Success with Scale Culminates: NEF’s Women Entrepreneurship Programme Empowers 15 Founders to Dream Big and Build Right
The landmark five-month initiative, launched in collaboration with TiE Pune Women, concludes with awards, milestones, and an announcement of Cohort 2 beginning June 2026.
21st March 2026–The Natarajan Empowerment Foundation (NEF), founded by Dr. Ganesh Natarajan with Dr. Uma Ganesh as Chief Mentor, proudly announces the successful culmination of Success with Scale — a pioneering programme designed to equip women entrepreneurs in Pune with the rigour, tools, and confidence to scale their ventures with purpose. Launched in October 2025 by NEF’s Women Initiatives head Avani Shroff, the programme concluded this month with 15 founders presenting their three-year business plans to a distinguished gathering of mentors, investors, and peers.
Spanning five months, the programme comprised six intensive workshops and ten hours of one-on-one hybrid mentoring — delivered by seasoned entrepreneurs and investors who generously contributed their time and expertise. Their participation reflects a deeply held ethos: the belief in paying it forward, and in the transformative potential of women-led enterprise in India.
Chairman and Founder of NEF Dr Ganesh Natarajan said “Women entrepreneurs always show strong focus and commitment and through this carefully crafted program of training and mentoring, we have empowered them to scale and succeed.”
Avani Shroff, Head of Women Initiatives, NEF stated that “Women in India are smart and inherently resilient. What Success with Scale set out to do was simple: give them the structure to match their ambition — and the permission to dream as big as they deserve to.”
Unlike conventional pitch competitions, Success with Scale was intentionally designed around getting the fundamentals of business right. Participants were guided through go-to-market strategy, customer acquisition frameworks, business strategy, and long-term growth planning. The culminating presentations were not competitive pitches — they were structured milestone narratives, reflecting each founder’s clarity of vision and readiness to scale.
The Cohort #1 Culmination Celebration, held last evening in Pune, witnessed an impressive turnout and enthusiastic participation from the community. The event was co-hosted by Dr. Shabnam Asthana, who brought exceptional grace and precision to the evening, anchoring the proceedings with remarkable poise and a seamless flow.
The occasion also featured the presentation of programme awards, recognizing outstanding achievements and contributions.
Bold Pivot Award Neelam Talera, Founder, Telosa
Resilient Founder Award Founder, Mohana Chandorkar, Founder MAD Designs
Clarity Champion Award Suchitra Kodlekere, Founder, ADC
These recognitions honour not conventional business metrics, but the qualities that define enduring entrepreneurship — the courage to pivot, the resilience to persist, and the discipline to pursue clarity in the face of complexity.
NEF is pleased to announce that applications are now open for Cohort 2 of Success with Scale, commencing June 2026, with an expanded intake of 25 women founders. The programme remains fully free of charge — a testament to NEF’s conviction that financial barriers must never stand between a determined woman and her potential. However, it is designed exclusively for serious founders who are committed to growing their businesses manifold and who are prepared to invest the time, openness, and discipline the programme demands.
The programme reflects NEF’s commitment to fostering inclusive entrepreneurship and building a stronger, more equitable business ecosystem through women-led enterprises.
Success with Scale stands as proof that when experienced leaders invest their knowledge, and women entrepreneurs are given the right scaffolding, the results are nothing short of remarkable. NEF invites all eligible founders to step forward — and to dare to scale.
