FLO Mumbai, under the leadership of Chairperson Pooja Arambhan Tiwari, hosted an engaging afternoon in partnership with Dun & Bradstreet and Standard Chartered Bank to jointly launch the second edition of the Women Entrepreneurship Optimism Index (WEOI / SC WIN Index), with Dun & Bradstreet as research partner.
This collaboration marks a significant elevation of FLO’s role in research-led women’s enterprise development and policy advocacy. Held at Sofitel, BKC, this session featured esteemed guest speakers: Ms. Rhea Kapoor – Producer, Entrepreneur & Cultural Visionary, Ms. Neha Singh – Co-Founder, Tracxn, and Ms. Archana Karthik – Executive Director & Regional Head (SME West), Standard Chartered Bank.
With over 180 years of legacy in business intelligence, analytics, and risk-decisioning, Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) provides data-driven solutions to institutions around the world. Their role adds rigorous credibility to the Index and to FLO’s research output.
Standard Chartered Bank, with deep presence in India and a long-standing commitment to inclusive finance and women-led business growth, spearheads the Women Entrepreneurship Optimism Index (WEOI) under its Women’s International Network (SC WIN).
The Index measures confidence across five dimensions: business performance, access to finance, skill development, digital adoption, and government/network support.
Notable findings:
- The composite index rose to 72.86 in April–June 2025 from 68.93 in Oct–Dec 2024.
- Women entrepreneurs in Tier 2 cities showed higher optimism for digital adoption than their Tier 1 counterparts.
This Index is becoming a key tool for policymakers, banks, and enterprises focused on women-led growth.
Cultural Opening
The afternoon commenced with a classical dance performance, celebrating India’s rich artistic heritage and setting a tone of cultural elegance and empowerment.
Fireside Chat – Leadership Stories That Matter (Taken the Fireside under Startup & Entrepreneurship – FYI)
Moderator: Chairperson Pooja Arambhan Tiwari
Panelists: Rhea Kapoor · Archana Karthik
Highlights of the Fireside Chat
- Rhea Kapoor discussed how she moved from creative production and fashion into entrepreneurship, emphasising the importance of consistency, narrative authenticity, and scaling a brand with purpose.
- She spoke candidly about risk-taking, failure, and how building a strong personal brand enabled her to pivot into new domains.
- Archana Karthik delved into the institutional side: how banks and financial institutions need to evolve to support women-led enterprises. She discussed the challenges of access to credit, the importance of mentorship, and how SME banking is changing.
- The conversation explored resilience — both personal and business — and how women entrepreneurs must build networks, adapt quickly, and use purpose as a differentiator.
- A recurring theme was collaboration: how creative vision (Rhea) and institutional enablement (Archana) complement each other, and how FLO members can leverage both.
- Pooja Arambhan Tiwari drew parallels between the two fields — creative enterprise and banking/finance — and guided the discussion to actionable takeaways: focus on clarity of vision, stakeholder alignment, and continuous learning.
Keynote Address by Neha Singh
Neha Singh delivered an insight-rich keynote, covering:
- How to recognise market gaps and build intelligence-led solutions.
- Using data (Tracxn) to anticipate scale, funding trends, and ecosystem shifts.
- Leadership lessons: mindset, culture, team building, resilience.
- Reflections on female founders in India: what’s working, what’s not, and how to stay ahead.
Her session was widely regarded by attendees as one of the most strategically useful of the year.
MOU Signing Ceremony
The signing of an exclusive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between FICCI FLO Mumbai, Standard Chartered Bank, and Dun & Bradstreet was a core highlight.
Key Elements of the MOU
- Annual publication of the Women Entrepreneurship Optimism Index in partnership with FLO.
- Co-publication of deep-dive research reports on women-led enterprise trends.
- Access for FLO members to insights, data, workshops, and institutional networks.
- Strengthening FLO’s position as a research-driven platform for women entrepreneurs.
This collaboration marks a next-generation step for FLO Mumbai—not only hosting events but generating actionable insights and policy-relevant research.
Impact & Significance
- Research-Led Advocacy
Through the jointly launched WEOI, FLO now has empirical data to support advocacy, funding, policy-making, and ecosystem building for women-led businesses.
- Member Empowerment
Attendees gained:
- Strategic insights into scaling, leadership, and finance.
- Access to new partnership networks.
- Research insights that can inform their ventures.
- Strategic Partnership & Brand Amplification
The MOU with D&B and Standard Chartered places FLO Mumbai on a national-research platform and enhances its brand as a thought-leader in women’s entrepreneurship.
Around 300 attendees became a part of this event. By co-launching the second edition of the Women Entrepreneurship Optimism Index with Standard Chartered Bank and partnering with Dun & Bradstreet, FLO strengthened its role as a strategic research, policy, and empowerment platform for women entrepreneurs.
Under Chairperson Pooja Arambhan Tiwari’s leadership, FLO Mumbai continues to drive purposeful initiatives combining knowledge, leadership, culture, and collaboration to empower women to lead, innovate, and scale.