The Indian Institute of Management (IIM)—Sambalpur and Flipkart have announced a partnership to support and promote small businesses, artisans and weavers by leveraging technology, e-commerce platform and market insights.
An MoU to cement this partnership will be signed in the next few weeks. Through this partnership, IIM Sambalpur and Flipkart will leverage their deep expertise and knowledge to create an operational framework to support under-served communities by helping them build capacity and enhance market reach, officials said on Saturday.
“Our partnership with Flipkart and the e-commerce industry will help strengthen the spirit of entrepreneurship by creating opportunities to leverage technology and accelerate growth for small businesses and artisans,” Mahadeo Prasad Jaiswal, director of IIM Sambalpur said.
“By combining institutional learning and practical industry experience, we aim to provide entrepreneurs best practices and deeper insight on how to leverage e-commerce for their growth,” he said.
The director is hopeful that weavers, artisans and farmers will leverage this opportunity to showcase their skills and high-quality traditional heritage products to a national consumer base and reach new heights and recognition.
Flipkart Group chief corporate affairs officer Rajneesh Kumar said, “As a homegrown company, we aspire to leverage locally developed world-class technology to create a positive impact in the lives of countless entrepreneurs and underserved communities from across India leading to inclusive economic growth.”
“Our team’s expertise, technology, learning and insights serving a pan-India market will come very handy for MSMEs, artisans and the Indian handicraft industry through this partnership with IIM Sambalpur,” Kumar said.
The collaboration extends Flipkart’s sustained partnerships with academic institutions and serves as a testimony to its commitment towards India and its continuous support for entrepreneurs and the start-up ecosystem.
Under the Flipkart Samarth initiative, the company has partnered with several states across the country, including Odisha. The company has partnered with the State government’s State Institute for Development of Arts & Crafts (SIDAC) for promotion of Odia brands such as Boyanika, Utkalika and Sambalpuri Bastralaya on Flipkart.
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.