News and Events

18th July 2025

Book Launch: Viksit India

NEF is proud to share that our co-founder Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, together with poet and educator Urmi Rumi, has co-authored Viksit India – a unique book that blends vision and verse to reimagine India’s development journey. Moving beyond statistics, the book captures the aspirations and lived realities of citizens through poetic storytelling and grounded reflection, offering both inspiration and a call to action for a more inclusive, human-centred pathway to Viksit Bharat

16th July 2025

Telangana Women Cooperative Development Corporation (TWCDC)

NEF Mission Director, Avani Shroff, visited the Telangana Women Cooperative Development Corporation (TWCDC) to gain a deeper understanding of the grassroots challenges in women’s skilling and entrepreneurship programs. The visit focused on conducting a feasibility study to explore potential livelihood solutions for women in Hyderabad, Mahbubnagar, and for the residents of the Rescue Home at Kukatpally. During the visit, Ms. Shroff held discussions with the Managing Director of TWCDC, Telangana, and the Secretary of State, Ms. Anita Ramchandran.
12th July 2025

Workshop For Women Founders - Innovation For Scale & Entrepreneurial Success

NEF in collaboration with TiE Pune, hosted an exclusive session on harnessing innovation for growth. Led by our founders, Dr. Ganesh Natarajan and Dr. Uma Ganesh, the workshop focused on how women-led ventures can use Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to scale with confidence.
Participants explored:
  • How AI/ML can disrupt markets and create scalable, data-driven business models.
  • Embedding innovation using the 4C framework – Customer, Capability, Capital, and Culture.
  • Building inclusive digital ecosystems that foster growth and diverse talent.
  • Leveraging AI for smarter decisions, automation, and customer intelligence.
The session reinforced NEF’s commitment to helping women founders access cutting-edge knowledge, mentorship, and networks—translating innovation into action and scale.
June 2025

Partnership with TiE Women Pune Chapter

NEF is proud to join hands with TiE Pune as the Knowledge Partner for the TiE Women Global Pitch Competition. This platform goes beyond pitching. It is a launchpad for women entrepreneurs to access mentorship, networks, and funding opportunities that can accelerate their journey.

At NEF, we believe that empowerment is about providing women with the right tools, guidance, and visibility to realise their potential. Through this partnership, we are committed to supporting women founders with knowledge-driven pathways to growth, while also creating a strong community of inclusive leaders.

Together with TiE Pune, we aim to break barriers, create opportunities, and build a future where women entrepreneurs lead India’s progress toward Viksit Bharat.

8th June 2025

Financial Inclusion at the Grassroots

In her column for The Financial Express, our co-founder Dr. Uma Ganesh highlights how India’s progress in financial inclusion can be deepened through digital and AI-led solutions tailored for rural communities. She explores the need for voice-enabled systems, multilingual models, offline-first apps, and innovative credit assessments to truly empower the underserved at the grassroots.

Read the article

19th February 2025

TED Talk - Ganesh Natarajan on the Pathway to a Viksit Bharat

At NEF, we believe every Indian deserves the chance to dream bigger and achieve more. In his recent talk, our co-founder Dr. Ganesh Natarajan illustrated this through the story of Funtoosh, a young man from a small village in Bihar whose life seemed destined to remain unchanged. For many like him, education has been the beanstalk to success. But in today’s world of intense competition, education alone is not enough. The real differentiator, Dr. Natarajan emphasized, is innovation for Bharat. He shared NEF’s Solution Blueprint Model, a structured seven-step Collective Action framework designed to help individuals like Funtoosh not only find opportunities but sustain success.

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