The Indian School of Business (ISB), through its Centre for Business Innovation, has joined hands with ANSR Foundation and SAFA Society to launch EmpowHer, a structured capacity-building programme for women-led micro-enterprises in Hyderabad.
The initiative addresses a critical gap: women entrepreneurs with strong products and local market knowledge nonetheless lack access to financial systems, formal credit, digital tools, and growth frameworks.
The programme is spearheaded by ANSR Foundation and focuses on creating dignified economic pathways for women through mentorship, financial access, and community-led growth, as a natural extension of the organization’s support for underserved women.
EmpowHer begins with a diagnostic assessment of each participating enterprise, evaluating strengths and gaps across operations, skills, and customer reach. Targeted support is then delivered through structured learning sessions and hands-on guidance across three focus areas:
Financial literacy: cash flow tracking, profit calculation, break-even analysis, and credit readiness
Business growth: branding, packaging, pricing, and value communication
Digital enablement: tools for visibility, payments, and customer access
The programme will also include an impact measurement framework to track enterprise-level changes over time, with findings shared through case studies, policy briefs, and knowledge platforms.
Implementation lead SAFA Society brings nearly two decades of on-the-ground experience working with women in Hyderabad, with deep expertise in micro-entrepreneurship and Self Help Groups.
“Women micro-entrepreneurs often carry sharp business instincts, but they may not always have access to the systems, language, and support that help an enterprise grow. This programme is designed to bridge that gap in a practical way. We are starting by understanding each business closely, then working with the entrepreneurs on finance, pricing, packaging, credit readiness, and digital access. For us at ISB, this is also an opportunity to learn from their lived experience and build insights that can inform better models for women-led enterprise development,” said Anvesh Thirukovalluru, Associate Director, ISB Centre for Business Innovation, Indian School of Business.
“For many women running small businesses, growth is about being able to plan better, speak with more confidence, access credit without fear, and build something that gives their families a stronger future. At ANSR Foundation, we wanted this initiative to go beyond training sessions and create support that women can actually use in their everyday business decisions. Our partnership with ISB and SAFA Society brings together practical learning, financial readiness, digital tools, and market access in a way that respects where these entrepreneurs are today and helps them take the next step with confidence,” said Caroline Fernandez-Ahuja, Managing Director, ANSR Foundation.
Implementation of this vision will be critical to the success stated Rubina N F, Founder/President, SAFA Society. “We have embarked on a new partnership with ANSR Foundation in a region where women continue to face deep social and economic barriers. Through this initiative, our vision is to enable sustainable livelihoods by supporting women-led micro-entrepreneurship and building pathways toward long-term economic resilience. As the policy focus on financial inclusion continues to grow, this programme becomes even more relevant, helping women move beyond skills training toward greater access, agency, and participation in the formal financial ecosystem,” she said.
Beyond the classroom, ISB will contribute to a growing body of knowledge on the structural barriers that shape women’s economic participation in India’s evolving economy. The programme will include an impact measurement and learning framework to track changes in participating enterprises over time.
These insights, along with broader research on structural barriers to women’s economic empowerment, will be shared through case studies, policy briefs, and knowledge platforms, reflecting ISB’s longstanding commitment to translating rigorous academic inquiry into meaningful community impact.
Through this partnership, ISB, ANSR Foundation, and SAFA Society aim to strengthen women-led enterprises in ways that are practical, measurable, and rooted in the lived realities of micro-entrepreneurs.
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