In an important step towards promoting women entrepreneurs, WE HUB has signed an MoU with the University of Basel, Switzerland. The MoU was signed by Christian Elias Schneider, Head Innovation and Entrepreneurship of University of Basel while Ms. Deepthi Ravula, CEO, signed on behalf of WE HUB. The University of Basel is one of the oldest in the world, having been established in 1460.
The partnership will initiate a startup exchange and startup immersion programs mainly focussing on women led start-ups in the healthcare, pharma, life sciences and technology. These programs will enable women entrepreneurs to gain a deeper understanding of the functioning of respective ecosystems and the industry landscape, hence helping them scale- up and sustain through global market-access.
“Swissnex India” a dedicated team led by the Consulate General of Switzerland, as the CEO is involved in connecting those involved in research, innovation, and education in Switzerland and India. It was at the initiative of swissnex India that this association between the University of Basel and WE HUB has materialized and Sebastien Hug, Consul General of Switzerland was present on the occasion of the signing of the MoU.
Other important personalities present during the signing of the MoU include The MoU K T Rama Rao, Minister for IT E&C, Dr Andreas Baum, Ambassador of Switzerland to India, Jayesh Ranjan, IAS Principal Secretary to the Government of Telangana and Ms. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman & MD, Biocon India.
The benefits of this MoU are summarized as below by WE HUB:
- Start-up exchange and start-up immersion programs: This will provide the start-ups mentorship, industry specific trainings, workshops, know-how of technical and business expertise.
- Technology Transfer & Cross Learning: This will enable entrepreneurs working in similar fields, to cross collaborate and cross learn across industry borders.
WE HUB is a unique initiative by the state government of Telangana with a view to promote women entrepreneurs in the state. The objectives as declared by WE HUB is to promote startup, scale up and accelerate with global market access. The idea is to develop what can be called ‘FEMtrepreneurs’ short for female entrepreneurs. The state government has identified areas like healthcare, pharma, life sciences and technology for the female promoters to work on, bringing to the table some original and practical business ideas.