On International Women's Day, the 25-year-old entrepreneur-activist speaks to Forbes India about EntrepreNaari, Project Naveli's initiative for women entrepreneurs
Navya Naveli Nanda
Navya Naveli Nanda had a lot of influences growing up, be it in the world of entrepreneurship or entertainment. From a very young age, she knew that she wanted to carve her own path. At 25, she has taken on various roles, including helming non-profit organisation Project Naveli and helping out with her family business Escorts-Kubota.
As part of Project Naveli, Nanda’s team works on multiple projects in the areas of domestic violence, menstrual hygiene, entrepreneurship and legal awareness for women. One of its flagship projects is a community for women entrepreneurs—EntrepreNaari. The community is provided with all possible business resources, networking opportunities, workshops, masterclasses and mentorship that any entrepreneur would need. Currently, they have a community of 20,000 women ranging from micro-small scale to large scale entrepreneurs.
Additionally, the NGO also works on various other initiatives including Nyayri, a legal awareness initiative, which looks at offering pro-bono legal counselling for women along with free mental health counselling services; and Nimaya, an upskilling and training programme for girls. Through her work, Nanda has already created a lot of impact, but she believes this is just the beginning. When asked about how she balances so many projects, she says, “My work is my life, and I love what I do so for me it isn't a question about balance.” On International Women’s Day, Forbes India catches up with Nanda about the work that EntrepreNaari is doing and the challenges of reaching women entrepreneurs in rural areas.
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