Karnataka Women's varsity gets HP's SMB grant

MUMBAI, INDIA: HP on Thursday said it has added five new grant winners in India to its HP Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs (HP LIFE) program for 2011.

The company will award a total grant value of $300,000 to Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Institute of Development Education and Learning (IDEAL), Karnataka State Women’s University, Learning Links Foundation (LLF) and Society for Technology & Action for Rural Advancement (TARA).

Each grant valued at approximately $60,000, consists of a technology grant, a cash grant valued at $10,000, the professional HP LIFE training-of-trainer course for their lead trainer, as well as access to the HP LIFE network and to all online and offline training tools.

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LIFE is a global program that trains students, aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners to harness the power of IT to establish and grow their businesses, said a press release.

This takes the total number of grant winners and training centers to 33 in India. This year’s grants went to organizations in Brazil, China, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and the United States.

“India has thousands of micro-entrepreneurs who fuel growth and make India a hotbed for innovation. However, many small and medium entrepreneurs lack the basic skills to help turn their ideas into enterprises. With the additional training centers, HP LIFE aims to support and equip more entrepreneurs with the skills to succeed in a competitive marketplace,” said Jeannette Weisschuh, director education, HP Office of Global Social Innovation.

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It claimed that between 2007 and 2010, HP LIFE has trained over 8,000 students in India and helped create over 1,100 new jobs and start over 900 new businesses. Over 2,200 students obtained employment.