Karnataka has emerged as the biggest beneficiary of the Government of India's Electronics Development Fund (EDF), reinforcing Bengaluru's position as the country's leading technology and innovation hub. According to official government data, Karnataka accounted for 90 of the 128 companies supported under the fund, attracting nearly 64% of the total investments. The Electronics Development Fund was launched to strengthen India's domestic capabilities in electronics, semiconductor design, embedded systems, and advanced technologies. The initiative supports startups and early-stage companies working on cutting-edge innovations that are critical to India's long-term technological ambitions.

Karnataka Leads India's Electronics Boom with Biggest Share of Government Tech Fund

From party conversations to elevator pitches, introductions pretty much followed an unchanging script for Hitesh Talreja.&nbsp;&nbsp;“So what do you do for a living?”&nbsp;&nbsp;“I name brands.”&nbsp; A moment of awkward silence followed by an explanatory, “No, I meant as a profession?”&nbsp;&nbsp;Then comes Talreja’s understanding nod with a forgiving smile, and the compelling backstory of how he founded one of India's leading <a href="https://www.tiepograph.com/">brand naming agencies</a>, Tiepograph.&nbsp;&nbsp;For a country obsessed with professions, this dichotomy is outstanding. Lawyers for legal tussles, yes. Pet groomers for grooming pets, yes. Naming experts to name your brand? Uh,&nbsp;&nbsp;Doesn’t that arise from a founder’s epiphany or from a brainstorm with the team at best?&nbsp;&nbsp;Movies and stories have misled people into thinking that’s how a brand is named. “But I don't blame them entirely,” explains Hitesh Talreja. “Historically, legacy names have ruled the roost. Most businesses were local, familiar, and built over generations. Customers knew what they were buying and who they were buying from. The name wasn't doing all the heavy lifting."&nbsp;&nbsp;Today’s D2C and B2B landscape couldn’t be more different and distant.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;India’s new-age entrepreneurs are not confined to glossy buildings anymore. They are emerging from the remotest villages and up-and-coming tier-3 cities. “When these entrepreneurs look at successful brands to emulate, they look at the genius of a marketing strategy or an operational marvel. But they miss the USP right before them—the brand’s name,” explains Talreja.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Here enters the professional whose skill can reduce your brand's future marketing costs, sharpen its positioning, provide customer insights, and avoid later-stage trademark complications—the <a href="https://www.tiepograph.com/">brand naming expert</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When nudged about the process, Talreja takes readers through a week in the life of a naming expert. Why a week? “From the day a brand owner speaks with us to the day we deliver a short list of brand names, it takes nearly 10 working days. But for brevity’s sake, I’ll take you along my week.”&nbsp;&nbsp;“It begins with understanding the brand, the person running the brand, and the people who benefit from the brand. We personify the brand and its target audience to find the right tone. This also entails cultural-meaning checks for region-specific pronunciations and dialects.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When done right, brand naming steers the course of a business model. “At Tiepograph, the right way is people-focused and science-based brand naming,” explains Talreja. “Beyond the basics of generating a name that’s easy and memorable, we follow a scientific approach using morphemes; these are the smallest meaningful units of a word.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“We use morphemes to create unique newly minted names that sound as familiar as dictionary words. For instance, Soventis. We named this Indian export-import company based on the elegant combination of “So” from the roots of solution or source and “Ventis” from the Latin word for wind ventus.”&nbsp;&nbsp;We combine our analysis of the brand persona, a bunch of befitting names using morphemes, and pan-India sound testing, over the next couple of days.”&nbsp;Why is it important to test a brand name across India? "If a retailer hesitates while saying your brand, if a customer can't remember it after hearing it once, or if someone struggles to pronounce it over a phone call, you've already created friction," answers Talreja.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Simultaneously, we conduct trademark screening to protect entrepreneurs from legal risks before final selection.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Talreja’s process highlights layers and nuances of brand naming, but also raises questions about AI’s role in it. “Like the many professions it threatened, AI was labelled a nemesis of brand naming, too. However, very soon, founders realised AI brings speedy and economical names to the table, while a naming professional brings experience, expertise and an understanding of the Indian marketplace.”&nbsp;&nbsp;This combination has led Talreja to name nearly 500 products and services across FMCG, retail, B2B, and D2C segments.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Despite the accolades and naming wins under his belt, Talreja patiently addresses every innocent question about the legitimacy of brand naming as a professional.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yet, his advice to aspiring brand naming professionals would be “to focus on getting the essence of a brand right, and avoid trends like the plague.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For India’s earnest brand owners, looking to scale their brand globally, he reassures, “hiring a brand naming expert does not mean trading your instinct for someone else's. It means investing in a deep dive into your brand, its audience, and their psychology—an investment in your brand's longevity.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Movies and stories have misled people into thinking that’s how a brand is named. “But I don't blame them entirely,” explains Hitesh Talreja. “Historically, legacy names have ruled the roost."

From party conversations to elevator pitches, introductions pretty much followed an unchanging script for Hitesh Talreja. “So what do you do for a living?” “I name brands.” A moment of awkward silence followed by an explanatory, “No, I meant as a profession?” Then comes Talreja’s understanding nod with a forgiving smile, and the compelling backstory of how he founded one of India's leading brand naming agencies, Tiepograph. For a country obsessed with professions, this dichotomy is outstanding. Lawyers for legal tussles, yes. Pet groomers for grooming pets, yes. Naming experts to name your brand? Uh, Doesn’t that arise from a founder’s epiphany or from a brainstorm with the team at best? Movies and stories have misled people into thinking that’s how a brand is named. “But I don't blame them entirely,” explains Hitesh Talreja. “Historically, legacy names have ruled the roost. Most businesses were local, familiar, and built over generations. Customers knew what they were buying and who they were buying from. The name wasn't doing all the heavy lifting." Today’s D2C and B2B landscape couldn’t be more different and distant. India’s new-age entrepreneurs are not confined to glossy buildings anymore. They are emerging from the remotest villages and up-and-coming tier-3 cities. “When these entrepreneurs look at successful brands to emulate, they look at the genius of a marketing strategy or an operational marvel. But they miss the USP right before them—the brand’s name,” explains Talreja. Here enters the professional whose skill can reduce your brand's future marketing costs, sharpen its positioning, provide customer insights, and avoid later-stage trademark complications—the brand naming expert. When nudged about the process, Talreja takes readers through a week in the life of a naming expert. Why a week? “From the day a brand owner speaks with us to the day we deliver a short list of brand names, it takes nearly 10 working days. But for brevity’s sake, I’ll take you along my week.” “It begins with understanding the brand, the person running the brand, and the people who benefit from the brand. We personify the brand and its target audience to find the right tone. This also entails cultural-meaning checks for region-specific pronunciations and dialects.” When done right, brand naming steers the course of a business model. “At Tiepograph, the right way is people-focused and science-based brand naming,” explains Talreja. “Beyond the basics of generating a name that’s easy and memorable, we follow a scientific approach using morphemes; these are the smallest meaningful units of a word.” “We use morphemes to create unique newly minted names that sound as familiar as dictionary words. For instance, Soventis. We named this Indian export-import company based on the elegant combination of “So” from the roots of solution or source and “Ventis” from the Latin word for wind ventus.” We combine our analysis of the brand persona, a bunch of befitting names using morphemes, and pan-India sound testing, over the next couple of days.” Why is it important to test a brand name across India? "If a retailer hesitates while saying your brand, if a customer can't remember it after hearing it once, or if someone struggles to pronounce it over a phone call, you've already created friction," answers Talreja. “Simultaneously, we conduct trademark screening to protect entrepreneurs from legal risks before final selection.” Talreja’s process highlights layers and nuances of brand naming, but also raises questions about AI’s role in it. “Like the many professions it threatened, AI was labelled a nemesis of brand naming, too. However, very soon, founders realised AI brings speedy and economical names to the table, while a naming professional brings experience, expertise and an understanding of the Indian marketplace.” This combination has led Talreja to name nearly 500 products and services across FMCG, retail, B2B, and D2C segments. Despite the accolades and naming wins under his belt, Talreja patiently addresses every innocent question about the legitimacy of brand naming as a professional. Yet, his advice to aspiring brand naming professionals would be “to focus on getting the essence of a brand right, and avoid trends like the plague.” For India’s earnest brand owners, looking to scale their brand globally, he reassures, “hiring a brand naming expert does not mean trading your instinct for someone else's. It means investing in a deep dive into your brand, its audience, and their psychology—an investment in your brand's longevity.

Movies and stories have misled people into thinking that’s how a brand is named. “But I don't blame them entirely,” explains Hitesh Talreja. “Historically, legacy names have ruled the roost."

Inside the Business of Brand Naming: The Hidden Profession Shaping Modern Brands

Santa Clara, California-headquartered Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the 16th largest bank in the USA collapsed last week on Friday. The closure of the bank has left the Indian startup ecosystem worried and profusely sweating about their future.

Santa Clara, California-headquartered Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the 16th largest bank in the USA collapsed last week on Friday. The closure of the bank has left the Indian startup ecosystem worried and profusely sweating about their future. SVB was one of the largest vendors in the startup ecosystem, providing funding to up-and-coming enterprises. For several years, Indian startups had SVB as their preferred choice of banking, primarily due to the absence of regulatory hassle and flexibility in the payment system. Many Indian startups that did not even employ a single person or had an office in the US also opened up accounts in the bank. However, the abrupt closure has left question marks over how the next month's salaries for the employees or the next round of funding will come for their startup. Startup companies related to Y Combinator (YC) are staring at a bleak future. YC is an American tech startup accelerator that has helped launch thousands of startups over the years. ALSO READ | Did Silicon Valley Bank hoodwink everyone before its collapse? According to an ET report, at least 40 YC-backed Indian startups have parked between $250,000 to $1 million in SVB ban accounts while over 20 have deposits of more than $1 million. The Indian government has smelled the coffee and jumped into action. Union Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday said he will be meeting Indian startups later this week to take their pulse and ensure any adverse effect is avoided. "The @SVB_Financial closure is certainly disrupting startups across (the) world. Startups are an imp part of #NewIndia Economy. I will meet wth Indian Startups this week to understand impact on thm n how @narendramodi govt can help durng this crisis," tweeted the minister. The @SVB_Financial closure is certainly disrupting startups across world . Startups are an imp part of #NewIndia Economy. I will meet wth Indian Startups this week to understand impact on thm n how @narendramodi govt can help durng this crisis.#IndiaTechade @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/1HLTwAs9IF — Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@Rajeev_GoI) March 12, 2023 × WATCH | Silicon Valley Bank collapses in America's biggest banking failure since 2008 SVB collapsed on Friday after regulators came down charging and seized control of the assets after it failed to meet the withdrawal demands of the investors. According to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), as of December 31, 2022, SVB had total assets amounting to $209 billion and approximately $175.4 billion in total deposits. According to reports, FDIC insurance means that any amount up to $250,000 in an SVB account will be fully covered and the startups may get it back. However, for anything above the $250,000 range, the startups or individuals may only get 80 cents to 90 cents for each dollar. ALSO READ | Explained | How Silicon Valley Bank crisis unfolded in 48 hours (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Indian startups sweat as millions of dollars remain stuck in Silicon Valley Bank accounts

Amit Bhasin, the co-founder of startup GoMechanic, has admitted to financial reporting errors. GoMechanic manipulated his financial records by exaggerating revenues after it secured a massive $42 million fund two years ago.

GoMechanic crisis worsens as massive layoffs at startups continue

For Indian startup employees, trends in 2023 so far show ominous signs. According to data from layoffs tracking site, Indian startups on average are laying off about 1,600 workers each day.

WION Fineprint: Indian startups cut about 1,600 jobs daily

Indian start-ups fired more than 12,000 employees in the first half of 2022. Companies are struggling to raise funds amid recession fears in the global market. Is the honeymoon over for Indian start-ups? Palki Sharma tells you.

Gravitas: Indian start-ups fired 12,000 employees in 2022

We've all had those days when we force ourselves to work just a little bit longer, even if our eyelids strain to stay open and thoughts seem to fall out of our heads, just as our bodies try to fall asleep...in the workplace.

Yes, we're talking about those terrible days when no amount of coffee can keep us up and we crave a quick snooze, but who's going to let us do that at work?

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/a-miracle-after-six-days-woman-found-alive-in-rubble-of-collapsed-building-in-china-476607" hreflang="en">A miracle? After six days, woman found alive in rubble of collapsed building in China</a>

An Indian start-up firm based in Bengaluru will.

It has recognised the 'right to nap' and granted its employees a 30 mins nap time every day.

Wakefit, a modern furniture brand that has been in the "business of sleep" for six years will now pay its employees to sleep.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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Official Announcement 📢 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sleep?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sleep</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/powernap?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#powernap</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/afternoonnap?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#afternoonnap</a> <a href="https://t.co/9rOiyL3B3S">pic.twitter.com/9rOiyL3B3S</a>
— Wakefit Solutions (@WakefitCo) <a href="https://twitter.com/WakefitCo/status/1522064693900193794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Taking to Twitter the brand shared a screengrab of its co-founder Chaitanya Ramalingegowda's email to the company's employees.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas Plus: Do you feel burnt out? Watch this

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-do-you-feel-burnt-out-watch-this-467764/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

If you're wondering why a company would do this, you're not alone.&nbsp;

What do they gain?&nbsp;

Well, the brand answered this question too. Citing research by NASA the email says that a 26-minute nap can actually enhance a person's performance by 33 per cent. They go on to quote a Harvard study and say that naps can also prevent burnout.

Burnout has become all too frequent in our fast-paced, stressful lives, and for a corporation to spare its employees half an hour to avoid it seems like the bare minimum and yet at the same time, an applaud worthy move.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/set-for-life-uk-couple-wins-lottery-worth-ps36-million-or-ps10000-per-month-for-30-years-476565" hreflang="en">Set for life: UK couple wins lottery worth £3.6 million, or £10,000&nbsp;per month for 30 years</a>

Wakefit personnel will be able to relax every day from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm, and their calendars will be blocked during "official nap time" to ensure that this time is not interrupted by anybody or anything.

Not only that, but to ensure a good night's sleep, staff would have access to "cosy nap pods" and "quiet rooms," which would provide the ideal sleeping environment.

"Looking forward to catching you sleeping at work", signs off Ramalingegowda.

We've all had those days when we force ourselves to work just a little bit longer, even if our eyelids strain to stay open and thoughts seem to fall out of our heads, just as our bodies try to fall asleep.

We've all had those days when we force ourselves to work just a little bit longer, even if our eyelids strain to stay open and thoughts seem to fall out of our heads, just as our bodies try to fall asleep...in the workplace. Yes, we're talking about those terrible days when no amount of coffee can keep us up and we crave a quick snooze, but who's going to let us do that at work? Also read | A miracle? After six days, woman found alive in rubble of collapsed building in China An Indian start-up firm based in Bengaluru will. It has recognised the 'right to nap' and granted its employees a 30 mins nap time every day. Wakefit, a modern furniture brand that has been in the "business of sleep" for six years will now pay its employees to sleep. Official Announcement 📢 #sleep #powernap #afternoonnap pic.twitter.com/9rOiyL3B3S — Wakefit Solutions (@WakefitCo) May 5, 2022 × Taking to Twitter the brand shared a screengrab of its co-founder Chaitanya Ramalingegowda's email to the company's employees. Watch | Gravitas Plus: Do you feel burnt out? Watch this If you're wondering why a company would do this, you're not alone. What do they gain? Well, the brand answered this question too. Citing research by NASA the email says that a 26-minute nap can actually enhance a person's performance by 33 per cent. They go on to quote a Harvard study and say that naps can also prevent burnout. Burnout has become all too frequent in our fast-paced, stressful lives, and for a corporation to spare its employees half an hour to avoid it seems like the bare minimum and yet at the same time, an applaud worthy move. Also read | Set for life: UK couple wins lottery worth £3.6 million, or £10,000 per month for 30 years Wakefit personnel will be able to relax every day from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm, and their calendars will be blocked during "official nap time" to ensure that this time is not interrupted by anybody or anything. Not only that, but to ensure a good night's sleep, staff would have access to "cosy nap pods" and "quiet rooms," which would provide the ideal sleeping environment. "Looking forward to catching you sleeping at work", signs off Ramalingegowda.

Overtime? Paid leaves? Indian start-up goes above and beyond, gives its employees 'right to nap' at work

UAE Ambassador to India speaks exclusively to WION on the rise in startups by Indians in UAE. Watch full video to know more.

UAE Ambassador to India speaks exclusively to WION

In the basement of a Bangalore building, hundreds of young Indians sit in neat rows of desks typing furiously, all dreaming of becoming the new Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg.

A quarter of a century after liberalisation kick-started India&#39;s economic transformation, a new generation of young people are capitalising on their parents&#39; hard-won financial security to try their luck in the risky business of tech start-ups.

&quot;It&#39;s really picking up,&quot; said Aneesh Durg, a young Indian-origin student from Chicago who came to the southern tech hub of Bangalore to help develop a device that helps blind people read written text.

&quot;It&#39;s actually not what I expected it to be. I thought that they would be a little bit behind, but they are actually working just as hard and there&#39;s really cool stuff coming out of India these days.&quot;

More and more young people in the country of 1.25 billion people are opting to go it alone, in stark contrast to previous generations that valued the stability of employment above all else.

India now has some 4,750 tech startups - the highest number in the world after the United States and Britain, which it is fast catching up. Success stories include Flipkart, Amazon&#39;s rival in India, and online supermarket Big Basket.

Global product

From robots and mobile apps to smart kitchens and a cocktail-making machine the cavernous Bangalore office, which houses one of India&#39;s biggest start-up incubators, is a veritable ideas factory.

Every meeting room bears a photo of a successful technology entrepreneur.

Vikram Rastogi is a robotics expert who set up a small incubator named Hacklab after visiting the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2014.

&quot;I saw the kind of hardware work they were doing. We could also do the same kind of hardware work in India, it&#39;s just that people do not pursue it much further,&quot; he explains.

&quot;So I thought let me start with something in India and try to make global product out of it,&quot; Rastogi adds.

The engineering graduate is currently working on ways to enable drones to operate as part of a fleet in order to harness more information, an application that could be used to gather data over large areas such as the vast farms of Australia or Brazil.

But the path to building the next Google or Apple is not always smooth.

&quot;When I started this we had a lot of people who came to us with start-up ideas,&quot; Rastogi says, but he admits that some give up over time often due to family pressure to get a salaried job.

New generation

Sylvia Veeraraghavan, one of the millions who have migrated to Bangalore for work since the 1990s, is watching this new generation of self-starters with interest.

When she moved there, the city was becoming a outsourcing hub for Western technology companies seeking a cheap and well-educated workforce through companies such as Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro.

&quot;For me, for the people of my time, getting a job was a very big deal. The kind of values that we used to have are very different from the values that people have today,&quot; said Veeraraghavan, who now works for a charity after a 25-year career in IT.

She believes the rising prosperity of India&#39;s middle class has given young people the freedom to experiment.

&quot;They are not constricted, or restricted, having to take up a job, or finding their next meal,&quot; she said. &quot;They can be innovative, they can be imaginative.&quot;

It is a trend that looks set to continue - according to forecasts, between 200,000 and 250,000 people will be working in tech startups by 2020, nearly double the current number, according to software industry association Nasscom.

Traditionally there has been a well-trodden path from Indian IT institutes to a master&#39;s degree in America and then on to a plum job in Silicon Valley.

But US President Donald Trump&#39;s crackdown on immigration - including a proposed restructure of the H-1B working visas often used by tech firms to recruit foreign skilled workers - may mean even more of India&#39;s tech stars opt to carve a new route to success at home.

It remains too early to say what impact Trump&#39;s planned immigration reform could have on India, but for Aneesh the answer is simple.

He is already confident that when he finishes his studies in Chicago, he will be heading back to India not California.

(AFP)

India now has some 4,750 tech startups - the highest number in the world after the United States and Britain

In the basement of a Bangalore building, hundreds of young Indians sit in neat rows of desks typing furiously, all dreaming of becoming the new Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg. A quarter of a century after liberalisation kick-started India's economic transformation, a new generation of young people are capitalising on their parents' hard-won financial security to try their luck in the risky business of tech start-ups. "It's really picking up," said Aneesh Durg, a young Indian-origin student from Chicago who came to the southern tech hub of Bangalore to help develop a device that helps blind people read written text. "It's actually not what I expected it to be. I thought that they would be a little bit behind, but they are actually working just as hard and there's really cool stuff coming out of India these days." More and more young people in the country of 1.25 billion people are opting to go it alone, in stark contrast to previous generations that valued the stability of employment above all else. India now has some 4,750 tech startups - the highest number in the world after the United States and Britain, which it is fast catching up. Success stories include Flipkart, Amazon's rival in India, and online supermarket Big Basket. Global product From robots and mobile apps to smart kitchens and a cocktail-making machine the cavernous Bangalore office, which houses one of India's biggest start-up incubators, is a veritable ideas factory. Every meeting room bears a photo of a successful technology entrepreneur. Vikram Rastogi is a robotics expert who set up a small incubator named Hacklab after visiting the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2014. "I saw the kind of hardware work they were doing. We could also do the same kind of hardware work in India, it's just that people do not pursue it much further," he explains. "So I thought let me start with something in India and try to make global product out of it," Rastogi adds. The engineering graduate is currently working on ways to enable drones to operate as part of a fleet in order to harness more information, an application that could be used to gather data over large areas such as the vast farms of Australia or Brazil. But the path to building the next Google or Apple is not always smooth. "When I started this we had a lot of people who came to us with start-up ideas," Rastogi says, but he admits that some give up over time often due to family pressure to get a salaried job. New generation Sylvia Veeraraghavan, one of the millions who have migrated to Bangalore for work since the 1990s, is watching this new generation of self-starters with interest. When she moved there, the city was becoming a outsourcing hub for Western technology companies seeking a cheap and well-educated workforce through companies such as Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro. "For me, for the people of my time, getting a job was a very big deal. The kind of values that we used to have are very different from the values that people have today," said Veeraraghavan, who now works for a charity after a 25-year career in IT. She believes the rising prosperity of India's middle class has given young people the freedom to experiment. "They are not constricted, or restricted, having to take up a job, or finding their next meal," she said. "They can be innovative, they can be imaginative." It is a trend that looks set to continue - according to forecasts, between 200,000 and 250,000 people will be working in tech startups by 2020, nearly double the current number, according to software industry association Nasscom. Traditionally there has been a well-trodden path from Indian IT institutes to a master's degree in America and then on to a plum job in Silicon Valley. But US President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration - including a proposed restructure of the H-1B working visas often used by tech firms to recruit foreign skilled workers - may mean even more of India's tech stars opt to carve a new route to success at home. It remains too early to say what impact Trump's planned immigration reform could have on India, but for Aneesh the answer is simple. He is already confident that when he finishes his studies in Chicago, he will be heading back to India not California. (AFP)

Startup fever grips young tech-savvy Indians

According to a&nbsp;<a href="http://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter4/chapter4.html">United Nations</a>&nbsp;study, only 50 per cent&nbsp;of women are in the workforce, compared to 77 per cent of men. The numbers in India are much lower.

&quot;Where are the working women? Do they&nbsp;doubt their own skills or is it the fear of affecting their families?&nbsp;Do women in India face an identity crisis?&quot; These were some questions that kept bothering Sairee Chahal, an entrepreneur&nbsp;who has been conscious about the theme of women in the workforce.

She doesn&#39;t just talk&nbsp;about the problems but also takes charge. In 2014, she came up with the idea for&nbsp;Sheroes&nbsp;- a platform that helps women with mentorship, career resources, skills development, jobs and work from home options. With her start-up, she aims to&nbsp;put a million women in the&nbsp;workforce in the next&nbsp;coming years.

<h3>Kazimi: You are based in India. What is the status of women employment in the nation?</h3>

Sairee: India has some startling numbers, which are hard to ignore. We have only 17 per cent women in the&nbsp;formal GDPed workforce, only 5 per cent women in leadership and our gender ranking globally is at 113 out of 136 countries.

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Out of the total women population, the age group of 30-49 years constitutes the highest proportion of working women. (WION)
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&nbsp;

<h3>Kazimi: Do you feel this is because of the lack of educational opportunities for women in India?</h3>

Sairee:&nbsp;India&nbsp;has the maximum number of women graduates in the world, so there are more women who study and far less who work in the formal workforce.

&nbsp;

<h3>Kazimi: So where do you feel the problem lies?</h3>

Sairee: Almost 48 per cent women drop out of work before reaching mid levels and most do not come back. The problems are of all kinds ranging from

<ul>
	<li>lack of support system at homes</li>
	<li>loss of financial independence</li>
	<li>doubts about their own abilities to unavailability of opportunities</li>
	<li>battle with issues of identity and confidence.</li>
</ul>

We are a complex nation; women own and run the caregiving economy &ndash; babies, eldercare, weddings, big festivals, family - the list goes on and on. In that process, a woman&rsquo;s career becomes nobody&rsquo;s business, sometimes not even hers.

<h3> 
Kazimi: So how does your initiative make a difference?</h3>

Sairee:&nbsp;The idea is simple. We partner every woman to stay on a career path of her choice and excel at it &ndash; be it that of a first-time intern, work-at-home mom or a top corporate strategist or an entrepreneur. We are attempting to help urban women find choices that work for them, do well in the career they choose, turn entrepreneurial or make effective career comebacks. The core of our philosophy is to help women navigate career stages and find work that fits their life.

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Proportion of women working in rural areas is almost double that of urban areas. (WION)
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&nbsp;

<h3>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
Kazimi: What should be done to bridge the gender pay gap?</h3>

Sairee:&nbsp;To reduce the gender pay gap, what could be done is - being more transparent about the pay-out for a specific role, companies should start looking at them as talent resource and not female employees and women must stop being shy to ask for what they think they deserve.

<h3> 
Kazimi: What was the initial response to your ideas?</h3>

Sairee: Initially, it was tough convincing everyone that women&rsquo;s careers matter and that small changes can make big impact when it comes to gender diversity, remote work, entrepreneurship and women in leadership.

 
Being able to create business alignment with what will be financial value plus social impact has been a challenge. When you are at an early stage of a category, you are written off easily. Or being a bootstrapped start-up with a big audacious goal is not easily acceptable.

<h3>Kazimi: What keeps you going in the lows?</h3>

Sairee:&nbsp;I have&nbsp;an amazing team, a vibrant community and a goal worth chasing &ndash; giving every Indian woman a dream of the career of her choice. Very able mentors and partners also support the venture. One can either make way for fear and regret or one can be open and stay charged. We take charge.

<h3> 
Kazimi: &nbsp;How do you think the role of women in society has evolved over the years?</h3>

Sairee:&nbsp;The role of women is changing from being nurturers and caregivers to disruptors, creators and growth hackers. While women have come a long way, they still have a long way to go. Corporates are adapting to newer forms of work engagements, being more inclusive and building up a supportive ecosystem. It will take time, but we are moving in the right direction.

<blockquote>
The role of women is changing from being nurturers and caregivers to disruptors, creators and growth hackers
</blockquote>

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

<h3>Kazimi: What impact have you been able to make with Sheroes?</h3>

Sairee:&nbsp;Once a priest&rsquo;s wife from a small village in the state of Bihar called asking for career help. She had studied before getting married and never worked. Now she was an empty nester, with kids settled overseas. She wanted to find herself an identity, a career and we managed to help her with an opportunity. Millions of women across the country have similar stories and they share them with us. That is why we are a community, where one comes in when you might be just curious or inclined.

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Proportion of women working in rural areas is almost double that of urban areas. (WION)
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<h3>Kazimi: What advice would you like to give to women struggling with their careers?</h3>

Sairee:&nbsp;Ask for help. Reach out. Talk. There is always somebody who will be able to show you the way.

(Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)

Sairee from Sheroes aims to put a million women in the workforce

According to a United Nations study, only 50 per cent of women are in the workforce, compared to 77 per cent of men. The numbers in India are much lower. "Where are the working women? Do they doubt their own skills or is it the fear of affecting their families? Do women in India face an identity crisis?" These were some questions that kept bothering Sairee Chahal, an entrepreneur who has been conscious about the theme of women in the workforce. She doesn't just talk about the problems but also takes charge. In 2014, she came up with the idea for Sheroes - a platform that helps women with mentorship, career resources, skills development, jobs and work from home options. With her start-up, she aims to put a million women in the workforce in the next coming years. Kazimi: You are based in India. What is the status of women employment in the nation? Sairee: India has some startling numbers, which are hard to ignore. We have only 17 per cent women in the formal GDPed workforce, only 5 per cent women in leadership and our gender ranking globally is at 113 out of 136 countries. Out of the total women population, the age group of 30-49 years constitutes the highest proportion of working women. (WION) × Kazimi: Do you feel this is because of the lack of educational opportunities for women in India? Sairee: India has the maximum number of women graduates in the world, so there are more women who study and far less who work in the formal workforce. Kazimi: So where do you feel the problem lies? Sairee: Almost 48 per cent women drop out of work before reaching mid levels and most do not come back. The problems are of all kinds ranging from lack of support system at homes loss of financial independence doubts about their own abilities to unavailability of opportunities battle with issues of identity and confidence. We are a complex nation; women own and run the caregiving economy – babies, eldercare, weddings, big festivals, family - the list goes on and on. In that process, a woman’s career becomes nobody’s business, sometimes not even hers. Kazimi: So how does your initiative make a difference? Sairee: The idea is simple. We partner every woman to stay on a career path of her choice and excel at it – be it that of a first-time intern, work-at-home mom or a top corporate strategist or an entrepreneur. We are attempting to help urban women find choices that work for them, do well in the career they choose, turn entrepreneurial or make effective career comebacks. The core of our philosophy is to help women navigate career stages and find work that fits their life. Proportion of women working in rural areas is almost double that of urban areas. (WION) × Kazimi: What should be done to bridge the gender pay gap? Sairee: To reduce the gender pay gap, what could be done is - being more transparent about the pay-out for a specific role, companies should start looking at them as talent resource and not female employees and women must stop being shy to ask for what they think they deserve. Kazimi: What was the initial response to your ideas? Sairee: Initially, it was tough convincing everyone that women’s careers matter and that small changes can make big impact when it comes to gender diversity, remote work, entrepreneurship and women in leadership. Being able to create business alignment with what will be financial value plus social impact has been a challenge. When you are at an early stage of a category, you are written off easily. Or being a bootstrapped start-up with a big audacious goal is not easily acceptable. Kazimi: What keeps you going in the lows? Sairee: I have an amazing team, a vibrant community and a goal worth chasing – giving every Indian woman a dream of the career of her choice. Very able mentors and partners also support the venture. One can either make way for fear and regret or one can be open and stay charged. We take charge. Kazimi: How do you think the role of women in society has evolved over the years? Sairee: The role of women is changing from being nurturers and caregivers to disruptors, creators and growth hackers. While women have come a long way, they still have a long way to go. Corporates are adapting to newer forms of work engagements, being more inclusive and building up a supportive ecosystem. It will take time, but we are moving in the right direction. The role of women is changing from being nurturers and caregivers to disruptors, creators and growth hackers Kazimi: What impact have you been able to make with Sheroes? Sairee: Once a priest’s wife from a small village in the state of Bihar called asking for career help. She had studied before getting married and never worked. Now she was an empty nester, with kids settled overseas. She wanted to find herself an identity, a career and we managed to help her with an opportunity. Millions of women across the country have similar stories and they share them with us. That is why we are a community, where one comes in when you might be just curious or inclined. Proportion of women working in rural areas is almost double that of urban areas. (WION) × Kazimi: What advice would you like to give to women struggling with their careers? Sairee: Ask for help. Reach out. Talk. There is always somebody who will be able to show you the way. (Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)

Konversations: How can she go from a caregiver to a disruptor?

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