The DEIA Catalyst Program 2024-25

Transforming MSMEs Through
The DEIA Catalyst Program

The DEIA Catalyst Program 2024-25

The DEIA Catalyst Program was a vibrant mosaic of 65 MSMEs spanning sectors like Healthcare, Manufacturing, Non-Profit, Technology, Professional Services, Textiles, Finance, and more. These organizations represent the diversity of India from Chandigarh, Mumbai, Manipur, Kolkata, Delhi, Jaipur, Chennai and Bangalore, covering North, South, East, West zones.

Our program’s inclusion bootcamps were a huge success, not only discussing challenges and paving the way for innovative solutions, but it also brought together some of the most pioneering experts from the DEIA community to generate curiosity, awareness, and knowledge among the cohort members. The bootcamps enabled them to identify the challenges, create simple yet innovative solutions to adapt DEIA principles.

To further solidify this effort, we curated a DEIA Community Portal, COLAB, that fostered camaraderie, shared resources for training, recruitment of diverse and inclusive workforce with the help of our Ecosystem allies.

The National Conclave recognized the efforts of cohort members, and hosted expertise from around the country:

Pradeep Bhargava, Chairman MECF Ltd, was the keynote speaker who shed light on how Leaders can drive lasting change & unveiled the launch of DEIA guidebook, Better Together for the MSME community.

The Panel Discussion was led by Dr. Premnath Venugopalan; Founding Director of Venture Center, Maithili Sagar; leading the Dyna-K Automotive Stampings Pvt. Ltd, Jayati Doshi; co-business head at Inclusional for culture consulting, Shilpa Chabria discussing the importance of Sustaining DEIA in today's time.

The Innovation Challenge Jury was presented by Rajeev Kumar; Trustee and founding member of Snehalaya and Ruchira Gokhale; certified DIversity Professional and Human Resource Specialist.

These trailblazers shared their experiences in the DEIA journey, encouraging and empowering the cohort members to evolve their ways to build a progressive future for all.

Celebrating Innovation

The DEIA innovation challenge, highlight of the program’s concluding Conclave celebrated cohort members’ creativity and commitment. One of the toughest decisions for our juries to make as all the participants presented with unique solution-oriented programs and campaigns to drive real change, two of them really stood out to our juries:

DEIA Leadership Award to LinkITBlueCollar

Founded by Nimisha Tiwari, LinkITBlueCollar empowers low-income women and marginalized youth through skill-building and market linkages. Projects like WARDHINI and EV Skilling for E-Commerce jobs have created thousands of opportunities for individuals from LGBTQIA+ community showcasing the power of inclusive entrepreneurship.

Inclusive Innovator Award to Zyneika Adaptive Clothing

Led by Soumita Basu, Zyneika redefines fashion by designing for all body types and abilities. Their designs awaiting patent approval cater to people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, disrupting mainstream markets and partnering with brands to champion inclusivity.

The Catalyst Impact

The DEIA Catalyst Program ignited a profound shift across 65 MSMEs, turning aspirations into measurable impact. Anchoring their ecosystems, cohort members reshaped their workplaces, achieving remarkable progress:

33% increase in Compliance

32% increase in Representation

39% increase in Leadership Advocacy

27% increase in Policies and Processes

39% increase in Infrastructure

66% increase in Learning Initiatives

81% increase in Reporting and Tracking

The program meticulously followed through every step of the way ensuring cohort members have consistent support and supervision mapping their progress.

69 Awareness

& Assessment Sessions

8 Zonal

Boot Camps

53 Virtual

Check-Ins

36

Final Audit

These milestones reflect a journey of grit, unity, and impact.

From Vision to Victory

Cohort members crafted DEIA roadmaps, translating insights into reality with inclusive hiring practices that welcomed underrepresented talent with the guidance of DEIA Maturity Questionnaire and DEIA Maturity Model methodology to identify, analyze the gaps and bridge them with solutions that are rooted in DEIA principles. Employee handbooks evolved embedding DEIA-aligned policies that fostered equity. Teams, once siloed, now report a deeper sense of belonging, their voices amplified in workplaces that prioritize inclusion.

Sustaining the Momentum

To carry this transformation forward, MSMEs are poised to invest in DEIA champions and cross-functional teams nurturing leaders who embody the principles of DEIA. Building diverse and inclusive leadership and integrating DEIA KPIs into business metrics to ensure accountability. With platforms like COLAB, community engagement and continuous learning will keep the momentum alive fostering workplaces where diversity thrives and every story finds its place in the ecosystem of progress.

Sustaining the Momentum

The launch of
'Better Together'

PeopleWiz’s partnership with Venture Center, couldn’t have found a better opportunity to launch the book, ‘Better Together’, a DEIA guidebook for MSMEs distilling the program’s insights, extends its reach to the broader MSME community. Packed with frameworks, legal considerations, and actionable steps, it serves as a roadmap for organizations embarking on their DEIA journey.

Onward & Upward

The DEIA Catalyst Program has been more than a training initiative—it’s been an accelerator for change. This has boosted our confidence and hope to carry on with this program reaching far and wide to create an MSME community throughout the country.

As we prepare for the second wave of the DEIA catalyst program, we carry a powerful message forward: inclusion is not just about opening doors, it’s about building and nurturing spaces for each individual to belong.