30+ women ecopreneurs showcase innovative green ideas in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: More than 30 women ecopreneurs showcased innovative green ideas and projects during an event titled ‘Bridging Gaps to Emerging Solutions’ held in Bengaluru at Bangalore Creative Circus. The event, organised by the #GreenHustlers initiative in association with Bharat Climate Startup, provided a capacious platform for concepts that can potentially support India’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On International Women’s Day, when the theme of Investing in Women: Accelerate Progress takes precedence the world over, such a platform created a conducive environment to women-led businesses and startups to have access to opportunities in various ways.

The keynote panel discussion was centred on exploring synergies between the public sector, private investors, and climate startups. It also provided insights into potential collaborations that could accelerate the development and deployment of innovative climate and funding solutions. Additionally, it highlighted successful case studies and offered suggestions about how to navigate the funding landscape.

Kalyani Krishna, Manager, Gender Inclusion at Villgro shared, “Incubators can play a role in supporting entrepreneurs. They need to tap into the right kind of incubator based on the stage of their business and the support needed. At Villgro, we have been supporting social enterprises with access to markets, impact financing and business mentoring through their various programs and case studies.”

The Bengaluru summit also featured a special session that offered startups the invaluable opportunity to showcase their solutions in front of an audience comprising potential investors, partners, and various other stakeholders in the business of climate. “Collaboration and co-creation is key if innovation has to thrive. This was a great space to connect and network with like minded folks. The climate and sustainability space is still very nascent. We need a lot of these to happen if sustainability and climate action in business has to take off!”, said *Sonika Choudhury, Fellow at People + AI.*

A rapid presentation segment was another highlight of the event, which provided innovative solutions via fast paced presentations and ideas. The startups were challenged to condense their value proposition and vision into a 90-second pitch. The session not only tested the entrepreneurs ability to communicate effectively under pressure but also revealed technically advanced solutions that are all set to enrich India’s climate startup ecosystem.

In another session, participants engaged in an interactive learning activity focused on crafting compelling narratives for their startups through storytelling.

The summit concluded with an interactive and participatory event, during which the audience voted to select their favourite pitch. #GreenHustlers, a Purpose Climate Lab initiative, is a pioneering movement aimed at nurturing an inclusive and dynamic climate startup ecosystem in India.