Encubay champions the future of women entrepreneurs
By Avneet Kohli, Co-Founder of Encubay
When I look back on my journey from a crowded media career to co-founding Encubay, a global network for female entrepreneurs, it is simple for me to see that helping women in business is more than just giving them tools and generic mentorship. It requires a systemic mindset shift to understand that women can build highly scalable venture-investable businesses and fuel them with growth capital.
Our mission at Encubay is not just a mission; it is a transformative journey. We are dedicated to empowering women with knowledge, networks, and capital, paving the way for the next generation of women business leaders. This is not just a goal but a promise of a brighter future for women in business.
From media and entertainment, I was privileged to serve some of the top brands in the world, such as Apple, Samsung, Amazon, and Google. However, when I launched my entrepreneurial venture into leadership and image consulting, isolation as a solo founder reality hit me like a punch. As a single founder, burnout quickly set in.
That experience opened my eyes to the unique challenges and lack of support systems available that many founders, especially women, have to deal with. The pressures of being a single founder, the isolation, and the lack of access to capital were stark realities. It was a turning point that inspired confidence within me to do something for women founders.
The vision
Encubay was founded to enable women entrepreneurs to scale revenue, raise capital, and grow globally. In less than four years, we have expanded to two geographies, India and the UAE, with seven active chapters. We have liaised with over 7,500 women and connected different startup ecosystem stakeholders, including founders, investors, corporates, and government players in India and the UAE.
We organise multiple ecosystem events in the UAE and host international delegations, such as the Encubay Global Immersion Week. During this particular event, founders get a curated platform to interact with the movers and shakers in the UAE’s business sector, attend workshops, and pitch their ideas. The aim is to inspire and create a one-stop shop platform that enables cross-border growth.
One of the most pressing issues for female founders is the lack of capital. Female-owned businesses receive only a tiny fraction of the world’s venture wealth. This is not just a problem but a call to action for immediate change.
The commitment
After being honoured as one of the ‘Most Influential Women in Women’s Empowerment’ at Filmfare Middle East, I committed to amplifying this narrative. It is a title and a responsibility I carry with passion and dedication. With Encubay, we are committed to changing this through a systemic approach that hinges on capacity building. We offer personalised business growth consulting, access to role models and networks, investor engagement, and a launch pad in new markets.
I want to see women on both sides of the fence—as entrepreneurs and investors. That is why we also devote time to tutoring women about angel investing, thus making new capital supplies available for women wishing to nurture businesses. By turning women into investors, they set the rules for shaping future female business leaders.
We hope to rewrite the entrepreneurial narrative by giving women a ‘SHEcosystem’-a supportive and nurturing environment where women can scale, gather together, and build big.
This pushes me daily, and this is the legacy I wish to leave Encubay with. Ninety per cent of startups fail. In that environment, I want to help more women-owned businesses become established, flourish, and lead the way ahead.
