AIBC lends support to The Virangana Project on International Women’s Day

The Virangana Project, a Not-For-Profit initiative aimed at bridging the gap between the Australian and India women’s Start-Up communities, is very pleased to announce the support of the Australia India Business Council (AIBC) Women in Business (WIB) Chapter on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

The Project is backed by Sydney-based corporate advisory firm CEO Strategic, who, working with the Project’s Co-Founder Ms. Shalini Chouham (a Human Rights lawyer and Women’s Advocate) aims to canvass some 45,000 Indian universities, colleges and technical schools to uncover 12 of the countries most promising women entrepreneurs and start-up founders, pair them with high profile Australian women entrepreneurs and executive Mentors, and then fly them to Australia where they will attend a series of Indian-themed ‘Pitch Fests’, where they will present their ideas to an audience of interested Bankers, Entrepreneurs, Angel Investors and VCs.

Co-Founder and CEO of The Project, Ms. Shalini Chouhan said that “Despite their high levels of educational and technological savvy, Indian women are still finding it extremely difficult to raise equity investment in India, and projects such as these will ensure that our brightest people remain in India, rather than being forced to head to other technological hubs such as Silicone Valley, London or Singapore.”

Ms. Chouhan added that “The Virangana – a famous warrior women in Hindu mythology was the inspiration for the project, and we are seeing a lot of Virangan women coming forward in support of their sisters. So far, support from the Australian business community and government has been very heartening, and we have also had a great deal of interest coming out of the Indian Government’s own Invest India initiative.”

The Project is busy building a team of successful women on its Advisory Board, and this includes the recent appointment of Ms. Anmol Saini (a highly qualified Finance executive and former winner of a U.N. award for her MBA at Sydney University) as the Board’s Chairperson.

Australia India Business Council Women in Business National Chair, Ms Sheba Nandkeolyar said: “On the occasion of International Women’s Day – a day to recognise the outstanding achievements of women around the world – AIBC WIB is proud to support The Virangana Project. I encourage AIBC members and AIBC WIB members to participate in this worthwhile initiative.”

AIBC is the peak, bilateral business council facilitating and promoting trade and investment between Australia and India. AIBC’s WIB Chapter members have a strong interest in or are actively engaged in bilateral business, and the vision of AIBC WIB 50-50 is to encourage equal gender representation of all businesses in the bilateral India-Australia space.