FLO Mumbai, under the leadership of Chairperson Ms. Seema Saroj, in collaboration with the Maharashtra State Innovation Society, hosted a STEM Innovation and Rural Entrepreneurship session,” focused on strengthening innovation-led entrepreneurship across the state, with a special emphasis on women and youth.
The event featured speakers: Dr. Sujata Seshadrinathan – Vertical Head STEM & Co-Founder & Director, Basiz Fund Service Pvt. Ltd., and Dr. Shrikant Patil – CEO, Maharashtra State Innovation Society, who discussed key areas, such as agriculture and food processing, rural livelihoods and crafts, digital enablement and e-commerce, sustainable and eco-friendly solutions, and health and wellness-based rural enterprises
The session explored a structured partnership between FLO Mumbai and Maharashtra State Innovation Society to connect industry, innovation, and government ecosystems for entrepreneurship development. Also, rural innovation emerged as a key area of interest, particularly from Dr. Shrikant Patil’s perspective, with a focus on creating grassroots, scalable solutions.
Key Discussion Points
- Collaboration Framework
Exploring a structured partnership to connect industry, innovation, and government ecosystems for entrepreneurship development. Plan roundtables and stakeholder engagements. Explore pathways for scalable rural innovation models.
- Rural Innovation Focus
Rural innovation emerged as a key area of interest, particularly from Dr. Shrikant Patil’s perspective, with a focus on creating grassroots, scalable solutions.
- Women & Youth Empowerment
Building opportunities for women and youth in rural Maharashtra to become innovators and entrepreneurs.
- Approach
Integrating skilling, incubation, entrepreneurship, and market access to create sustainable impact.
- Pilot Model
Proposal to initiate a district-level pilot program, which can be scaled across Maharashtra.
Impact & Outcome
Around 250 attendees participated in the meaningful dialogue related to strengthening STEM innovation and entrepreneurship in the rural areas of Maharashtra. More programs and capacity-building sessions are expected to be held under the potential collaboration of FLO Mumbai and Maharashtra State Innovation Society. The session is a part of FLO Mumbai’s efforts towards empowering women entrepreneurs at the grassroots level via scalable solutions.