How Support for Women Entrepreneurs from family and sponsors changed the way I see Business

By Sneha Pai, Founder, Wonder Woman Wednesday

I recently watched Made in India: A Titan Story on Prime Video, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it since. The series is a masterclass in business persistence, risk, failure, and the kind of audacity it takes to build something from scratch in a country where nothing is guaranteed. What Xerxes Desai and his team did with Titan was not just about watches, jewellery, or market share. It also reminded me why support for women entrepreneurs and every entrepreneur matters just as much as vision, perseverance, and leadership.

It was about daring to believe in an idea when nobody around you thought it would work, taking risks that looked irresponsible from the outside, failing publicly, and coming back anyway. It also reminded me why support for women entrepreneurs matters just as much as resilience and determination. The failures that looked final. The pivots that felt like giving up. The days when the only reason you kept going was that you could not imagine doing anything else.

But here is the thing. With everything in that series, with all the strategy and the pivots and the numbers and the market disruptions, the one thing that stayed with me was this: the support system. Xerxes Desai had JRD Tata in his corner. He had a wife who stood by him through years of uncertainty. That was not a footnote in the story. That was the story. Behind every bold entrepreneurial decision is a person, or a women entrepreneur community that says, “I believe in you. Go.”

That is the true meaning of support for women entrepreneurs.

I know this feeling personally. My family has been my biggest support through every step of this journey. My husband Vinayak, my parents, and my sister have all been there through the late nights, the pivots, the moments of doubt, and the big bets. Without that anchor, none of this would have been possible. My journey has shown me how powerful support for women entrepreneurs can be in turning ideas into reality.

And that is something I see reflected in the women I feature every Wednesday, too. The founders who stayed in the game because someone at home believed in them first. Women entrepreneurship support and a strong support system are not two separate things. They are the same thing.

How Support for Women Entrepreneurs Built UDAAN

Running Wonder Woman Wednesday for four years now, and building Maarukatte, our community marketplace platform for women entrepreneurs launching this June at Maarukatte, alongside it, I have seen this play out again and again. The women who took their first step because one person believed in them. The founders who came back after failure because their community held them. Every story reinforces why support for women entrepreneurs is at the heart of lasting success. Which is why our 4th Anniversary event UDAAN, and the support it has received from our sponsors, has been so overwhelming for me personally.

The Businesses Supporting Women Entrepreneurs Through UDAAN

Event Sponsor: Iretex Premier India Pvt. Ltd

Our event sponsor, Iretex Premier India Pvt. Ltd is one of those names I hold very close. Established in 1995 and incorporated in India in 2007, Iretex Premier has grown into one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of EPE Foam and Air Bubble packaging, serving global companies including Dell, and operating across Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad.

Their Managing Director, Mr GG Shenoy, has been one of the strongest supporters of Wonder Woman Wednesday, not just as a sponsor but as a mentor, a guide, and someone who genuinely believes in encouraging entrepreneurs to keep going. When a business leader with that kind of track record shows up for a women’s platform, it means something real. Iretex Premier packages and protects what businesses create. In a way, that is exactly what this kind of support does for us, too.

Title Sponsor: The Original Abharan

Our title sponsor for UDAAN, The Original Abharan, needs no introduction to anyone who has grown up in coastal Karnataka. Founded in Udupi in 1935, Abharan has spent over nine decades crafting gold, diamond, and silver jewellery that carries the trust of generations.

What makes this partnership especially meaningful is Sandhya Kamath, wife of Sri Subhas M. Kamath, whose quiet and consistent work to encourage and empower women goes beyond business.

There is something deeply right about a jewellery brand rooted in tradition and trust standing beside a platform that celebrates women entrepreneurs. Both believe that what a woman builds deserves to shine.

Gold Sponsor: Mytan Farms

And then there is our Gold Sponsor, Mytan Farms, which is doing something genuinely exciting in the farmland investment space near Bengaluru. Mytan Farms offers scientifically managed organic farmland through a proven three-layer cultivation model combining timber plantations, fruit-bearing trees, and vegetables, designed for long-term sustainable returns.

For urban professionals and entrepreneurs looking to invest in something real, green, and future-ready, Mytan Farms presents a compelling opportunity. Their presence at UDAAN is a reminder that smart investment and sustainable living are not opposing ideas.

Consistency, persistence, and learning from failures are the words every entrepreneur knows by heart. But the chapter nobody talks about enough is the support system that makes all of it possible. The mentor who emails back at 11 pm. The family that does not ask you to explain why you are still working at midnight.

The sponsor who shows up not because of ROI but because they believe in the work. The community that holds you when the hard months come. That is what Wonder Woman Wednesday has always been about. That is what UDAAN is celebrating on 5th July at the Rialto Hotel, Bengaluru. And I am deeply grateful to my family, to Iretex Premier, The Original Abharan, and Mytan Farms for being that support system this year and always.