The Mumbai Road to Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) was a resounding success and saw participation by eminent women leaders including designer and entrepreneur, Ms. Neeta Lulla, Entrepreneur and Actor, Ms. Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Actor, Film Producer, Entrepreneur Ms. Vishakha Singh, Creative Director, Viacom , Ms. Atika Ahmed Farooqui. Keynote addresses was delivered by Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati, Secretary General, Global Interfaith WASH alliance. Mr. Sujeet Samaddar, Senior Consultant, NITI Aayog represented the Government of India and Mr. Edgard D. Kagan, represented the US Consulate Mumbai. Mr. Aseem Gupta, Principal Secretary, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, was present on behalf of Government of Maharashtra.
Dignitaries at the road to GES Mumbai Event
The Mumbai event was part of a series of six interactive entrepreneurial events as a part of “Road to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) Series” organised by FICCI in partnership with NITI Aayog.
Ms. Neeta Lulla, Entrepreneur and Actor, Ms. Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Actor, Film Producer, Entrepreneur, Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati, Secretary General, Global Interfaith WASH alliance, with Entrepreneurs at the road to GES Mumbai Event
Addressing the summit Shilpa Shetty Kundra said, “This summit is encouraging for women who want to be entrepreneurs. This is an open conversation started with the Governmentof India. I encourage and support the entire convocation and also FICCI and NITI Aayog and Maharashtra Government, for coming together and organising this event. The conditioning of the women, especially at grass roots level is changing and they want to do something for themselves in addition to looking after their homes and families.”
Designer and Entrepreneur Ms. Neeta Lulla, said, “Empowerment is entrepreneurship. Such initiatives help change a lot of mindsets and it is a positive step towards women empowerment. Such platforms will boost the morale of women and give them opportunity to excel in their respective fields. Congratulations to FICCI, NITI Aayog and Maharashtra Government for organising such an event on a massive scale.”
Touching on various important subjects like “Women Entrepreneurship Development & Gender Equality” and “Entrepreneurship touching People’s lives” fourteen budding women entrepreneurs shared their views, experiences and challenges in two panel discussions chaired by Ms. Neeta Lulla and Ms. Nira Nandi. Five women entrepreneurs pitched their start-up ideas to an eminent jury panel. The winner and runner-up were awarded a “Golden ticket” chance to go to Global Entrepreneurship Summit to be held in Hyderabad.
The event helped in bringing together industry leaders, start-ups, serial entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors as well as enablers of the innovation ecosystem viz. government, international agencies and industry associations not only from India but across the globe. The stakeholders deliberated on several aspects related to start-ups such as finance, investment, mentoring and human capital. The event also showcased success stories, social impact and also the gaps to be filled to ensure that women entrepreneurs are successful in fulfilling their dreams and ambitions.
About GES 2017
In partnership with the Government of the United States of America, NITI Aayog is hosting the eighth annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in India from November 28-30, 2017. The Summit will be addressed by The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi. The US delegation will be led by Ms. Ivanka Trump, Advisor to President Trump.
Since the inception of GES in 2010, it has travelled across the world from Washington D.C. to Istanbul, Dubai, Marrakech, Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur, Silicon Valley, and now finally Hyderabad! This year is the first time GES will be hosted in South Asia, and the event will highlight India’s enabling environment for innovation and entrepreneurship – including actions by the government to increase the ease of doing business, eliminating unnecessary regulations, and supporting start-ups.
At GES 2017, over 1500 attendees, including entrepreneurs, investors, educators, government officials, and business representatives will represent the full measure of entrepreneurial talent from diverse backgrounds across our nation and the world. Through networking, mentoring and workshops, the GES empowers entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas, build partnerships, secure funding, and create innovative products and services that will transform societies for better tomorrow.
