Flipkart partners with IIM Sambalpur to support small businesses and artisans

Ecommerce major Flipkart and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sambalpur on Saturday announced a partnership to support and promote small businesses, artisans and weavers.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the company and the management institute will be signed in the next few weeks.

Through this partnership, announced on National Handloom Day, IIM Sambalpur and Flipkart will leverage their expertise and knowledge to create an operational framework to support the underserved communities by helping them build capacity and enhance market reach, according to their joint statement.

Flipkart executives will actively participate in this programme by sharing operational know-how, market and consumer insights.

The company will also explore opportunities to enable pan-India market access for products made by entrepreneurs, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and artisans through its marketplace.

"By combining institutional learning and practical industry experience, we aim at providing entrepreneurs best practices and deeper insight on how to leverage e-commerce for their growth," IIM Sambalpur Director Mahadeo Prasad Jaiswal said.

Under the Flipkart Samarth initiative, the firm has partnered with several states, including Odisha, the statement said.

Its partnership with the State Institute for Development of Arts and Crafts is helping Odisha brands such as 'Boyanika', 'Utkalika' and 'Sambalpuri Bastralaya' on the online marketplace.

With the help of Flipkart, handloom and handicraft artisans living in remote Odisha are now able to market their products to consumers across India better, the statement claimed.