Art Business Accelerator

A single window service for women artists to setup and grow their art business in digital space. It will help the artist to focus on art and leave the task of running the business aspect of it to the accelerator.

Business accelerator program will address the problem of financial inclusion by providing one-stop and easy platform for women to start business and scale it in digital space. Once the initial set up for going digital, including online payments, is done, women entrepreneurs will be encouraged to stay in the digital course through regular training and support. Using accelerator, businesses will be listed in vertical specific aggregator platforms to ensure access to global markets (e.g. listing in Etsy by an art startup). Since the accelerator program is designed exclusively for women entrepreneurs, it will result in more women using the services. 

Art business accelerator will enable financial inclusion of female artists by handholding them to setup art startup in digital space. We have worked with fashion entrepreneurs in setting up fashion business by facilitating licenses, access to funds, digital engagement through Facebook for business and other aggregator sites, resulting in increased sales and access to global markets. Accelerator programs in the technology industry have proven to help startups launch and scale their business through funding, resources, validation, right networks and mentorship. Globally, Grameen Bank and Kudumbashree have led to better economic participation among women through exclusive women’s entrepreneur network.

1. Accelerator programs will help generate first time women entrepreneurs as the ease of doing business is improved at grass root levels. 

2. For existing entrepreneurs (including 4.1 million Kudumbashree entrepreneurs), the accelerator program will enable digital engagement, access to global markets, improved sales and optimised operation management facilitated by existing digital tools such as Google's G suite. 

3. In the pilot test, in addition to the online platform, we will utilise the wide network of Akshaya centres (http://www.akshaya.kerala.gov) as physical access points for helping the entrepreneurs to onboard the accelerator program. 

Track the number of paid users in the online platform - 1 ,00,000 entrepreneurs using the online platform to display their work/products/services.

Data from our banking partner. Please note the money will be allocated from existing schemes such as Mudra, Startup etc. WBIP will be facilitators for policy implementation through support such as proposal development, business validation etc. - Raise and allocate upto 1 million dollars to 100 entrepreneurs in the first year.

Number of applicants for the reality show and subsequent paid users in the online platform. - Create awareness on entrepreneurship and the accelerator program among 3 million women entrepreneurs through a weekly reality show that will fund women entrepreneurs.

1) We will be using the successful model of accelerator program from the tech industry and club it with digital engagement and reality television show to engage with aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs (from art industry and other verticals) to start and scale their business. 

2) Accelerator will rely on media and  online aggregator platform to create awareness and create more women entrepreneurs through a well researched and tested process using data analytics. 

Our solution addresses the gaps in the existing solutions by handholding the entrepreneurs to use aggregator platforms by facilitating offline procedures for setting up businesses. 

Our accelerator program is human-centered as we use design thinking to keep the entrepreneur as our focus. We address the real needs of entrepreneur by working with real entrepreneurs and mapping their customer journey map involved in setting up a business and scaling it in the digital space. Then accelerator is designed to address the pain points in that journey and improve the ease of doing business for future entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur then goes through the accelerator and gets her business listed in the most appropriate aggregator platform to access international markets and improved sales . 

Accelerator program will be deployed through online aggregator platform. Services are classified as basic, standard and premium based on the stage of the business. In the ideation stage, the basic package will help validate the business by promoting art/product/service among potential customers in an aggregator platform. Based on the feedback, in the standard service banking partner provides funding and the business is set up with digital engagement. In the premiums service, end-to-end services are provided to scale the business. Charges are based on the service and in low internet/digital penetration area, access will be facilitated through Akshaya centers. 

• Revenue will be generated from entrepreneurs of the accelerator program. Three types of services; basic, standard and premium are charged accordingly. 
• Relevant product placements in the multimedia content: Example: Specific schemes by private banks will be inserted on videos about access to funds. 
• In the growth stage, we can partner with various governments to deliver the intended results of their entrepreneurship development policies.
• Advertisements in the reality show for women entrepreneurs.
•  While online workshops are free, offline and certificate courses on entrepreneurship will be delivered at a cost.
• Creation of VC funds for investing in small and medium business.
• Co investing in high potential business.
• Listing fee in house aggregator platform.
• Commission on products being sold in the in house aggregator platform.
• Featured listing and ads of products/services of customers of accelerator program across various platforms.

• Collaborating with various government departments: Setting up a business requires the licenses and permits of various departments. Our solution aims at formalizing a single window service before getting the businesses in the aggregator platform.
• Digital gap among women in using various digital services. We have been working on #GoDigital iniatiave (https://www.facebook.com/GoDigitalInitiative/)  to address the same.
• Technology support in data science to understand the market demand and supply for various business verticals. Our research has shown a disproportionate interest among women entrepreneurs to start business in fashion, food tech, and beauty industry irrespective of their academic/professional background.

https://www.facebook.com/wbip.in/

http://www.eventxpress.com/devi2016/kerala/

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/viral-and-trending/310116/she-factor-invades-start-ups.html

• We are a looking for a global platform to present and validate our solution for promoting entrepreneurship among women to facilitate financial inclusion and digital engagement.
• Though our solution is built on existing business models of accelerators and aggregator platform, it is unique in its implementation and therefore we are looking for experienced business leaders and mentors to help us pilot and implement the solution.
• Our solution can be scaled globally and we are looking for partners in solve community to help us scale our solution across the globe.

The Centre for India & Global Business at Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, has supported us with mentorship and networks that helped us design our solution. 

StartupGrind, in 2015-2016, we brought together entrepreneurs to connect with innovators in government, private sector and academia. 

Not applicable.