WEE strategically targets areas in entrepreneurship to maximise women’s economic participation

We have launched the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Program to bridge the gender gap in the booming digital platform economy and enable women with equitable market access. This initiative focuses on developing scalable and replicable models across four key platform archetypes which are listed below.

Rural e-commerce Social commerce Gig economy Job tech

Our landscape research identified both barriers and enablers that women face on digital platforms. We realised that platforms like Amazon are often unsuitable for women solopreneurs in rural areas to participate effectively in e-commerce and access broader markets. Therefore, our strategy is to collaborate with women aggregators of various sizes and implement gender-intentional initiatives through platform players.
 
A significant skills gap exists in understanding platform transactions, digital performance marketing, and other critical metrics necessary for growth and success on these platforms. To address these challenges, we are not only partnering with women aggregators with substantial inventory but also providing customised support, reducing listing prices, and enhancing learning through cohorts and peer influence.
Our landscape research identified both barriers and enablers that women face on digital platforms. We realised that platforms like Amazon are often unsuitable for women solopreneurs in rural areas to participate effectively in e-commerce and access broader markets. Therefore, our strategy is to collaborate with women aggregators of various sizes and implement gender-intentional initiatives through platform players. A significant skills gap exists in understanding platform transactions, digital performance marketing, and other critical metrics necessary for growth and success on these platforms. To address these challenges, we are not only partnering with women aggregators with substantial inventory but also providing customized support, reducing listing prices, and enhancing learning through cohorts and peer influence.

Amazon and WEE have joined forces to empower and uplift approximately 25,000 women associated with 25 aggregator brands. This collaboration will leverage an accelerator model to equip these aggregator brands with critical digital marketing skills, end-to-end support and capacity building related to account management, imaging and cataloguing, performance marketing, product listing optimization, and advertising techniques. The aggregator brands will get easy access to data-driven insights and metrics to learn more about consumer behaviour and ongoing market trends, and experience increased customer visibility.
WEE and Aspire For Her have introduced an accelerator program – HumSafal, designed to empower aggregator platforms. Under the HumSafal program, Aspire For Her will provide customised mentorship and accelerated training along with networking support, to seven selected aggregator brands, that work extensively with women micro or nanopreneurs. Over the course of six months, these aggregators will be trained on various aspects such as cutting-edge marketing and business strategies, financial management and e-commerce operations.
WEE has partnered with Jhini Learning (part of Dhriiti, a non-profit founded in 2004) to implement the Marketing Accelerator for Aggregator Enterprises (MAAE) program that addresses the problem of lack of skills and readiness among women producers and nanopreneurs to use e-commerce platforms effectively. The program will provide support with capacity building & mentorship, market readiness & compliance, and further monitor the progress & learning of the aggregator enterprises to collect lessons and design the MAAE playbook to share insights with other aggregator enterprises and relevant stakeholders.
Saath Charitable Trust based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat helps vulnerable communities by providing opportunities for livelihood, skills development, healthcare, and education. WEE has partnered with Saath to empower and enable women collectives/artisans in different locations of Gujarat to access digital platforms like Amazon Saheli. This will include connecting the artisan clusters to digital aggregator platforms using design skills and business acumen.

Additionally, Saath operates an aggregator enterprise that collectivizes products created by women entrepreneurs. Through GAME, Amazon contributes by assisting with their listing, storefront development, and providing support to enhance overall sales. This digital enablement happens at a macro level, allowing Saath to integrate with Amazon and pass down the benefits to the aggregated women producers.

YouthNet, founded in 2006 by young Naga professionals, empowers the youth through education, employment, entrepreneurship, and livelihood initiatives. Partnering with Amazon, WEE is helping rural artisans and women-owned businesses overcome challenges in showcasing products online. The ‘Made In Nagaland’ initiative aims to empower more than 50 women entrepreneurs with 25 products each on Amazon, providing support, training, and storytelling to enhance their online presence. The initiative also includes a Facilitation Center which offers resources and compliance issue resolution support, aiming for economic empowerment, cultural celebration, and participation in the digital economy, contributing to rural development and prosperity.
Poulomi Pal

Amazon and WEE have joined forces to empower and uplift approximately 25,000 women associated with 25 aggregator brands. This collaboration will leverage an accelerator model to equip these aggregator brands with critical digital marketing skills, end-to-end support and capacity building related to account management, imaging and cataloguing, performance marketing, product listing optimization, and advertising techniques. The aggregator brands will get easy access to data-driven insights and metrics to learn more about consumer behaviour and ongoing market trends, and experience increased customer visibility.

Poulomi Pal

WEE and Aspire For Her have introduced an accelerator program – HumSafal, designed to empower aggregator platforms. Under the HumSafal program, Aspire For Her will provide customised mentorship and accelerated training along with networking support, to seven selected aggregator brands, that work extensively with women micro or nanopreneurs. Over the course of six months, these aggregators will be trained on various aspects such as cutting-edge marketing and business strategies, financial management and e-commerce operations.

Poulomi Pal

WEE has partnered with Jhini Learning (part of Dhriiti, a non-profit founded in 2004) to implement the Marketing Accelerator for Aggregator Enterprises (MAAE) program that addresses the problem of lack of skills and readiness among women producers and nanopreneurs to use e-commerce platforms effectively. The program will provide support with capacity building & mentorship, market readiness & compliance, and further monitor the progress & learning of the aggregator enterprises to collect lessons and design the MAAE playbook to share insights with other aggregator enterprises and relevant stakeholders.

Poulomi Pal

Saath Charitable Trust based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat helps vulnerable communities by providing opportunities for livelihood, skills development, healthcare, and education. WEE has partnered with Saath to empower and enable women collectives/artisans in different locations of Gujarat to access digital platforms like Amazon Saheli. This will include connecting the artisan clusters to digital aggregator platforms using design skills and business acumen. Additionally, Saath operates an aggregator enterprise that collectivizes products created by women entrepreneurs. Through GAME, Amazon contributes by assisting with their listing, storefront development, and providing support to enhance overall sales. This digital enablement happens at a macro level, allowing Saath to integrate with Amazon and pass down the benefits to the aggregated women producers.

Poulomi Pal

YouthNet, founded in 2006 by young Naga professionals, empowers the youth through education, employment, entrepreneurship, and livelihood initiatives. Partnering with Amazon, WEE is helping rural artisans and women-owned businesses overcome challenges in showcasing products online. The ‘Made In Nagaland’ initiative aims to empower more than 50 women entrepreneurs with 25 products each on Amazon, providing support, training, and storytelling to enhance their online presence. The initiative also includes a Facilitation Center which offers resources and compliance issue resolution support, aiming for economic empowerment, cultural celebration, and participation in the digital economy, contributing to rural development and prosperity.

While social commerce sees slightly higher participation from women, barriers like limited digital marketing skills, compliance issues, and time constraints hinder their full involvement. Women seek platforms to explore new markets, but complex UI/UX, compliance requirements, and lack of trust, skills, and business acumen deter onboarding.

In collaboration with community partners and our private platform economy partners, we are providing a robust support ecosystem for women, including effortless onboarding, platform navigation training, and access to better resources, helping them grow and succeed in the social commerce economy.

While social commerce sees slightly higher participation from women, barriers like limited digital marketing skills, compliance issues, and time constraints hinder their full involvement. Women seek platforms to explore new markets, but complex UI/UX, compliance requirements, and lack of trust, skills, and business acumen deter onboarding.
 
In collaboration with community partners and our private platform economy partners, we are providing a robust support ecosystem for women, including effortless onboarding, platform navigation training, and access to better resources, helping them grow and succeed in the social commerce economy.
BizUp is an online wholesale platform that uses videos and AI to connect businesses and facilitate B2B transactions. BizUp plans to work with community organisations to reach more women, understanding their role in customer acquisition and awareness-raising. The organisation is working towards increasing the participation of women entrepreneurs on the platform and is working in partnership with WEE and Saath Charitable Trust towards empowering women entrepreneurs in tier 2 and 3 geographies who face challenges in accessing procurement channels and in moving around due to limited mobility, which increases costs.
Saath Charitable Trust is collaborating closely with WEE and BizUp in the regions of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, to enable these women under Saath’s Business Gym, a platform that unites solopreneurs and micro entrepreneurs to earn extra income by sourcing and selling garments within their social networks. This includes implementing pilot programs in various regions, providing training and mentorship. The effortless onboarding process on the platform and significantly reduced mobility challenges enable these women to source more effectively and efficiently.
Poulomi Pal

BizUp is an online wholesale platform that uses videos and AI to connect businesses and facilitate B2B transactions. BizUp plans to work with community organisations to reach more women, understanding their role in customer acquisition and awareness-raising. The organisation is working towards increasing the participation of women entrepreneurs on the platform and is working in partnership with WEE and Saath Charitable Trust towards empowering women entrepreneurs in tier 2 and 3 geographies who face challenges in accessing procurement channels and in moving around due to limited mobility, which increases costs.

Poulomi Pal

Saath Charitable Trust is collaborating closely with WEE and BizUp in the regions of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, to enable these women under Saath’s Business Gym, a platform that unites solopreneurs and micro entrepreneurs to earn extra income by sourcing and selling garments within their social networks. This includes implementing pilot programs in various regions, providing training and mentorship. The effortless onboarding process on the platform and significantly reduced mobility challenges enable these women to source more effectively and efficiently.

Gig has emerged as a platform of choice for women in the urban and semi-urban setups in the last half a decade. The trend, however, is concerning as well as unfortunate, with women being employed predominantly in traditionally gendered gig-jobs, such as beauty, salon, and spa services. Contrary to the general understanding, this doesn’t allow flexibility.

Social barriers such as reduced mobility due to safety concerns, high skill-gap, lack of social security, and gender insensitive infrastructure currently discourage women from actively participating in gig-economy.

Gig has emerged as a platform of choice for women in the urban and semi-urban setups in the last half a decade. The trend, however, is concerning as well as unfortunate, with women being employed predominantly in traditionally gendered gig-jobs, such as beauty, salon, and spa services. Contrary to the general understanding, this doesn’t allow flexibility.
 
Social barriers such as reduced mobility due to safety concerns, high skill-gap, lack of social security, and gender insensitive infrastructure currently discourage women from actively participating in gig-economy.
Airblack is an outcome-driven skilling academy that empowers individuals to become micro-entrepreneurs or creators. Through highly immersive ‘Do-It-Together’ (DIT) courses lasting 2 to 6 months, learners acquire real-life skills in small cohorts, facilitated by industry experts.

WEE and Airblack are strategically working together to upskill beautypreneurs, boosting their economic growth by imparting comprehensive beauty and makeup-related content that is free of cost and can be covered at one’s own pace. Additionally, they will receive necessary business guidance to fulfill their dreams as budding entrepreneurs. We are excited to impact a significant number of beautypreneurs across different geographies, helping them flourish in the digital gig economy through this program.

Frontier Markets, since 2011, aims to empower rural women and communities by bridging the digital gap and offering impactful solutions. They use a unique mix of physical and digital platforms to reach rural areas, training local women as ‘Saral Jeevan Sahelis’ who use the Meri Saheli App to share insights, educate, and sell quality products.
WEE and Frontier Markets have collaborated to empower Super Sahelis to enable them to further help rural women entrepreneurs (RWEs) have supplementary income opportunities. We are expanding these opportunities in geographies like Uttar Pradesh & Maharashtra. This initiative aims to create digitally savvy rural women entrepreneurs, driving long-lasting social impact in their communities.
Poulomi Pal

Airblack is an outcome-driven skilling academy that empowers individuals to become micro-entrepreneurs or creators. Through highly immersive ‘Do-It-Together’ (DIT) courses lasting 2 to 6 months, learners acquire real-life skills in small cohorts, facilitated by industry experts. WEE and Airblack are strategically working together to upskill beautypreneurs, boosting their economic growth by imparting comprehensive beauty and makeup-related content that is free of cost and can be covered at one’s own pace. Additionally, they will receive necessary business guidance to fulfill their dreams as budding entrepreneurs. We are excited to impact a significant number of beautypreneurs across different geographies, helping them flourish in the digital gig economy through this program.

Poulomi Pal

Frontier Markets, since 2011, aims to empower rural women and communities by bridging the digital gap and offering impactful solutions. They use a unique mix of physical and digital platforms to reach rural areas, training local women as ‘Saral Jeevan Sahelis’ who use the Meri Saheli App to share insights, educate, and sell quality products. WEE and Frontier Markets have collaborated to empower Super Sahelis to enable them to further help rural women entrepreneurs (RWEs) have supplementary income opportunities. We are expanding these opportunities in geographies like Uttar Pradesh & Maharashtra. This initiative aims to create digitally savvy rural women entrepreneurs, driving long-lasting social impact in their communities.

For the majority of women across job tech platforms, gendered affordance results in a perception of the platform jobs being out-of-bounds, as well as a lack of work readiness. Due to the relatively niche nature of the space, access to & awareness of job-tech platforms remain excruciatingly low, as does the current number of enablers.
For the majority of women across job tech platforms, gendered affordance results in a perception of the platform jobs being out-of-bounds, as well as a lack of work readiness. Due to the relatively niche nature of the space, access to & awareness of job-tech platforms remain excruciatingly low, as does the current number of enablers.
WEE in collaboration with Aspire For Her introduced an initiative – Amplifly. The initiative’s mission is to lead a transformative skilling movement, targeting female students, with the aim of creating a significant ecosystem-wide impact. Amplifly is crafted to transcend geographical limitations and cultivate a dynamic ecosystem that drives sustainable employment. By fostering community engagement and organising job fairs, Aspire For Her is dedicated to building a robust network of partners committed to holistic growth and prosperity across diverse communities.

Additionally, Amplifly emphasizes employer sensitization, encouraging companies to take proactive steps in creating gender-responsive workplaces.

HerKey is India’s largest career engagement platform for women, addressing the significant gap in women’s workforce participation. They recognize the potential impact of both increasing workforce participation and boosting GDP.

WEE and HerKey have collaborated on the ‘Campus to Corporate’ program, which aims to facilitate a seamless transition from academic to professional environments for women aged 18 to 25 graduating from underserved colleges and locations. Through mentorship sessions, skill-building workshops, and corporate exposure, graduates gain the confidence and expertise needed to launch a successful corporate career.

Poulomi Pal

WEE in collaboration with Aspire For Her introduced an initiative – Amplifly. The initiative’s mission is to lead a transformative skilling movement, targeting female students, with the aim of creating a significant ecosystem-wide impact. Amplifly is crafted to transcend geographical limitations and cultivate a dynamic ecosystem that drives sustainable employment. By fostering community engagement and organising job fairs, Aspire For Her is dedicated to building a robust network of partners committed to holistic growth and prosperity across diverse communities. Additionally, Amplifly emphasizes employer sensitization, encouraging companies to take proactive steps in creating gender-responsive workplaces.

Poulomi Pal

HerKey is India’s largest career engagement platform for women, addressing the significant gap in women’s workforce participation. They recognize the potential impact of both increasing workforce participation and boosting GDP. WEE and HerKey have collaborated on the ‘Campus to Corporate’ program, which aims to facilitate a seamless transition from academic to professional environments for women aged 18 to 25 graduating from underserved colleges and locations. Through mentorship sessions, skill-building workshops, and corporate exposure, graduates gain the confidence and expertise needed to launch a successful corporate career.

WEE Program outreach