Bhubaneswar, June 23: In a major step towards promoting inclusive entrepreneurship and financial empowerment, Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd., through its CSR arm Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation, has launched the Sakhi Seed Initiative, a pioneering programme aimed at supporting rural and nano women entrepreneurs who often struggle to access formal sources of finance.
The initiative will provide financial assistance and business development support to ten selected women entrepreneurs. Each beneficiary will receive a grant of ₹5 lakh along with structured mentorship and capacity-building support from XIM University, enabling them to strengthen and scale their enterprises.
The programme is based on the concept of catalytic capital, which focuses on providing patient and risk-tolerant funding to entrepreneurs at the early stages of their business journey. It seeks to address a key challenge faced by women entrepreneurs who often lack collateral, formal registrations, documented credit histories, or access to institutional finance despite running viable businesses.
Speaking on the initiative, Shaifalika Panda said the programme aims to demonstrate that women who are currently excluded from formal credit systems can build sustainable and growth-oriented enterprises when provided with the right combination of capital, mentorship and ecosystem support.
The initiative is guided by an advisory board comprising noted entrepreneurship and finance leaders, including Ajaita Shah, Chetna Gala Sinha, Neha Juneja and Shereen Bhan.
The programme is being implemented in partnership with CNBC-TV18 through its Future. Female. Forward platform, which will help provide national visibility to participating entrepreneurs. Applications for the inaugural cohort are open until July 20. Along with funding, selected entrepreneurs will receive training in business planning, financial management, marketing and market linkages, helping them build sustainable and scalable enterprises.
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