The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), under its Award to Reward initiative, has launched a pilot program aimed at supporting women-led MSMEs in scaling their businesses, specifically focusing on the beauty and wellness sector. The initiative, which began with a baseline study by MicroSave Consulting, identified four key sectors where over 100,000 women MSMEs operate, with beauty and wellness being one of the primary areas.
In collaboration with Urban Company, this pilot program targets women working in micro-units in the beauty industry, particularly in Delhi NCR. Twenty-five women will be selected based on specific criteria, and they will receive comprehensive training to help them grow their salon businesses. The goal is to develop scalable business templates and insights that can be expanded to support women MSMEs across India.
WEP, launched in 2018 under NITI Aayog, evolved into a public-private partnership in 2022. It connects various stakeholders from government, business, and civil society to create programs that address six essential needs for women entrepreneurs: access to finance, market linkages, training, mentoring, networking, and business development services. WEP’s collaboration with Urban Company marks a unique public-private partnership focused on empowering women in the beauty and wellness industry.