Vikram Ramasubramanian, Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Inflection Point Ventures, Sai Ganesh, Ex Brand Head, Dunzo, Sandeep Farias, Founder & Managing Partner, Elevar Equity, Manu Iyer, General Partner, Blue Hill Capital, Neela Badami, Partner, Samvad Partners, Aneesh Sivakumar, Founder, Done Deals, Amar Ummat, Founding Partner, Recur Club, Sai Kumar, Principal-Investment, Yunus Social Business, Aarti Laxman Rastogi, Founder, Artinci, and many more whose presence enlightened the show.

The Festival also touched upon meaningful concepts like Breaking Barriers: Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders, The Future of Technology, The Art of Negotiation, Building Brands that Resonate, How to Grow and Scale Yourself, Unleashing Team Potential, Fueling Growth: A Deep Dive into Fundraising and M&A, and more. The occasion shed light on what can further help women entrepreneurs to make their journey more bright and productive.

In the session "Breaking Barriers: Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders," Radhika Gupta and Nithya Balasubramaniam shared invaluable insights on leadership and personal growth. They emphasized the importance of finding what works for you and owning your role, highlighting that emotions are a powerful tool for leaders. Both speakers stressed the need to ask for help and embrace challenging conversations to avoid missing key opportunities. Women, they noted, naturally excel in multitasking, risk management, and goal orientation—qualities that have driven success in companies, especially during challenging times like the pandemic. As leaders, it's essential to leverage your team's strengths, invest in processes early on, and build strong relationships with stakeholders to scale effectively. Being unapologetic about your weaknesses and confidently speaking about your strengths is key to sustained leadership success.

To add on, Finance for Growth is an offshoot of another program that has been running with Goldman Sachs for the last eight years. There are about 1,900 women entrepreneurs who have enrolled and are engrossed to evolve. This program enhances quotients like knowledge and finance which are the major barriers that interrupt the journey of women entrepreneurs. While aiming to fulfill their dreams, entrepreneurs need to choose between two options, one is a basic module and the second is an advanced piece. Out of which, 800 plus entrepreneurs have done the basic; about 237 entrepreneurs have done the advanced piece. Embarking with all types of alternative financing methods, the women entrepreneurs are embedded with plenty of investors like venture capitalists, banks, alternate financing agencies, and more. Therefore, a lot of inputs are shared with the women innovators.

In today’s tight job market, equal access to quality opportunities and equal treatment are essential for everyone without gender bias. Leaving women out of the competitive curve is not fair, so, empowering women with equal treatment and diverse career pathways not only promotes equity but strengthens organizations and communities. By dismantling all the barriers, we need to uplift each other to reshape the future and kick the door open for innovation, progress, and equal opportunities for everyone regardless of gender, race, sexuality, or ability, to help shape the world through economic growth.