Forum Focused on Enhancing Access to Markets and Finance for Women-Owned Businesses

WEConnect International hosted a virtual forum that included U.S. Ambassador Kelly Keiderling, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA), delegates from the U.S. Embassy to India multinational business leaders and roughly 200 women-owned businesses across South Asia. The event provided a platform to discuss opportunities for women-owned businesses to gain greater access to markets and finance.

The forum was part of WEConnect International’s “Women’s Empowerment Through Economic Inclusion” project funded by the U.S. SCA. The 3-year project focuses on generating long-term opportunities for women-owned businesses to connect and conduct business with large buyers, including local and multinational corporations, government agencies, and non-profit and non-governmental organizations in India, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

"When a woman participates in the economy her community develops and health and education improve, too," said Ambassador Keiderling. “Private companies play a crucial role in advancing women’s economic empowerment.”

“We recognize that an investment in women and girls is an investment in our future prosperity” said Mr. Drew Schufletowski, Minister Counselor for Economics, Energy, Science and Technology (EEST), U.S Embassy-Delhi, India. “As an Indo-Pacific nation ourselves, the United States wants to be your partner in empowering women and women owned businesses, achieving inclusive growth, and creating sufficient opportunities for all our citizens to prosper.”

WEConnect International is a global non-profit that helps women-owned businesses compete in the global marketplace through capacity development and connections to large buyers seeking women suppliers.

“It was exciting to see women-owned businesses at the forum learn how to conduct business with large corporations, understand the procurement process and relevant opportunities, and connect with banking institution offering access to finance for growth,” said Elizabeth A. Vazquez, CEO and Co-Founder of WEConnect International. “Providing an opportunity for women business owners to network with WEConnect International member buyers is a unique experience that helps fuel business success.”

Forum participants included global business leaders from IBM and Marriott International, who provided insights on how women-owned businesses can best work with their respective markets. Additionally, executives from India’s Standard Chartered Bank, City Bank and Hatton National Bank led breakout sessions to discuss access to finance. Some of the local women-owned businesses that participated in the forum included K-Nomics Techno Solutions Private Limited, Babies Bloom Store, Astu Eco, and FiveS Digital.

Other examples of participating women-owned businesses included:

• Mini Sivasankaran, founder of SureEvents in India, attended the forum to learn and network. Her company provides recruitment services for all categories of jobs in multiple industries and is a WEConnect International-certified company. She also participates in the Women Empowerment Through Economic Inclusion project training series that teaches improved business practices and how to enhance business connectivity and readiness as suppliers.

• Ismat Jerin is the founder and managing director of Jermatz Limited in Bangladesh, which manufactures Jute products for local and international markets. She participated in WEConnect International’s capacity building training on strategic planning, marketing and sales, funded by the U.S. Department of State SCA in late 2021. Additionally, she participated in multiple women-owned business networking events earlier this year and has grown her business as a result.

• Another business leader who contributes to and benefites from the networking opportunities provided by WEConnect International events is Kamala Raghunath. She’s the founder and CEO of Gift Links Pvt Ltd. in India, which offers promotional products and corporate gifts locally and internationally. Ms. Raghunath has been able to break through corporate hierarchies and meet member buyers such as Unilever, Standard Chartered, World Bank, Walmart, Facebook and JP Morgan.

“Interactions with other women business enterprises result in great gains, including networking opportunities, connection around similar challenges and new ways to be innovative and overcome such challenges,” said Raghunath. “It is both beneficial and enjoyable to meet like-minded, deeply capable women who share qualities like tenacity and a positive mindset.”