TiE Hyderabad Launches Women Entrepreneurship Initiative with Expanded Regional Outreach

Hyderabad: TiE Hyderabad convened a roadshow dedicated to women entrepreneurs at T-Works in Raidurgam on Thursday, seeking to bolster women-led startups and solicit registrations for the seventh iteration of TiE Women 2026.

The gathering drew more than 100 prospective women entrepreneurs from diverse sectors. The event highlighted TiE Women, a worldwide programme providing women founders with mentorship, skill development, professional connections, media exposure and pathways to capital.

Registrations for TiE Women 2026 are now accessible to women entrepreneurs based in Telangana, with the submission deadline set for May 10, 2026. Through systematic statewide promotion, the programme aims to reach 200 applicants.

Murali Kakarla, heading TiE Hyderabad, emphasised that linguistic differences should not deter women entrepreneurs from participating. In a significant move, he announced that women founders may present their pitches in Telugu for the inaugural time in this competition. The chapter will also facilitate dedicated Telugu-language mentoring and pitching sessions to encourage broader involvement.

According to Kakarla, participation in TiE Women carries no registration charges. He encouraged women entrepreneurs to pursue business concepts rooted in everyday challenges, positioning TiE Hyderabad as a catalyst for startup development.

Dr Murali Bukkapatnam, formerly leading the Global Board of Trustees, stressed that women's participation is fundamental to entrepreneurship and economic growth. He called for women to play an active role in strengthening the nation's economic output.

TiE Hyderabad has unveiled intentions to organise additional roadshows in smaller Telangana cities, namely Nizamabad, Warangal, Karimnagar and Khammam. Shanthala Veigas, Senior Director at TiE Hyderabad, attributed this expansion to the positive reception of the previous year's roadshow held in Nizamabad.

Ankit Sanjay Shah, leading the TiE Women committee, characterised the initiative as a principal global undertaking spanning more than 60 TiE chapters internationally. He noted that TiE Hyderabad has supported over 600 women entrepreneurs and delivered focused mentoring to more than 100 founders throughout its history.

Each participating TiE chapter will nominate a single entrepreneur to represent them at the Regional Global Pitch Competition scheduled later this year within India, Shah explained. The programme prioritises equipping women founders with guidance, capital connections and business development support.

Kakarla highlighted that Sowmya Darapaneni, founder of Avinya Neurotech and last year's contest victor, achieved recognition on both the TiE50 and TGS100 international startup rankings. To date, TiE Women Hyderabad has engaged with over 600 women entrepreneurs and channelled more than $352,000 in non-dilutive funding.

MV Reddy, serving on the TiE Women 2026 Committee, outlined the contest's eligibility standards. Female founders or co-founders must constitute at least 33 per cent of ownership, and the enterprise must have been incorporated after January 1, 2019, and operate for fewer than 10 years. Additionally, startups must be actively seeking investment; concept-stage ventures remain ineligible.

Notwithstanding these restrictions, women entrepreneurs and prospective founders at any development phase may join TiE Women sessions and community activities, Reddy clarified.

A discussion panel titled "Future is Female" convened during the event, featuring contributions from Deepa Pulipati, Vijayalakshmi Raghavan, Ankit Shah and Shanthala Veigas.