Women entrepreneurs showcased their products, shared their business journeys and deliberated on market access, finance and digital opportunities at a conference held in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. The event, Celebrating Women Entrepreneurs: Urban Ecosystem and Grassroots Leadership, brought together entrepreneurs, industry representatives, ecosystem enablers and community organisations to discuss ways of strengthening women-led enterprises.

The event was organised by the Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME) and Aspire For Her (AFH), with the Women’s Wing of the Visakhapatnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) serving as a partner.

Member of Parliament M. Sribharat along with VMRDA Commissioner N. Tej Bharath attend the event and joined discussions on strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem for women in the region.

During the panel discussions and spotlight sessions women entrepreneurs shared their experiences. The deliberations examined challenges faced by women in business and explored pathways for scaling enterprises through stronger market connections and institutional support.

The exhibition zone was an attraction at the conference, with entrepreneurs showcasing products ranging from handicrafts to food-based enterprises. Among the participants were Arra Pottery, which displayed ceramic ware, Sankalpa Art Village and the Visakhapatnam Town Fisherwomen Dry Fish Cooperative Society, one of the oldest Fishermen Farmer Producer Organisations (FFPOs) in the region. Registered in 1987, the cooperative has 164 women members engaged in processing and marketing dry fish.

Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the event, GAME programme director Subhash Kiran said that entrepreneurship flourishes when local ecosystems work together. “Through collaborations with community organisations, industry and market partners, we are working to help women entrepreneurs move beyond subsistence livelihoods and build enterprises that can scale and access larger markets,” he added.

Divya Sampath of Aspire For Her said that the organisation’s nationwide network is working to widen opportunities for women entrepreneurs. “Aspire For Her is a community of 1.2 million women. In collaboration with GAME, we are implementing the Hamsafal programme to strengthen entrepreneurial journeys and create access to opportunities,” she said.

The conference featured keynote addresses, entrepreneur success stories, buyer-seller interactions and networking sessions.