WeScale+

Raise funding, financing and investment and grow your company with our 4 week intensive program for Women Entrepreneurs.
Part of SARDI, an initiative of USAID

Run by a team of funders, investors and ex-founders, WeScale+ is a 4-week intensive program designed to support Women Entrepreneurs to raise investment and scale. Interested in WeScale+?

Join our prep program WeScale first.

Why do Women Entrepreneurs need this program?

Common problems faced by Women Founders and Entrepreneurs include a lack of access to a network of mentors, supporters and peers and growth. For example, Women Entrepreneurs raise just 2% of VC funding. WeScale+ aims to close these gaps and help women entrepreneurs who run tech enabled (use a database? That’s tech enabled) and tech focused companies to grow, source financing and adapt their businesses by providing 1-1 support.

The Program

  • A 4-week high touch program that is customised for women entrepreneurs.

    Each week includes:

    • 1-1 coaching from an experienced Entrepreneur in Residence

    • In person symposium with funders, investors, mentors, fellow founders and program managers designed to facilitate long term relationships and funding opportunities.

    • Pitching and fundraising clinics to help you tell your entrepreneur journey and get you investor ready.

  • The WeScale program network includes SAFAL Partners, India Accelerator, Lankan Angel Network, Bangladesh Angels Network and Accelerating Asia. It also includes SARDI’s network of programs.

    Each partner brings experience in operations, entrepreneurship, supporting women founders to grow and scale, raising investment and impact measurement. When you join the program, you get access to this full network and bank of expertise and knowledge to support your business.

  • Every entrepreneur needs a network because it takes a community to build a solid business.

    The program connects entrepreneurs to funders, government, investors, potential clients, fellow entrepreneurs and mentors during networking sessions. All designed to facilitate long term connections so that you, as female founders have a network for present and future growth.

  • Run by a group of partners from across the South Asia region with international networks and footprints. Program participants become part of an international network of women entrepreneurs. Our international network gives you a plug and play network to support and fast track your expansion.

  • Become a part of the WeScale and partner community with access to a founder and mentor network across 5 countries.

  • Women-led companies that have tech focused products or tech enabled.

    Companies that are preparing to fundraise and raise investment or have raised early angel or grant funding.

    Companies with a product or service in market that is currently used by customers.

    Have initial traction that indicates early signs of revenue, have investor/funder interest or maybe have even raised early investment in the form of grants, angel investment or financing.

    We recommend you join WeScale, our 12 week virtual program to prepare you for WeScale+

Armin Zaman Khan, Co-Founder, Romoni, Bangladesh

“Entrepreneurship programs helped us to re-evaluate our business model and our 2-3-5 year goals for growth and fundraising”

Arasi Arul, Co-Founder, 60Plus, India

“My journey with 60PlusIndia has been amazing so far. What we do is beyond just making money. Our experience with entrepreneur programs was one of the most informative and educational one.”

FAQs

  • WeScale+ is run by a team of experienced partners who are the entrepreneurship leaders in their ecosystem. The partners have investing in 100+ companies across the region. Each partner brings expertise and knowledge to the program and a network of funders, partners and mentors to help you fundraise from different capital providers.

  • No the WeScale’s Women Entrepreneurs program is free for women owned startups.

  • No, this program does not include a direct investment from the program partners at this stage.

  • To be eligible to join the program, you need to be a women-owned/led company that is from Bangladesh, India, Nepal or Sri Lanka.

    You should be an early stage small-medium business that has a tech component. We are looking for tech focused or enable enterprises that have a product, customers and are getting ready to seek funding - grants, investment or financing and grow their customer base and market footprint.

  • The 4-week, WeScale+ program is for 20 high potential women entrepreneurs. It is a hybrid program which includes a week long in person forum with investors, partners and mentors from across the region.

About SARDI

SARDI propels digital connectivity and economic development in South Asia by strengthening the digital capacity of MSMEs, raising awareness around critical cybersecurity issues, and fostering opportunities for MSMEs and governments to engage on digital and ICT policy issues.

WeScale is a Digital Frontiers program, part of SARDI by the USAID’s Innovation, and Research (ITR) Hub, Technology Division (ITR/T), implemented in partnership with DAI.

A network of International Partners