Srijan Microfinance Business Plan Competition 2008

Two decades and over 3000 MFIs later, the microfinance movement in India has finally come of age. Retaining its core value, the sector has emerged as a huge business opportunity: however microfinance has yet to become the centre stage of the Indian financial sector. The knowledge, capital and technological resources to address challenges faced by the sector do exist but are yet to be fully aligned.

To further invigorate the sector and uncover new approaches that will enable achieving greater financial inclusion Intellecap, a leading development finance consulting company (www.intellecap.net), in partnership with Aavishkaar Goodwell, a microfinance development company has designed the Srijan Microfinance Business Plan Competition. Organized each year since 2005, the competition is a search for entrepreneurs that have an innovative plan to address the resource and infrastructure challenges faced by the sector with a vision to create an inclusive financial sector.

The last two years has seen the competition become synonymous with entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and innovation in the microfinance sector. Srijan has witnessed an immense response from MFIs, NGOs, educational institutions and young entrepreneurs all over the country. Appreciated as a unique and much required effort, the competition not only showcased the most effective and sustainable concepts but also acted as a forum for greater experience sharing, investor link ups and business networking.

Srijan in its third year, looks at expanding its outreach and aims at selecting motivated entrepreneurs, capable of addressing the above challenges and building companies that will transform the sector and accelerate its integration into mainstream financial services.