Telangana sets up council to promote women-led businesses ahead of Global Summit
The council, chaired by Minister for Panchayat Raj, Rural Development and Women and Child Welfare D Anasuya Seethakka, has WE Hub CEO Sita Pallacholla as its Member Convenor.
It brings together policymakers, women entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and ecosystem leaders to identify measures to improve access to policy support, markets, capital and business networks for women-led enterprises.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of women-founded startups accounting for about 0.97 per cent of private capital raised in India in 2025, according to DealStreetAsia’s funding review.
The council will deliberate on measures to strengthen the participation of women entrepreneurs in the economy, with a focus on positioning women-led enterprises as drivers of economic competitiveness rather than merely as beneficiaries of welfare schemes, the government said.
The council’s work will be organised under four pillars: — Policy and Institutional Leadership, led by Divya Devarajan, CEO of SERP/MEPMA; Urban Innovation and Entrepreneurship, led by Naiyya Saggi, Founder and CEO of EDT; Social Impact and Inclusive Enterprise, led by Harish Hande, Founder and Managing Director of SELCO; and Capital, Investment and Corporate Partnerships, led by Ankita Vashistha, Founder and Managing Partner of Arise Ventures.
Each pillar will examine what needs to change, who can implement the proposed measures, what Telangana can test over the next 12 to 24 months and which initiatives can be scaled up.
The council’s recommendations will be compiled into a white paper on the state of women’s entrepreneurship, to be released at the Global Summit, with Ernst & Young (EY) as the publication partner.
The recommendations are expected to guide the Ministries of ITE&C, Industries and Commerce, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, and Women and Child Welfare in implementing measures through the State machinery, with WE Hub serving as the nodal agency.
Seethakka said women entrepreneurs across urban and rural Telangana needed better access to capital, markets and supportive policies.
The council would work towards removing barriers and encouraging investors, lenders and corporates to view women-led businesses as viable investment opportunities, she added.
Pallacholla said the council would seek to convert discussions on access to capital, customers and networks into actionable recommendations for the State government.
WE Hub is a State Government-led institution dedicated to supporting women-led enterprises through access to capital, markets and mentorship.
