NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) has launched a new initiative titled ‘We Rise – Women Entrepreneurs Reimagining Inclusive and Sustainable Enterprises’ to support women-led businesses in scaling up globally through trade facilitation, mentorship and strategic partnerships.
The programme is being rolled out under WEP’s Award to Reward (ATR) framework, which focuses on nurturing high-potential women-led Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across India.
On behalf of WEP, the Statement of Intent (SoI) was signed by Ms. Anna Roy, Mission Director, WEP, in the presence of Shri B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog.
As part of this initiative, 100 women entrepreneurs with strong growth potential will be identified and mentored to enhance their export readiness, build business capacity, and meet global trade requirements. The selected entrepreneurs will also have the opportunity to showcase their products at Bharat Mart in Dubai, a global B2B and B2C marketplace located within the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), providing access to international buyers.
With over 90,000 women entrepreneurs already engaged on the WEP platform, this initiative strengthens public-private collaboration to unlock global market access and accelerate the growth of women-led enterprises. It aligns with the Government of India’s vision of women-led economic development and inclusive growth.
Shri B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog, said, “This partnership supports the Government of India’s vision for women-led economic growth. Through ‘We Rise’, we aim to create an enabling environment where women entrepreneurs can grow, scale, and access global markets. By uniting efforts with leading stakeholders, we are strengthening the foundation for long-term impact.”
Ms. Anna Roy, Mission Director, WEP, highlighted the importance of curated interventions through collaboration between public and private sector organisations to promote women exporters.
Founded in 2018, WEP was incubated in NITI Aayog as an aggregator platform and transitioned into a public-private partnership in 2022. Today, it works with 47 partner organisations to address six key ecosystem needs:
Access to finance
Market linkages
Training and skilling
Mentoring and networking
Compliance and legal support
Business development services
Launched in 2023, the ATR initiative institutionalises WEP’s partnership framework by bringing ecosystem players together to address specific needs of women entrepreneurs while celebrating their success stories. It serves as a plug-and-play model for scalable, high-impact collaborations.
The ‘We Rise’ initiative marks a significant step toward empowering Indian women entrepreneurs to become global champions of trade and innovation.
