Cuts 50% membership fee to encourage more women founders to join their fold. The offer is open only in March
Hyderabad, Mar 1: TiE Hyderabad launched the 7th edition of TiE Women 2026 at a brief function held during the Women Entrepreneurs’ Special Edition of TiE OpenMic at Akan, near Durgam Cheruvu, this weekend.
Announcing an ambitious expansion plan, Murali Kakarla, President, TiE Hyderabad, said the chapter is targeting 200 applicants this year—double the participation from last year. He, along with Ankit Sanjay Shah and other TiE members, unveiled the TiE Women 2026 poster at the event.
Addressing the gathering, Murali Kakarla emphasised that language should not be a barrier for aspiring women entrepreneurs. “Let language not stop women from participating,” he said, adding that women founders from rural backgrounds will be allowed to pitch in the TiE Women 2026 challenge in the Telugu language to encourage women founders who are comfortable communicating in Telugu.
He also clarified that there is no entry fee to participate in the TiE Women program.
This year, the Chapter will be conducting roadshows in Tier 2 cities of Telangana, like Nizamabad, Warangal, Karimnagar and others.
To further encourage women to join the network, the TiE Hyderabad Board has announced a 50 per cent discount on Associate and Charter Membership fees for women who register on or before March 31.
Ankit Sanjay Shah, TiE Hyderabad Committee Chair for TiE Women, described the initiative as a flagship global program that collaborates with over 60 TiE chapters worldwide to embrace, engage, and empower women entrepreneurs through mentorship, investor connects, networking opportunities, and entrepreneurial development programs. Each participating chapter selects one woman entrepreneur to represent it at the Global Pitch Competition, which will be held in Jaipur later this year. Over the years, TiE Hyderabad has engaged and mentored more than 600 women entrepreneurs, with over 100 receiving structured mentorship support.
Highlighting the program’s impact, Murali Kakarla noted that last year’s winner, Sowmya Darapaneni, Founder of Avinya Neurotech, was featured on the prestigious TiE50 and TGS100 global lists of promising startups.
TiE Women Hyderabad has so far engaged over 600 women entrepreneurs and facilitated more than $352,000 in equity-free grants, underlining its tangible contribution to strengthening the startup ecosystem.
Shanthala Veigas, Senior Director, TiE Hyderabad, said that building on the success of last year’s Nizamabad roadshow, the initiative will expand its outreach across Tier-2 cities, including Nizamabad, Warangal, Karimnagar, Khammam, and other parts of Telangana. Supported earlier by KOTAS Foundation, the program received 103 applications last year, and with enhanced state-wide roadshows and regional engagement this year, it aims to significantly widen participation.
The launch event brought together entrepreneurs, aspiring founders, investors, and ecosystem enablers, providing a vibrant platform for networking, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas. Women entrepreneurs across Telangana are invited to apply for TiE Women 2026 by expressing their interest through the official application link. Through this expanded edition, TiE Hyderabad reaffirmed its commitment to empowering women founders, enabling access to mentorship and global exposure, and strengthening their role in shaping the region’s entrepreneurial landscape.
TiE Hyderabad has also organised Women Entrepreneurs’ Special Edition of TiE OpenMic where seven women founders shared their journey, challenges, lessons learnt, their strengths, weaknesses etc. More than two aspiring entrepreneurs participated in the program.
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