SMALL BUSINESS INCUBATORS (SBI)

ICECD provides an integrated and affordable package to reduce start up and administrative cost for the first time in Ahmedabad, for budding and existing entrepreneurs. One of its only kind, the centre will provide “One Window” facilities to accelerate and facilitate country into entrepreneurial careers by women who have the desire and potential, but who are not able to make headway.

It offers range of services like:

Help translating ideas/concepts into viable business plan Accessing finance/micro credit and small business venture fund for youth Information and guidance on procedural for SME, support agencies and consultants on affordable basis Provision of well designed and attractive infrastructure facilities Access and information on training and capability building opportunities at National/International levels Access to ICECD library and resource centre.

Young-budding entrepreneurs like youth, management students, technically qualified person, women, and sons–daughters of existing businessperson will be taking advantages of the centre. Plans to promote sectors like IT, garment, Packaging, Service Sectors etc. for creating market and technology linkages at National – International level are finalized.

ICECD under Gujarat Rehabilitation project initiated Economic rehabilitation for providing livelihood options through self-employment/employment in over 24 villages. It was an encouraging experience to create awareness and build local capabilities of men and women in variety of activities and services, mainly revolving around housing and construction. This created a momentum and emergence of a new class of Service Entrepreneurs.

ICECD established 10 Village Service Centres (VSCs), each involving a group of 10/15 such service entrepreneurs, who can cater to new housing requirements of people. Such clusters provided the needed infrastructure training and common facilities to entrepreneurs with, making and managing, support from ICECD. Over 153 Entrepreneurs, catering to more than 73 villages, provide services like electrical, motor rewinding, fabrication, carpentry, stitching and embroidery, cement modules products etc.

The unique and first of its kind of VSC centre created extremely positive impact in rural areas.
The process of establishing the VSCs was an interesting and challenging one. Especially in places like Davri and Vajepar, where there is no local trade/industry or economic activities. People were, on one hand interested, and on the other scared, of making any commitment.

It was quite interesting to note that once people knew that such an infrastructure was being created, a lot of interest was generated amongst the local leaders and existing business persons. The basic reason was, none of the locations had organized infrastructure, and people realized that once this was created the scope of success and earnings/profits will be quite substantial.

Various problems were encountered while creating these VSCs – but were factually sorted out. Thus, the process of VSC creation involved not only creation of infrastructure, or providing livelihood to trained people, or creating participatory process, but also ensuring that VSC are synergies in such a way that it benefits the participatory trained entrepreneurs and the village community equally.