MoU signed between Maharashtra State Innovation Society and Udaiti Foundation to strengthen support for women-led businesses
Mumbai, October 2026 : Maharashtra will establish a Women’s Startup Hub to promote female entrepreneurship and strengthen the ecosystem for women-led businesses across the state, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Maharashtra State Innovation Society, under the Department of Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the Udaiti Foundation to develop the initiative.
The partnership aims to create a more supportive environment for women entrepreneurs by improving their access to finance, markets and business support services. Under the agreement, the Maharashtra State Innovation Society and Udaiti Foundation will work as technical and knowledge partners to help establish a state-based Women’s Startup Hub.
Fadnavis expressed confidence that the initiative would strengthen the economic empowerment of women across Maharashtra.
The agreement was signed by Dr Shrikanth Patil, Chief Executive Officer of the Maharashtra State Innovation Society, and Pooja Sharma Goyal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Udaiti Foundation, under the leadership of Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha.
The proposed hub will serve as a coordinating platform within Maharashtra’s startup ecosystem. It will bring together government departments, ecosystem partners and support organisations to expand opportunities for women entrepreneurs and help them navigate the resources available to start and grow their businesses.
A key component of the partnership will be the development and implementation of an accelerator model specifically designed for women-led enterprises in Maharashtra.
Through this accelerator, Udaiti Foundation will provide technical assistance to the Maharashtra State Innovation Society in areas such as mentorship, industry requirements, access to finance, market linkages and coordination with various state and Central government schemes. The initiative is expected to help women-led businesses overcome barriers to growth and improve their prospects for long-term sustainability.
The partnership will also work towards developing and institutionalising a Women’s Startup Index for Maharashtra. The index will track progress in women’s entrepreneurship using gender-disaggregated data across government departments and districts.
The proposed index is expected to strengthen evidence-based policymaking, improve coordination among departments and help authorities identify gaps in support for women entrepreneurs.
A governance dashboard will also be developed to monitor the performance of government departments and districts. The dashboard will facilitate periodic reviews and enable officials to make informed decisions based on data.
In addition, the partnership will support the establishment of an interdepartmental steering committee to guide implementation of the Women’s Startup Index and strengthen coordination among government institutions.
Capacity-building initiatives will be undertaken to improve the use of gender-disaggregated data in decision-making by the Maharashtra State Innovation Society and relevant departments. The collaboration will also generate knowledge resources and inform policy decisions based on the implementation and outcomes of the accelerator programme and the Women’s Startup Index.
Pooja Sharma Goyal, CEO of Udaiti Foundation, said the MoU would contribute to women’s economic empowerment and help strengthen institutional mechanisms to encourage women’s leadership across the state.
About Udaiti Foundation
Udaiti Foundation works to accelerate women’s participation in India’s economic and business landscape. In collaboration with state governments and private-sector companies, the organisation aims to bring 156 million women who are capable of working but currently unemployed into the workforce.
Its efforts focus on removing barriers that prevent women from accessing employment and strengthening the entrepreneurship ecosystem so that women can establish and expand businesses that generate jobs.
The foundation also works to improve access to essential infrastructure and support systems, including housing, mobility and childcare, through data-driven platforms.
These initiatives are intended to advance women’s economic participation and contribute to India’s broader national vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047, or ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.
