Learning galore at the 3-day ‘Entrepreneurship Development Program for Women’ jointly organized by PSGR Krishnammal College for Women (PSGRKCW), StartupTN and TiE Coimbatore. Attended by over 25 women business owners and startup founders, the training program is aimed at empowering them with the essential knowledge and resources required to successfully navigate the entrepreneurial environment.
The training program’s lineup of speakers include Gayathri Chidambaram,PL, StartupTN for Coimbatore region; Dr.Sadhasivam, Director at GRG School of Management Studies; Prem Kumar of TiE; Hetal Sonpal of GRG Gen Nxt Foundation Incubator; Dr Radhika Meenakshi Shankar, Founder of Wise Owl Consulting; Karthikeyan Jawahar, Director of Karma Innovations & Solutions Pvt Ltd; Deepa Mohanraj, Founder Director of Kaumaram Prashanthi Academy and Shameer, Founder of By The Startups Networking Community & IT Projects Media.
While Priyadharsini, Assistant Professor at PSGRKCW shared the efforts taken by the institution to foster innovation and promote entrepreneurship through tailored programmes, Hetal Sonpal addressed the real-life challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, besides imparting practical advice on managing investment,revenue volatility and mental health. An overview of the GRG Gen Nxt Incubator and virtual incubation facilities was also outlined by Hetal, a TEDx speaker.
Dr Radhika from Wise Owl explained about customer segmentation, competitor analysis, and the critical processes in a business including manufacturing, packaging, and finally selling. She accentuated the importance of tracking metrics and building a strong digital presence for today’s dynamic business world. Gayathri Chidambaram from StartupTN detailed the different funding schemes and government initiatives for early-stage entrepreneurs.Karma Innovations’ Karthikeyan Jawahar added value to the program by discussing key legislations and practical strategies for building sustainable ventures.
Shameer of By The Startups engaged the participants on day-3 with a quick outdoor activity to highlight the importance of business networking and embracing a growth mindset over a fixed mindset, in addition to an overview of Digital Marketing Canvas, and the critical role of time and budget in setting digital marketing roadmap. Deepa Mohanraj shared her successful story as a social entrepreneur at Kaumaram Prashanthi Academy. Prem kumar of TiE Coimbatore shed light on the significance of purpose and value proposition for a startup. He underscored the importance of thinking out of the box, connecting the dots, and investing in one’s core competencies. The various components of Business Model Canvas (BMC), and the need for continuous refinement and innovation to a startup’s business model were also elaborately explained.
Event participant, Saburina Begam, Founder of GeniusGraft, said, “The 3-day Entrepreneurship Development Program has been nothing short of transformative, equipping me with invaluable insights and tools to navigate the entrepreneurial landscape.” Another partcipant, Malarmathi asserted, “I’m truly grateful to the organizers and speakers for making this program so impactful. With such strong support systems and guidance, the journey of entrepreneurship becomes a lot more attainable.”
The event organizing team including Asst. Proff. Dr.Prabhu Shankar, Indrani, Priyadharsini and Harathi coordinated the arrangements including lunch, refreshments and other conveniences on all three days. Dr.Prabhu Shankar organized the valedictory session and ensured the program’s objective was well met.
Credits: Saburina Begam for her content inputs related to all training sessions.