BENGALURU (India CSR): When Namrata Tiwari launched “It’s all folk” startup from Jorhat, Assam, she had the idea and the drive. What she lacked was access to investors, mentors and peers who understood her journey and could help accelerate it.
That’s the gap Womentum 2026 is targeting to fill.
Held on 26 February 2026 at Taj Yeshwantpur, Bengaluru, Womentum 2026 brought together 500+ founders, investors and ecosystem leaders for a day of high-stakes conversations, investor pitching and the kind of connections that don’t happen on cold messages. The event was convened by NSRCEL – IIM Bangalore’s startup Incubator in association with Kotak Mahindra Bank.
India’s startup ecosystem has made visible progress on gender inclusion, but the numbers remain stark. Women-led startups receive a fraction of available venture funding, and the disparity deepens outside major metros, where founders often lack access to the networks, visibility and institutional support.
Womentum 2026 was designed specifically to address this. Through keynote sessions, panel discussions, a founder spotlight series and a structured investor pitching forum, the event created direct lines between women founders – including those from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities – and the capital and networks they need to scale.
Conversations on the day spanned leadership, resilience, scaling technology and SME venture, emerging funding pathways and the role of women-led enterprise in driving sustainable, impact-led growth.
Commenting on the event, Anand Sri Ganesh, CEO, NSRCEL, said, “Womentum was envisioned as a national platform to catalyse women-led entrepreneurship at scale. By convening founders, investors, and ecosystem stakeholders, we aimed to strengthen access to capital, networks, and opportunities for women entrepreneurs across India.”
Himanshu Nivsarkar, Sr EVP & Head – CSR & ESG, Kotak Mahindra Bank, added, “The founders are looking for consistent, honest support, access to networks, clarity on funding and confidence that the ecosystem is genuinely on their side. That’s what Womentum is about, and its why Kotak is committed to this for the long term.”
Womentum is a part of Kotak Mahindra Bank & NSRCEL’s Women Startup Program (WSP), which has supported women-led ventures across India. The event extends that work into a national forum – one that brings visibility to the founders in the room and to the broader argument that backing women entrepreneurs is one of the highest-return investments the Indian ecosystem can make.
For Kotak Mahindra Bank, Womentum sits within a wider CSR commitment to inclusive growth and enterprise development, aligned with national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals.
(India CSR)
