Sativa Media is happy to announce the 2nd Annual #StartupSeptember in partnership with Headstart Network Foundation. The theme for this year is Sustainability Conversations and the webinars and panel discussions will focus on spreading awareness and sensitivity towards sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDGs are a collection of 17 integrated and interrelated goals, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, “as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.”
Why are conversations about sustainability important?
If the SDGs are to be achieved by 2030, it is imperative that we find harmony between our economic growth, social development, and the way we treat the environment. Consumers in the present day are changing their consumption patterns and becoming more mindful of the impact their favourite brands/products are having on the environment.
In a 2019 survey conducted by Accenture in 11 countries, 83% were found to uphold the belief that it’s (extremely) important for brands to design products that are meant to be reused or recycled. 72% of the respondents said they’re currently buying more eco-friendly products as compared to 5 years ago while 81% said they expect to buy more over the next five years. About 50% admitted that they are willing to pay more for a product that was designed based on a circular consumption model.
What is Startup September?
Startup September is a series of virtual sessions, workshops, meet-ups, etc. organised with the aim of providing a common platform wherein all the stakeholders of the startup ecosystem (brands, consumers, corporates, government, etc.), from India and around the globe, can share their experience and expertise.
First organised in 2021, Startup September received a massive response from the stakeholders. Headstart hosted 56 virtual sessions, 20+ physical meet-ups, and 210+ experts for a series of talks, masterclasses, boot camps, workshops, and open innovation meetings with a virtual audience of 50k+.
Headstart Network Foundation
Headstart is India’s largest, volunteer-led, grassroots-level organisation that supports entrepreneurship and startups. Incepted in the year 2007, Headstart has made an immense contribution in shaping the startup ecosystem of the country. Today, the organisation is present in over 30+ cities in India and 4 countries across the globe.
The First Session: Sustainability Glossary
StartupSeptember ‘s first session titled Sustainability Glossary will provide an introduction to the terminology around sustainability by some of the experts in the field. The aim of this session will be to empower consumers to understand the basics of sustainability, the true meanings of the concept’s jargon, and to spot the marketing lies that brands often tell to give a sustainable face, while attempting to hide the not-so-sustainable aspects of their company. Register for this session here.
Panel Line-up
The following experts will be participating in the panel discussion:
Sahar Mansoor is the founder and CEO of Bare Necessities, a social enterprise rooted in the philosophy of zero-waste, circular economy and sustainability. Sahar is co-author of ‘Bare Necessities – How to lead a zero-waste life’ Published by Penguin Random House. Her business offers zero-waste personal care, lifestyle, home care and educational products and services, including online sustainability courses.
Her time working at the World Health Organization in Geneva and SELCO Foundation, on implementing decentralized solar energy projects in rural Karnataka, enabled her to build Bare Necessities from the ground up. Her work has been recognized by Google India, Al Jazeera, NDTV, Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar among others. Sahar was most recently awarded the Cartier Young Leader award in 2022 for Bare Necessities social impact, business model and for building bridges across people, disciplines and cultures.
Hanisha Vaswani is an early stage impact investor, helping promising startups change their trajectories. She’s the founder of Majority – an early-stage impact fund. Majority invests in deeptech companies that improve the livelihoods of people living on under Rs. 500 a day. Their first investments have been in EV Analytics and SpaceTech.
She has mentored startups at the Google.org Impact Challenge Accelerator for Climate 2021, Vodafone Institute F-Lane Accelerator 2020, NITI Aayog- United Nations India Investor Consortium (IC) for Women Entrepreneurs , and 4YFN & UNDP Women Innovators Programme in the Arab Region.
She previously led sourcing and early stage investments at the UN World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator in Munich, Germany where she invested in over 20 startups worldwide across SpaceTech, Livelihoods, Emergency Response, Supply Chain, Nutrition, FinTech, and agTech.
Dr. Nitin Dumasia is President & CEO of Growlity, Inc. (USA based Business Sustainability Management Consulting Company). He is a Global Leader on ESG & Business Sustainability Management, Coach, Strategist, Trainer, Consultant & Sensei. He has served more than 30 Countries and around 250 Clients for 500+ Projects, 1500+ Trainings (including training on ESG – Sustainability) and delivered unbelievable results and impact across the multinational corporations. He has 17+ Years of executive experience in Industry & Consulting.
He is a spokesperson for United Nations Sustainable Goals (SDGs) and Sustainability Reporting Standards like GRI, CDP, IR, SBTi, SASB, BRSR requirements of Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India & Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), etc. Dr. Nitin is also member of the Advisory Board of many organizations ranging from Small & Medium Enterprises (SME) to Multinational Corporations including Tech Start ups
