Founded and funded by Dr Romesh Wadhwani, the founder, Chairman, and CEO of Symphony Technology Group, the Wadhwani Foundation is working to accelerate entrepreneurship in emerging economies. The Foundation funds not-for-profit efforts that inspire, educate and support new entrepreneurs, and create environments where they can succeed. Its mission is to help individuals reach their full potential, regardless of background.
The Foundation sees entrepreneurs as critical drivers of economic growth, and entrepreneurship as an important tool for self-improvement. “The economic greatness of a country is fuelled by the strength and vitality of its entrepreneurs. India has the raw entrepreneurship potential to make it one of the world’s fastest growing economies. However, to unleash this potential, we need to actively encourage, mentor and support our first generation entrepreneurs, which is what we are attempting to do through this Foundation,” says Romesh Wadhwani.
The Foundation has set up the National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN), a network of leading Indian academic institutions. The WCED actively supports the activities of this network. The NEN performs research and develops and delivers world-class education, skill-building programmes, networking activities and company-starting assistance to new, high-growth entrepreneurs. The goal of NEN is to launch 2,500 entrepreneurs who will create a minimum of 500,000 jobs by 2014. This will create as much value for the Indian economy over the next 10 years as the IT industry has over the past 15.
Research performed by NEN partners will increase understanding of the needs, contributions and characteristics of entrepreneurs and their ventures. This in turn will allow for the development of ever-more effective world-class offerings tailored for emerging markets. NEN Partners and NEN Affiliates will offer courses, course content and cases, experiential learning opportunities such as internship, networking events, mentorship programmes, and company starting assistance including incubation.
Every participating institution will be able to leverage the resources created by other NEN partners, allowing for enhanced offerings. Participation in joint activities creates opportunities for larger networks, and continued sharing of ideas. The NEN interaction will significantly enhance the effectiveness, quality, scale and reach of each individual participant in the network.
For more details on the Wadhwani Foundation and the National Entrepreneurship Network, please visit http://www.nenindia.org/
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