The Telangana government has convened a Women Entrepreneurs Executive Council to identify ways to improve women-led businesses’ access to capital, markets, policy support and business networks ahead of the Invest Telangana Global Summit 2026.
The summit is scheduled for December 7–9 at Bharat Future City, Hyderabad. The council is chaired by Women and Child Welfare Minister D. Anasuya Seethakka, with WE Hub CEO Sita Pallacholla as member convenor. It brings together policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors and corporate representatives to develop recommendations for strengthening women’s entrepreneurship in the state.
The council will work through four pillars: Policy and Institutional Leadership, led by Divya Devarajan, CEO of SERP/MEPMA; Urban Innovation and Entrepreneurship, led by Naiyya Saggi, founder and CEO of EDT; Social Impact and Inclusive Enterprise, led by Harish Hande, founder and managing director of SELCO; and Capital, Investment and Corporate Partnerships, led by Ankita Vashistha, founder and managing partner of Arise Ventures.
Each pillar will identify changes needed, the stakeholders responsible, initiatives Telangana could test over the next 12 to 24 months, and measures that could be scaled. The findings are expected to inform a white paper on women’s entrepreneurship, to be released at the summit with EY as publication partner.
Seethakka said women entrepreneurs across cities, villages and self-help group networks needed better access to finance, markets and supportive policies. She said the council would seek to position women-led businesses as an opportunity for economic growth and competitiveness, with WE Hub serving as the government’s nodal agency.
Pallacholla said the council would focus on practical measures to address gaps in access to capital, customers and networks. Its recommendations are intended to support implementation through the departments of ITE&C, Industries and Commerce, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, and Women and Child Welfare.
The government cited a DealStreetAsia funding review that found startups founded solely by women raised about 0.97% of private capital in India in 2025, underscoring the funding gap the council aims to address.
