LetsVenture, an early stage platform for investors and founders has established a new program called Women Founders Network (WFN) for women entrepreneurs in India to help build and run disruptive startups.
The announcement follows the firm’s launch of the Women Investor Network (WIN) in 2021, which saw over 100 women from various backgrounds participate in the last year, including entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, engineering, finance, and more.
“LetsVenture plans to onboard about 1000 women founders and investors on the platform in the next one year’s time through this initiative,” the release said.
“Last year we decided we would start an initiative based on the low number of women investors. The Women Investor Network gave us 3x the numbers we had aspired for. The learning has been that if we create cohort based, safe space for learning for women we will see returns,” said Shanti Mohan, cofounder & CEO, LetsVenture.
The programme will focus on providing personalised mentoring, focused product support, fundraising through LetsVenture’s network of founders and investors. As part of the programme, 10 pre-seed/seed stage startups will be selected and matched with a startup founder and a super angel from the LetsVenture portfolio who will serve as these founders’ mentors.
“Apart from this, recipients will also have access to curated sessions, and support from LetsVenture’s India portfolio specialists, across hiring, legal, finance, product, technology and marketing as well. They will also help founders to raise funds,” it said.
LetsVenture is a fundraising marketplace founded in 2013 with Accel, Chiratae Ventures, Nandan Nilekani, Ratan Tata, Rishad Premji, Mohandas Pai, Sharad Sharma, and Anupam Mittal as investors.
So far, entrepreneurs have raised over Rs 2,800 crore in 527 rounds, with 29 Syndicates, over 10,000 Angel Investors from 60 countries, and 100 Micro VC Funds on the platform.