Bangalore: As part of the 10th anniversary celebration of its Management Programme for Women Entrepreneurs (MPWE), the N S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore is organizing a meet for Alumnae and Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) on February 21, 2014 between 3:00 pm and 6:30 pm at the IIMB Auditorium.

Based on the theme of ‘Step up & Scale up – Shattering Myths About Scaling up’, the event will bring together leading entrepreneurs, experts from academia, venture capitalists and aspiring entrepreneurs to reflect on the opportunities and challenges for women entrepreneurs.

One of the more significant challenges faced by entrepreneurs in general and women entrepreneurs in particular has been that of managing growth.  This could be because of cultural barriers, institutional barriers or even thought barriers.

The program will have a keynote address and a panel discussion based on the theme of scaling up. The interactive session with entrepreneurs will provide insights into what the real barriers are and what may just be myths holding back many women from setting up a business or scaling up.

The panelists include Meena Ganesh, Founder and CEO of PorteaMedical; Sucharita Eashwar, Executive Director WEConnect International; Revathy Ashok, former MD Tishman Speyer; Anjana Vivek, Co-Founder VentureBeam Consulting; and Meera K, Co-founder of Citizen Matters.

For NSRCEL, launching AWE is in line with its mission of fostering entrepreneurship. The power of networking, collaboration and mentoring goes a long way in encouraging entrepreneurs and AWE @ NSRCEL intends to be a platform for the same. It is also an opportunity for the MPWE Alumnae to stay connected and plug into a vibrant and supportive ecosystem that they can leverage on even after graduation.