Britannia Industries Ltd. (BIL) has awarded a seed capital of ₹10 lakh each to women entrepreneurs from different walks of life to achieve their dreams by kick-starting their entrepreneurial journey.
Britannia Marie Gold My Startup is an initiative of BIL that empowers aspiring homemakers to fuel their entrepreneurial dreams, become financially independent and transform themselves into job creators, Vinay Subramanyam, head, marketing, BIL told The Hindu.
In the second edition, it had attracted over 1.5 million applications from 32 States and Union territories. Over 25% of the entries came in via WhatsApp. Following weeks of deliberation by an external jury who mulled over lakhs of applications, the Britannia Marie Gold team shortlisted 50 finalists and 10 were declared finalists.
Out of the ten winners , three are from Tamil Nadu. Narmatha Vasanthan from Thanjavur plans to start a computer training centre, P. Archana from Coimbatore wants to open a science museum for kids there and R. Sumathi of Kancheepuram’s desire is to open a professional eye care clinic in her village. They were all part of the ‘Britannia Marie Gold My Start Up Initiative 2.0 Entrepreneurial Women.’
“One successful woman entrepreneur opens a wide window of opportunities for many, as was proven by our last year’s winners. We are delighted that through this initiative, we are introducing to the entrepreneurial world 10 more homepreneurs and skilling 10,000 homemakers to power their entrepreneurial journey,” he said.
“This is a very important initiative for Britannia driven by one of our flagship brands, Britannia Marie Gold. In its current edition, the initiative is touching the lives of over 10, 000 women and their families and we are privileged to be able to do so. Britannia is committed to provide a platform for aspiring women entrepreneurs to present their business ideas and stand a chance to gain financial help and skill development to set off on their entrepreneurial journey,” said Gunjan Shah, chief commercial officer, BIL.
Besides, BIL will also provide 10,000 homemakers access to customised online skill development programe. It is being done in partnership with National Skill Development Corporation. The online course imparts these homemakers with the necessary entrepreneurial skills, boosting their confidence as they take their first step towards a self-reliant future. Britannia is confident that many of the homemakers who undergo the skill development training will move on to become entrepreneurs.
During the COVID-19 period, the Britannia Marie Gold brand has grown by 1.5 times so far, said Mr. Subramanyam as most people remained indoors boosting consumption.
According to him, Britannia Marie Gold is a 60-year-old favourite brand of homemakers and was the third largest biscuit brand in the country.