Transforming rural women’s financial freedom; Ethical AI and inclusivity in tech

Hello,

It’s a woman’s world, and you’re lucky to be living in it…

At SheSparks 2025, YourStory and HerStory's flagship summit, the spotlight was on women entrepreneurs and leaders as they ignited the discourse on the barriers, biases, and breakthroughs that shape women’s participation across industries. 

From sessions discussing inclusivity in tech and AI spheres to conversations tackling gender biases in healthcare, women leaders from diverse fields shared invaluable insights on the role of women in shaping the future of innovation and industry. 

While some, like Yakshagana artist and teacher Priyanka K Mohan, emphasised the importance of perpetuating and fostering fast-fading traditions in art forms, others, like NIRAMAI Health Analytix Founder Geetha Manjunath, are readily embracing the newest innovations in AI-driven early detection solutions to combat the spread of breast cancer.

Catch our full coverage from SheSparks 2025 here. 

In other news, India’s ambitions to host mega sporting events are only getting stronger. This time, it's bidding for the 2036 Olympics and the 2030 Commonwealth Games. 

Second time’s the charm?

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Transforming rural women’s financial freedom
• Ethical AI and inclusivity in tech
• Why should women take more risks?

Here’s your trivia for today: What unusual pizza delivery system did Domino’s test in Japan?

SheSparks

Transforming rural women’s financial freedom

As the Founder of India’s first women-led rural bank, Chetna Gala Sinha—a social entrepreneur, microfinance banker, and activist—has empowered over one million women, proving that financial independence is first about finding ways to break systemic barriers with resolve, before having access to money.

In her keynote address, she took the audience through her journey as a young student at Bombay University to the Founder and Chairperson of Mann Deshi Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation—organisations that provide financial services, business education, and digital literacy to women in underserved communities.

Breaking barriers:

• Sinha’s defining moment came when she met Kantabai, a blacksmith who wanted to save money but was denied a bank account because she could only deposit Rs 3 a day. This rejection led Sinha to the idea that if banks didn’t serve rural women, she would start one herself.
• For the next five months, she helped these women read and write, returning to the RBI with their own thumb impressions and a challenge—they asked officials to test them against bank employees on calculating interest rates without a calculator.
• What started as a small savings bank is now a Rs 500 crore institution that has introduced pioneering initiatives like doorstep banking, digital wallets and face recognition banking, pension schemes for rural women, and more.

Top Funding Deals of the Week

Startup: Pilgrim

Amount: Rs 200 Cr

Round: Primary and secondary rounds

Startup: Protectt.ai

Amount: Rs 76 Cr

Round: Series A

Startup: Service Lee Technologies

Amount: Rs 66.27 Cr 

Round: Series D

SheSparks

Ethical AI and inclusivity in tech

Women are no longer on the sidelines of technological advancement—they’re leading the charge, by driving innovation worldwide. At the core of this development lies artificial intelligence, where demand shows no signs of slowing down. 

At SheSparks 2025 held in Bengaluru, women leaders came together to discuss various measures to combat gender bias and ethical concerns within AI development, during the panel discussion titled ‘Superwomen in Supercomputing.’ 

Key takeaways:

• The panel began by discussing how organisations can address ethical concerns for responsible AI development. From a computational perspective, the key is to transform input data into fair, unbiased output, believes Anindita Veluri. 
• While women in the tech sector earn fractionally more than men, they still represent only 21% of the workforce, according to a report by Prosperity 24/7. To bridge this gap, OpenText is implementing women-led targeted initiatives for employees, with upskilling in AI being the primary focus.
• AI adoption in India has reached a crucial tipping point, with over 30% of Indian companies maximising value through the use of AI. However, Geetha Adinarayan of IBM Consulting highlighted that there is a growing appetite in industries towards adopting emerging and disruptive technologies.

SheSparks

Why should women take more risks?

The representation of women in the tech industry falls short of expectations, but this can change if women can believe in themselves and are willing to take risks, said Chandrika Deb, Country Manager - India, Canva, at SheSparks 2025. 

In a fireside chat, Deb said women need to clearly define their values and integrity to showcase their true personality. “Self-reflection is the starting point,” she remarked.

Be bold:

• Deb said that women will face moments of self-doubt in their careers, but that should not deter them from trying something new. “The floor cannot be that low as there is nothing so bad that is going to happen, at least one should try,” she added.
• During the conversation, Deb was asked about the impact of AI on design, especially since Canva has democratised this technology, giving access to everyone to create their own content. “AI is more of an enabler and will make us more efficient,” she said.
• As the head of Canva India, her vision for the company is to foster a culture where people are empowered to perform at their optimal levels. “My job is not to tell my people what to do, but to empower and mentor them,” she said.

News & updates

• Audit: Tether, the creator of the world's largest stablecoin, is "engaging with a Big Four accounting firm" as it pushes for a long-awaited audit which would help it improve the transparency of its reserves.
• Disruption: With Heathrow Airport in London shut Friday, global air travel is expected to be disrupted for days, potentially costing the airline industry hundreds of millions of dollars. Heathrow’s closure is expected to affect more than 1,300 flights in the coming days.
• Spacetech: Japan’s Astroscale, a company specialised in removing orbital junk, has partnered with Digantara and Bellatrix Aerospace to collaborate on technology and services. The tie-ups will “hopefully” result in an orbital services bid for Indian clients “in one to two years.”

What unusual pizza delivery system did Domino’s test in Japan?

Answer: In December 2016, Domino’s Japan announced it would use reindeer to deliver pizzas in snowy areas during the winter season, but later abandoned the plan after facing difficulties controlling the reindeer.

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