Boot Camp organised by Girls in Tech in support with Govt of Telangana and US Consulate General Hyderabad kicked off

Hyderabad, November 14, 2016: Girls in Tech India supported by Government of Telangana, co-hosted by US Consulate General Hyderabad is organizing a Workshop(boot camp) on leadership and entrepreneurship for women (Power Tools Bootcamp). The Bootcamp was formally kicked off here in city at a Hotel in Begumpet today. It will go on till November 16.

The Bootcamp is being lead by Hilary MJS Weber in association with Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, (University of California, Berkeley) and Opportu Innovation, USA.

234 participants comprised of Entrepreneurs, Aspiring Entrepreneurs, Mothers who wanted to go back to work and students.

Forty four mothers who took break from work due to various reasons are also participants of this workshop. Nearly a third of women in the workforce take a pause in their career at some point — often to start a family or because of childcare issues and others.

According to Priyanka Poogalia, a mom who want to go back to work, It is a "brain drain" of women from the workforce. But, offlate, few programs organized here and there across the country are seeking out moms who left the workforce and recognizing them as a valuable asset.

Sharmila, another Mom who wants to go back to work says, we are a valuable pool of talent. I am sure many companies do prefer. But, I am undecided if I ever want to go back to work or start on my own. That is why I am here in this workshop.

110 women entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs from 31 districts of Telangana are also participating in the Bootcamp. According to Divya of Girls In Tech India, Couple of Joint Collectors are also taking part in the Bootcamp.

The theme of the workshop is “Power Tools: Confidence, Leadership and Entrepreneurship”, an intensive program designed for individuals seeking to think and act more entrepreneurially.

According to Hilary MJS Weber, Founder & CEO of Opportu Startup Innovation and an adjunct Instructor on startup innovation for U.C. Berkeley’s College of Engineering Executive Education program, Board Member at SkyDeck (U.C. Berkeley’s accelerator), an Industry Fellow at the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the subjects dealt at the Bootcamp include Leadership, Entrepreneurial Skills, Business Plan Making, Pitching for Funding, Digital Marketing etc and other.

Girls in Tech is a platform for women to cultivate ideas, learn new skills and advance their careers in STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). It focuses on women towards the engagement, education and empowerment in the areas of STEM.

The Bootcamp is a blend of interactive lectures, case studies, hands-on-workshop excercises that each participant will engage in. Whether an entrepreneur attempting to create a startup or an executive working on an internal venture, this program provides tools that they need for starting a business, informed Diva.

Participants began with Confidence Building, delving deep into themselves, sharing feelings and experiences with others and learning concrete skills that allow them to let go of self-criticism informed Hilary Weber. Addressing confidence in women before they become entrepreneur is a critical step in their success, she added. They become more self-assured, bolstered by the company of their peers in a safe learning environment, she added

The second part of the camp features an introduction /to entrepreneurship, which begins with creating and communicating a vision/mission, that they care about.

In this Bootcamp, participants will learn by taking an idea from the beginning stage through building and delivering a final pitch to experienced judges at the end of the Bootcamp.

All participants will use a new online assessment called the Berkeley Innovation Index at the beginning, middle and end of the Bootcamp, informed Hilary. This tool will help each participant see their progress as they learn and change their mindset and behaviours over the course of the Bootcamp, she said.

All the participants will be given a certificate with authorization of US Consulate General Hyderabad, supported by Govt of Telagnana, Opportu Startup Innovation, USA and PantasTing:Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, Berkley Engineering, University of California, USA.

The Panel of Judges will select few participants who will have an opportunity to receive entry to Girls In Tech Catalyst Conference USA in April. A few participants will get to apply for IBM GEP free cloud credits and will get a mentoring session from IBM GEP. They will also get an opportunity to get facilitated by Intellecap Advisroy Services Private Limited for funding, informed the organizers.

Applications to participate in this workshop were invited with the help of all hosts and partners. Shri.Jayesh Ranjan, Secy (ITE&C Dept), Govt of Telangana has extended support from Government of Telangana. All the 31 district collectors were reached out to help mobilize participant applications and the initiative believes in equity of opportunities for Tier I, II and III cities.

Selection Committee has been formed with 30 experts to select and shortlist the participants (About 1500 applications were received) from various walks of life towards the selection of participants. This expert committee includes key decision makers, Government officials, startup ecosystem enablers, VC's, entrepreneurs, organizational heads/representatives, Corporate and social sector.

The short listing of the participants has been done by an expert committee under three categories for applications 1)For Women Entrepreneurs, Women startup Founders 2)For working professionals, aspiring Women Entrepreneurs, women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) or aspiring to take up STEM and women restarting their careers 3)students