POWERED Accelerator Selects Nine Women Entrepreneurs in the Energy Domain for Second Cohort


Continuing its efforts in assisting women entrepreneurs in the energy domain, Powered Accelerator, an entrepreneurship programme centred on sustainable development goals of energy & diversity has chosen nine women to be a part of its second cohort. It will give them financial & business aid to support them grow their businesses and give access to energy solutions across India.

Speaking on the occasion, Sam Parker, Director, Shell Foundation, says “At Shell Foundation, we are proud to support the continued progress of the POWERED Accelerator, helping female entrepreneurs working on innovative off-grid energy access technologies. We believe this 2nd cohort can be transformative in building long-term business solutions to meet India’s off-grid energy needs, delivering employment and new technologies that will positively improve the lives and livelihoods of people in low-income rural and urban areas.”

The top nine women elected for the Second Cohort were chosen from a combined application pool of 150+ applications. The entrepreneurs were assessed based on the applicant’s background, problem solution fit, clarity of thought, innovativeness, the scale of impact, and programme fit. The picked entrepreneurs will get assistance for one year to ascend their business including a 4-week residential mentoring programme and access to an equity-free seed fund up to USD 10,000 each.

The nine women entrepreneurs selected By POWERED are: Dr. Vanita Prasad, Founder & Director, REVY Environmental Solutions, Monika Jha, Founder & CEO, Cydee Technologies, Debashree Padhi, CEO, DD Biosolution Technology, Bhavana Chittawar, Head - Business Development & Product Development, FinEffi Energy Solutions, Manvi Dhawan, CEO & CFO, GTarang Energy Solutions, Susmita Bhattacharjee, MD & Founder, Pushan Renewable Energy, Vidya Amarnath, Director, Paterson Energy, Disha Ahuja, Founder, Prakriti Biosystems Engineering, and Rukmani Katara, CEO, Durga Energy.

Started in April last year by Shell Foundation & Zone Startups, and supported by DFID India (UK Government) & DST Government of India, the programme has hosted its first cohort comprising 10 startups, extended equity-free seed fund of USD 10,000 to six startups and hosted a Bootcamp for five very early-stage startups. 

A joint initiative, POWERED Accelerator operates to help elected ventures, by supporting them expand their innovative and consumer-responsive services, products, and financing. It looks to empower women-owned and managed businesses in the energy space. The accelerator programme's goal is to help women-led ventures by supporting them grow their innovative and consumer-responsive products & services. The accelerator is concentrated on the core themes - access to energy, sustainable mobility, waste to value, energy efficiency, and smart energy solutions. Spread over three months, the accelerator curriculum will cover mentorship, peer community building, one-on-one interactions with industry specialists & investors, exhibition opportunity, and other sundry services & support.

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