Shell Foundation, Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship, and Amazon India Announces New Programme to Empower Women Micro Entrepreneurs through Market Connect and Clean Energy Access
Aim to reach women producer groups collectivized under 10 large, aggregated enterprises across the country
BENGALURU, INDIA – 5 MAY 2026: Shell Foundation, Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME), and Amazon Saheli today announced a new program to empower low-income, home based women entrepreneurs across India. The initiative aims to help women-led small businesses that are part of GAME’s network increase their income and build more sustainable enterprises.
Women entrepreneurs in India often struggle with limited market access and outdated production methods. This collaboration addresses these challenges by connecting women-led businesses to new customers through Amazon’s Saheli program, which offers lower selling fees and specialized support, including account management and training. The program will focus on key sectors including handicrafts, textiles, and agriculture.
As part of this initiative, Shell Foundation will provide energy-efficient technologies that can improve productivity in rural households and small scale manufacturing operations. Amazon Saheli will identify sellers that are part of the program who can benefit from these innovations, while GAME will support the implementation of these tools within the women’s businesses.
Partnering with established business leaders such as Amazon Saheli and GAME is a critical element in Shell Foundation’s vision of scaling clean solutions to reach millions of customers in Emerging Economies. Increasing incomes and opportunities for women entrepreneurs, while lowering emissions, is a pathway to resilient growth
Speaking on the initiative,
Low-income, home-based, or unregistered Women Micro-Entrepreneurs (W-MEs) in India face ongoing barriers to growing their income. A major challenge is their limited access to mainstream markets. By addressing both market access and energy needs, this initiative will create a lasting positive impact on their economic well-being and contribute to a more resilient future.
Talking about the collaboration,
“Through our programmes, we have been working to empower women entrepreneurs by giving them the tools, training, and visibility to succeed in e-commerce. This collaboration with Shell Foundation allows us to extend this support further and connect women-led businesses with opportunities to adopt sustainable practices as they grow, while accessing customers across India.”
About GAME:
Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME) was created as a catalyst for a nationwide movement of mass entrepreneurship. The organisation aims to shift perceptions and nurture entrepreneurship in a multi-faceted and integrated manner. GAME works towards addressing challenges that include access to finance and markets as well as regulation through a collaborative approach across financial, educational, and policy systems. As an ecosystem enabler, GAME is uniquely positioned to drive systemic change and unlock the potential of mass entrepreneurship in India. By bringing together diverse stakeholders, GAME fosters consensus, aligns efforts, and enables collaborative breakthroughs. The organisation’s initiatives span program development, policy advocacy, research, and capacity building, with a specific focus on women’s entrepreneurship and place-based interventions for MSMEs. Since inception, GAME has assisted 300,000+ entrepreneurs through various programs enabling access to credit, access to market, place-based interventions, apart from other initiatives. For more information, please visit: https://massentrepreneurship.org
About Shell Foundation
For 25 years, Shell Foundation, an independent charity registered in England and Wales, has empowered underserved customers in Africa and Asia to raise their incomes while lowering emission through clean technology solutions. From supporting early-stage innovation to co- designing partnerships with leading organisations and investors, the Foundation creates the conditions for resilient prosperity among three core groups of people: smallholder farmers, transporters, and micro-entrepreneurs. Find more at https://eikhu.preview.prostack.host/
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