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India
On April 23rd, 2018 Walmart India, the wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart Inc., announced the culmination of the second edition of the Women Entrepreneurship Development Program (WEDP 2.0) in partnership with WEConnect International in India, Amity University, and Thinkthrough Consulting. The graduation ceremony brought together sixty-one women business owners at the T-Hub, Campus in Hyderabad to celebrate in the presence of government officials, corporate leaders, academia, start-ups and other women entrepreneurs.
The WEDP was created to enhance the skills and capabilities of women entrepreneurs to build strong and sustainable businesses. The program utilizes subject matter experts to implement capacity-building training and mentorship opportunities for participants. Training modules cover key areas of growth for women entrepreneurs including marketing, finance, business strategy, operations, legal and compliance, and social networking.
Several individuals in Walmart’s leadership attended the ceremony, including Krish Iyer, President and CEO of Walmart, India who announced the corporation’s commitment to fund a third edition of the training program. “WEDP has grown over the past two years and has become our flagship program with a vision of ushering in an inclusive eco-system for women entrepreneurs,” said Iyer. “It is my privilege to announce that we will we soon launch the third edition of WEDP.”
Elizabeth Vazquez, CEO and Co-Founder of WEConnect International, joined the celebration, through a video presentation to provide the graduation’s keynote address. “WEConnect International is grateful to Walmart for having partnered consecutively for the second year. This program is a great success story not just for corporates in India, but to everyone across the globe that cares about women’s economic progress.”
The first iteration of the WEDP was launched in 2016, with WEConnect International, which graduated 32 women entrepreneurs in spring 2017. WEConnect International continues to partner with Walmart, one of its global corporate members, to help further the company’s commitment to double sourcing spend from Women-Owned Businesses around the globe.
