
Thanks to Pandemic, MSMEs have started flirting with technology by force and necessity! By Samir Sathe Technology is a great ‘object’ (as used by psychologists) that fills in a void…

Sunil Dahiya, EVP, Wadhwani Opportunity from Wadhwani Foundation leads the Wadhwani Opportunity Program in Asia and is expanding its footprint in emerging economies. He undertook multi-initiatives at NIIT and contributes…

By Sunil Dahiya Today’s education system has an enviable task to develop an army of lifelong learners who are primed to thrive in a globally empowered new-age knowledge economy. This…

By Samir Sathe The years between 2020 and 2030 would be watershed years of Indian micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs). The community will either prosper or wither, spectacularly. On…

भारत डायबिटीज, कैंसर और बच्चों की मौत के मामले में दुनिया के प्रमुख देशों में है. इसके वाबजूद यहां का हेल्थकेयर सिस्टम काफी पीछे और पिछड़ा है. अब इसमें तेजी…

On the eve of International MSME Day, the global not-for-profit Wadhwani Foundation has called for empowering MSMEs with capabilities to accelerate their growth, to the struggling MSME sector due to…

By Samir Sathe Creating larger SMEs, revving up growth engines, boosting the management capability of entrepreneurs, resetting poverty tables back to pre-Covid days, and efficient resource allocation are key enabling…

By Ajay Batra The focus of all good accelerators is to build robust businesses. They can make a huge social impact by leveraging technologies for connecting, assessing, and mentoring a…

By Ajay Kela Digital transformation has been hanging over the heads of most workers like the Sword of Damocles. Sooner or later, everyone would have to upskill to keep pace…



(अजय बत्रा, वाधवानी फाउंडेशन के एक्जीक्यूटिव वाइस प्रेसिडेंट, वेंचर फासट्रैक) कोरोना के कहर (Corona) के बीच यह आम आदमी ही नहीं, स्टार्टअप (Startup) के लिए भी चुनौतीपूर्ण समय है। स्टार्टअप…

Source: Dainik Dabang Dunia, Indore

Skills are dynamic. A lot of changes are happening in the skill landscape. Skilloutlook team has an emil-based interaction recently with Sunil Dahiya, Executive Vice President, Wadhwani Opportunity at Wadhwani Foundation….

As India braces towards achieving $5 trillion GDP in this decade, there are several challenges it needs to overcome for achieving this goal. The key challenges include improvement in our…

In conversation with Samir Sathe, Executive Vice President, Wadhwani Advantage at Wadhwani Foundation about the newly launched Acceleration Program exclusively dedicated to Healthcare Industry. Healthcare is a key focus area…

It is an initiative that kicked off two years ago to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Wadhwani Advantage endeavours to help entrepreneurs whose business revenues are under Rs 20…

By Samire Sathe Source: https://issuu.com/smechamberofindia/docs/ar-2020-21

These grants provide medical resources and assistance to COVID-19 patients and their families, Wadhwani Foundation said in a statement. The Wadhwani Foundation (WF) announced today that it would donate $1…

Marked by a student-centric instructional strategy, heutagogy is focused on life-long learning with the aim to attune learners to the new-age demands of the new-age workplace. By Sunil Dahiya From…


By Samir Sathe Take an example of the country that epitomizes capitalism. In the US, >40% prefer to live in a socialist country over a capitalist one. ~53% of women…

The key tenet of heutagogy is an unfettered focus on student-centric instructional strategy and lifelong learning so that the students are well-prepared for the new-age demands of the new-age workplace….

This must-read guidebook provides aspiring founders with a wealth of practical advice and checklists for their journey. It also describes a tool called the Startup Operating Canvas. By Madanmohan Rao Aspiring…

The pandemic has compelled one and all to think digital and innovate in order to survive and thrive. By Ratna Mehta The 1966 World Cup saw Brazilian soccer reach a…

Heutagogy is a student-centered instructional strategy to teach lifelong learning and aims to produce a learning ecosystem that is well-prepared for the complexities of today’s workplace. By Sunil Dahiya Heutagogy…

Merely getting hold of an investor who is ready to invest in your business, be it an angel or a VC firm, is simply not enough. By Monica Mehta I…

By Sunil Dahiya अपने युवाओं को हम जब तक इक्कसवीं सदी की जरूरतों के अनुसार आवश्यक कौशल से युक्त नहीं करेंगे तब तक कौशल की मौजूदा कमी भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था के…

The program focuses on assisting businesses across the spectrum, from manufacturers of medical devices to pharmaceutical firms and healthcare delivery providers. As the COVID pandemic has had a significant…

Trends indicate that the best and the brightest youngsters are increasingly taking up entrepreneurship as their first career choice By Monica Mehta Byju’s has become an extraordinary story of an…

SMB entrepreneurs must energise direct reports to think of growth, low-cost innovations, and adaptation By Samir Sathe Small and Medium Businesses (SMB) entrepreneurs’ attention, allocation and action on innovation-led agenda…

Indian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are capable of driving the growth of the Indian economy during the post-pandemic period, said Samir Sathe, Executive Vice President, Wadhwani Advantage at Wadhwani Foundation. Excerpts of…

By Monica Mehta Until recently, crowdfunding has been widely perceived to be a process of raising money from the public, i.e., the ‘crowd’, through online forums, social media and crowdfunding…

By Samir Sathe The Covid pandemic has caused the contribution of 64 million SMEs to come down to 25% from 29% before the pandemic, with more value being destroyed than…

The pandemic has acted as a catalyst for digital and online adoption, opening up new opportunities for tech startups and a visible shift to SaaS-based solutions. By Monica Mehta Any…

Policy makers need to make choices that align well with advantages that India could have globally and not to be trapped in the democratisation of resources that deceptively helps the…

By Nancy Barrueta and Yair Piña, Data Analysis of the Wadwhani Foundation Much has been said about the fourth industrial revolution and all the technologies that emanate from it, such as: artificial intelligence ,…

Women are over-represented in support functions like administration, while men tend to be concentrated in operations, profit and loss, and research and development—all viewed as critical experiences for CEO and…

The relevance of sustainable business practices has increased in the post-COVID world By Samir Sathe One doesn’t survive and therefore grows. One grows and therefore survives. Small and medium-sized enterprises In India and…

Do you consciously tap into both sides of your brain? Here’s how and why that matters By Ratna Mehta Conventional wisdom says that people usually have a way of doing…

While the pandemic’s impact on the start-up segment was “debilitating” with about 15% temporarily shutting shop, Wadhwani Foundation — a not-for-profit group that works with start-ups in 20 countries —…

By Rick Rossow India’s startup scene has received a substantial boost in recent years due to specific policy interventions by the government. This focused effort is helping create a stronger ecosystem…

The dawn of this new decade looks very promising to drive women entrepreneurship. Winds of change are gaining momentum. Some tactical and structural interventions will provide the necessary fuel to…

By Ajay Batra Start-ups need a metrics-driven approach to build fundamentally-sound ventures Can you imagine flying an aeroplane without the myriad gauges and controls in the cockpit or driving a car…

Technology can be a significant enabler in bridging the gap in the healthcare infrastructure. The integration of technology in healthcare has enabled the creation of new business models By Ratna…

Source: Capgemini Other Coverage: Market Screener Press Release

Startup Bharat: How Wadhwani Venture Fastrack is working with accelerators to catalyse the ecosystem
Wadhwani Venture Fastrack is a structured programme that aims to fast-track and scale startups by enhancing the potential of incubators and accelerators in India. Onboarded startups will be provided with…

The program will empower the automotive component and industrial companies with the capabilities needed to accelerate profitable revenue and free cash flows. Wadhwani Advantage has announced the new acceleration program….

Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs: The situation of stressed assets is hardly surprising, given the economy’s stressed assets had quadrupled from $26 billion in 2015 to $106 billion in…

The innovation ecosystem in any economy is unpinned by its industry, government and universities working in tandem with each other, writes Sunita Singh India is on the brink of a…

In 2020, around 90 ed-tech companies received investment of which 61 players have received seed funding By Ratna Mehta The best education system is the one that adapts to the…

As the education requirements and the system is changing in the current scenario, here is how a skill-based curriculum is different from a knowledge-based curriculum. By Sunil Dahiya In recent…

By Florencia Colunga Gascón In more than one article referring to The Crisis we have read about how we should adapt to a new normal as if it were a stage…

Soft skills such as customer-centricity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and flawless written and verbal communication provide a competitive edge to any upcoming entrepreneur According to the recent TiE Delhi-NCR-Zinnov report ‘COVID-19…

Virohan and Wadhwani Foundation have a long-standing partnership for training and equipping students to enable a sustainable livelihood. India’s innovative, technology-based training aggregator for Healthcare professionals, Virohan, announced that it…

‘The Startup LaunchBook’ by Ajay Batra, Executive VP, Wadhwani Venture Fastrack, is a handbook providing a practical five-level success pathway for startups In today’s time with the rising acceptance of…

By Richard M. Rossow In the middle of a global pandemic, India is drawing record levels of foreign direct investment (FDI). While laudable, India’s FDI levels still lag the high-water…

One area where India lags behind China apart from other parameters is China’s ability to churn out large numbers of skilled manpower to meet its growing needs. By Sunil Dahiya…

The future of jobs will be technology integrated, leading to the emergence of new segments like design, coding, entertainment, content, creating different jobs, and requirement of new skills, blurring the…

There are no secrets to success – just some strategic decisions, hard work and a dash of luck. In general, some factors that have worked for some women entrepreneurs. By…

By Ratna Mehta Twenty 20, a year that will go down in history. And whenever history gets created, it showers us with immense learnings. It has taught us, a generation…

Incubators need to reflect, pivot and re-strategise if they intend to remain relevant in the new post-Covid digital world By: Ajay Batra The recent Prarambh event brought together several stakeholders…

By Carolina Arango Castaño To play chess, you have to learn to forget. To be strategic with the new workforce you have to do the same. In small and medium-sized companies…

ಭಾರತದ ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಇಡೀ ವಿಶ್ವವೇ ಸಂಕಷ್ಟ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯನ್ನು ಎದುರಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಆದಾಗ್ಯೂ ಜನರಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶ್ವಾಸ ಮೂಡಿಸುವ ಬಜೆಟ್ನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಮಲಾ ಸೀತಾರಾಮ್ ಮಂಡಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಎಂದು ವಧ್ವನಿ ಕ್ಯಾಟಲಿಸ್ಟ್ ಫಂಡ್ನ ರತ್ನಾ ಮೆಹ್ತಾ ತಿಳಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ವಿತ್ತೀಯ ಕೊರತೆಯನ್ನು ಸಂಬಾಳಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಆರ್ಥಿಕತೆಗೆ ಜೀವ ತುಂಬುವ ಸಂಧಿಗ್ದತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಿರ್ಮಲಾ…

कोविड-19 के प्रभाव को देखते हुए वित्त मंत्री निर्मला सीतारमण ने लीक से हटते हुए सोमवार को वित्त वर्ष 2021-22 का आम बजट कागजी दस्तावेज के बजाय टैबलेट से पढ़ा….

“The current budget has a thrust on globalising supply chains in manufacturing and increased investment in hard infrastructure, which together is a welcome step for SMEs, albeit indirectly and with…


“The government must do three things; firstly, improving the capabilities of MSMEs to help them generate demand from large companies, secondly, creating market access sector specific platforms in chosen industries…

As a new venture takes shape, going from an idea to an operating organisation, the Founder must evolve as well, and their mindset, personal discipline, and leadership skills must shift…

Wadhwani Foundation, a not-for-profit with the mission of accelerating economic development in emerging economies launched the ‘Sahayata’Initiative in July 2020 to assist small and medium businesses, public health workers and…

Wadhwani Foundation congratulates Shantanu Bhattacharya, Global Head of Wadhwani Academy for making it to the “Economic Times Top 50 list of Influential & Dynamic HR Leaders” who have crafted exemplary footprints…

A skilled women workforce is one of the largest possibilities and opportunities that India has to offer. By Sunil Dahiya India is full of opportunities, but the participation of women…


By Ratna Mehta One key question which keeps all entrepreneurs awake at night: “How do I fund my venture, how do I fund growth, how do I fund further expansion?”…

The prospect of ‘anytime, anywhere’ skilling has immense potential: Skill development through e-learning is gaining momentum for both domain as well as soft skills By Sunil Dahiya Skill development through…

While the COVID-19 outbreak took the entire world by storm and millions succumbed throughout the world, governments across the globe were forced to order “lock-downs”, leading to the closure of…

Events of 2020 are an opportunity for incubators to reflect on their mission and effectiveness in building successful startups. By Ajay Batra While the world pins its hope on an…

Greater adoption of technology means new in-demand skills across jobs replacing the existing ones over the next five years, despite the skills gaps remaining high. By Sunil Dahiya The COVID-19…

YourStory has analysed and compiled a list of 100 Digital Influencers of 2020 and Ratna Mehta, EVP, Wadhwani Catalyst Fund features 19th on this list. Ratna writes mostly about business investment and…

Small and medium enterprises were already facing a challenging situation due to the global financial crisis. But the Corona epidemic made the situation even more difficult. Wadhwani Advantage, an initiative…

“Of the 63 million MSMEs in India, only six per cent are women-led, a criminal waste of talent.” – Ajay Kela “Social investing is a great merger of the “Head…

By Ajay Batra Startups often confuse their post-launch phase with a steady-state where they can rest easy post their herculean efforts in launching their venture. Nothing could be farther from…

A non-profit brand strategy should focus on the brand as a strategic asset and necessarily drive cohesion and alignment to mission and objectives. By Atul Raja A cursory glance at…

Small and medium enterprises were already facing a challenging situation due to the global financial crisis. But the Corona epidemic made the situation even more difficult. Wadhwani Advantage, an initiative…

A paradigm shift to virtual operations is inevitable with digital platforms mushrooming in sectors like healthcare, education and retail, and generating significant employment By Sunil Dahiya The Covid-19 pandemic is…

Women entrepreneurship is one of the largest possibilities and opportunities that India has to offer. By Atul Raja Enterprises led by women grew to 20% from 14% in the last…

“Every business starts small.” By Ashwin Chandrasekhar and Mathangi Chandrasekhar Our small businesses are the growth engines of the Indian economy, contributing 30% of the GDP. However, they are facing…

Dr Ajay Kela, President and CEO, Wadhwani Foundation speaks at the TiE Global Summit 2020 and highlighted that although capital infusion has come from the government as a stimulus package…

1. Can SMBs in India be the answer to managing the troublesome increase in unemployment and underemployment? Globally 70% of all new jobs that are created are created by startups,…

A two-day National Conference on Women Social Entrepreneurship concluded on Saturday at Rabindranath Tagore University. The conference was organized in collaboration with the Center for Social Entrepreneurship of Tata Institute…

Edtech startup Utter App, in partnership with Wadhwani Foundation, on Friday launched CoRakshak, a safety app created for blue collar workers and essential service providers. The content for the app…

Employers who do not focus on upskilling/reskilling their employees may face redundancy or vulnerabilities, according to a recent global survey. By Sunil Dahiya Covid-19 has changed the world forever, and…

भारत में हमारे अनुमान से 65 मिलियन MSME में 60 प्रतिशत से अधिक में प्रत्यक्ष और अप्रत्यक्ष रूप से घर-पारिवार का कोई न कोई सदस्य कार्यरत होता है और इनमें…

Technology-driven innovation across diagnosis, process, and delivery can help to improve access and affordability. Also, it will enable the shift of healthcare from the hospital to clinics, from clinics to…

Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs: By the end of 2020, we expect the manufacturing revenue pool to be back at 2017 levels, implying that Covid would have set the…

U GRO Capital recently entered into a strategic partnership with The Wadhwani Foundation with a primary mission to accelerate the overall business growth and development of MSMEs, thereby driving job…

The Wadhwani Foundation provides a financial fund for the rescue of Mexican SMEs as part of its recovery program for small and medium-sized companies. Derived from the critical situation of…

The success or otherwise of a startup rests on its founding team. A shared vision, passion, domain expertise, a can-do attitude and ability to multi-task are some of the traits…

Work and workforce need to balance the seesaw between them. The relationship between the two needs to be critically observed, moderated, and of course, balanced. By Samir Sathe High productivity. High…

By Sunita Singh While the country boasts of a sizeable number of incubators and accelerators, the ecosystem needs to be strengthened in order to improve the survival rate of startups,…

While women constitute almost half of the Indian population, their share in the labour force participation is only around a third, and even lower than that in entrepreneurship. Despite improvements in…

Only a quarter of India’s workforce is female as against a global average of 49 per cent and the need of the hour is to unlock the untapped potential of…

Encouraging women entrepreneurs is vital for economic growth as their participation has a direct bearing on improving the standard of living, helps in job creation and allows them more social…

The share of women in the workplace in India has declined from 37% in 2005 to 21.7% during 2019; the largest decline vis-a-vis any other country in the world. By…

There is evidence that suggests that women entrepreneurs offer unique assets and abilities, and strengthen supply chains By Monica Mehta With people still reeling under the effects of the pandemic…

The Wadhwani Foundation launched the “Wadhwani Sahayata” program that supports Mexican entrepreneurs through intensive expert consulting at no cost to entrepreneurs. The Wadhwani Foundation announced the launch of the Wadhwani Sahayata Initiative, created…

Research shows that gender diversity could lead to significantly better outcomes By Ratna Mehta Thought diversity is what it takes to drive gender diversity. Any discussion around encouraging gender diversity…

Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs: MSMEs practicing basic PMO mindset and inculcating the culture among the people to do the same, often win, against the odds. By Samir Sathe…

Are you pitching how you have used the pandemic to build, learn, and survive? By Ajay Batra These are challenging times. Startup founders are dealing with reduced demand and depleting…

Healthcare is one of the biggest buzzwords these days, especially in the wake of coronavirus-caused Covid-19 pandemic. Healthcare is one of the biggest buzzwords these days, especially in the wake…

In an article By Samir Sathe, Executive Vice President, Wadhwani Advantage at Wadhwani Foundation for SMEStreet, he wrote about Transformative leadership at the grassroots level is the need of the…

By Atul Raja Over the last five years, a lot has been talked about India’s looming demographic dividend and the need to leverage a young population with 12 to 14…

By Monica Mehta COVID-19 has driven the acceleration of technological adoption in the startup community. As the world adapts to new modes of life, startups that enable consumers to shop,…

By Ajay Batra The current pandemic continues to wreak havoc on individuals, families, and businesses. Personal hardships and economic challenges abound around the world, as we all learn to adjust to the new…

“The biggest challenge for job seekers in the MSME space would be to align with the management in a sector that has traditionally been tech-averse. Another challenge will be to…


Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs: It is ironic that in adversity, partnerships should be an instinctive response to help each other and make each other win but in reality,…

Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs: While the government can plan and allot resources and craft conducive policies, private and non-profit organizations can bring superior implementation expertise through effective program…

अनुमान है कि 2022 तक भारत का लगभग 37 फीसदी कार्यबल उन रोजगारों में होगा, जहां उनके लिए बुनियादी तौर पर बदलते वक्त के अनुरूप आधुनिक कौशल सीखना जरूरी होगा….

The idea for every entrepreneur in today’s time is to keep hope alive and work hard. Dr. Ajay Kela, CEO and President of Wadhwani Foundation in an exclusive conversation with…

Creating building blocks for self-employment and micro-entrepreneurship will transform local economies and spur job creation and sustainable development. By Sunil Dahiya India has one of the largest youth population…

By Ratna Mehta As has been said by one of the greatest minds, Albert Einstein “You can’t solve a problem at the same level that it was created. You have…

Online education has become a blessing for the urban population in the times of Covid-19. It is absolutely possible to maintain quality in online education, but challenges are in engagement,…

Source: The Pioneer Also Read at: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2020/avenues/a-new-generation-of-start-ups.html

The dream of an employable India with its burgeoning youth population equipped with quality education and skills can become a reality by leveraging the reach of digital learning into the…

Crisis is a great leveller, a strict teacher, a consistent normalizer and it is also a great drama when it comes to behaviours that manifest in a variety of ways….

By Samir Sathe MSMEs have been subjected to the host of advisements from a battery of ‘rescuers’, including consultants, advisors, mentors, coaches, experts, lenders, investors, employees, academia, friends, acquaintances, families,…

A shift towards a more gender-balanced organization requires structural and systemic change. By Atul Raja For long, organizations have ignored the value, importance and power play of gender diversity despite…

‘More than fractured attempts, need for enacting MSMEs’ ‘transformation trendlines’ to shape future’
Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs: The small business ecosystem has several actors, namely owners, employees, customers, suppliers, partners, regulators, funders and other stakeholders. The transformation experience starts with a…

Creating an army of employable youth will be key to India’s aspirations of a $5 trillion economy. By Sunil Dahiya As India braces towards achieving $5 trillion GDP by this…

Cloud has significantly changed the way we save and share data and communicate remotely. Various file-sharing applications have enabled safe and seamless access of information across locations. By Ratna Mehta…

In the current environment, startups must step back, re-prioritize, and stabilize their operations before thinking of scaling-up By Ajay Batra The current pandemic has turned our lives upside-down, shaken our…

Soft skills are at the heart of any successful business and successful career. By Sunil Dahiya Soft skills are a combination of people and social skills encompassing personality traits and behaviours as…

Freelancers gain edge over full-time employees! COVID-19 uncertainty forces firms to reimagine Flexing It’s cofounder and CEO Chandrika Pasricha says the numbers of firms looking at hiring consultants on their…

Indian MSMEs had a US$ 380 billion credit gap before COVID hit us. This implies, MSMEs needed this money to survive and grow then By Samir Sathe It is a…

The loneliness manifests differently when it comes to the positive/negative entrepreneurship and leadership personas in crisis. By Samir Sathe Entrepreneurs are lonely. They become lonelier in crisis. Various estimates put this…

Technology can become a powerful catalyst for human creativity to drive outcomes. By Ratna Mehta Technological advancement is a double-edged sword; while it oils the wheels of advancement and innovation…