Quick answer: The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), run by NITI Aayog at wep.gov.in, is free to join and gives you access to one-on-one mentoring, mentorship programmes run by partner organisations, directories of schemes and incubators, and a finance-readiness section with a free CIBIL score check. It does not give loans or grants itself. Alongside it, free Udyam registration, PMEGP’s free online entrepreneurship training and PM Vishwakarma’s paid training for artisans are the most useful no-cost supports confirmed active as of October 2026.
What WEP is, and what it is not
WEP is an online platform set up by NITI Aayog to bring women entrepreneurs, mentors, government bodies, banks and support organisations into one place. Its stated support areas are:
- training and skilling
- access to finance
- market linkage
- business support services
- mentoring and networking
- compliance and legal support
What it is not: a lender or a grant fund. Money comes from schemes, banks and partner programmes that WEP points you to. Treat it as a free front door to the ecosystem, not as a source of capital.
What you actually get on WEP
All figures as shown on wep.gov.in in October 2026.
| Feature | What it gives you | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Individual mentoring | One-on-one guidance from mentors onboarded on the platform | Active; 944+ mentors and 1,20,658+ mentees listed |
| Mentorship programmes by organisations | Curated list of structured programmes run by partner organisations | Active; 36+ programmes listed |
| Peer-to-peer mentoring | Learning from other women founders | Marked “launching soon” |
| SEHER (access to finance) | Free CIBIL score check, finance articles, videos, scheme list and workshops, run with TransUnion CIBIL | Active |
| Knowledge portal | Directory of incubators and accelerators, schemes, publications and videos | Active; toolkits marked “coming soon” |
| Award to Reward (ATR) | Partner-run competitions and challenges with handholding and rewards | Runs in cohorts; check for open calls |
| WEP Offerings | Deals and discounts from service providers | Page empty when we checked |
Mentoring
This is WEP’s most practical feature for small founders. After registering, you can browse mentors and request one-on-one guidance. Mentors featured on the site in 2026 include specialists in AI and data, intellectual property and contracts, and healthcare. A Hindi walkthrough of the mentorship module is available.
SEHER: credit readiness
SEHER is WEP’s finance section, built with TransUnion CIBIL. The most useful item is the free CIBIL score check. If you plan to apply for Mudra, PMEGP or any bank loan, check your score here first and fix errors before a bank sees them. It also lists workshops on financial literacy.
Award to Reward cohorts
ATR is WEP’s flagship model: a partner organisation runs a challenge, selects women entrepreneurs, supports them for several months and rewards the best performers. Past cohorts listed on the site include:
- WEP-Unnati for women in the green sector (6 to 8 months, pan-India)
- Project Maitri for women homestay owners in the North-East (3 months)
- CatalyseTech EntreprenueHer Innovation Challenge for women-led startups (6 months, North-East)
- Womenpreneurs for Bharat 1.0 for women-led startups (12 months, open to all states)
- WeNurture for women micro entrepreneurs in Goa
- A Rural Women Kirana Entrepreneurs programme, whose winners were felicitated in 2026
All of these were marked concluded when we checked. New cohorts are announced on the site and WEP’s social media, so register now to hear about the next call.
State chapters
WEP has started state chapters to work with state governments. The Odisha chapter was launched in Bhubaneswar on 27 June 2026, and a Goa chapter has also been launched. If you are in a state with a chapter, watch for local programmes.
How to join WEP: step by step
- Go to https://wep.gov.in/ and click Register, then choose Entrepreneur.
- Sign up with your email or mobile number and set a password.
- Use Complete Profile to add your business details and the help you need. A thin profile gets fewer useful matches.
- Open Mentorship and choose individual mentoring or browse organisation programmes.
- Visit SEHER to check your CIBIL score and see upcoming workshops.
- Use the Knowledge Portal to search incubators, accelerators and schemes by your sector.
- Check Events regularly for new cohort calls.
There is no fee to register.
Other free support that is active in 2026
We included only programmes we could confirm on an official site in October 2026.
| Support | What you get | Who it suits | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Udyam registration | Free, paperless MSME registration, needed for most schemes | Any business | udyamregistration.gov.in |
| Udyam Assist Platform | Registration route for informal micro enterprises | Very small and informal units | Through the Udyam portal |
| PMEGP online EDP and webinars | Free two-day online entrepreneurship training and weekly Sunday webinars on setting up a micro enterprise | Anyone considering a new unit | pmegp.msme.gov.in |
| PMEGP sample projects | Downloadable project profiles to base your own report on | First-time founders writing a project report | pmegp.msme.gov.in, Knowledge Centre |
| PM Vishwakarma training | 5 to 7 days basic and 15 days advanced training, with ₹500 per day stipend | Artisans in the 18 listed trades | Common Service Centre |
Why Udyam first: it is free and mandatory for PMEGP subsidy adjustment, and most schemes and many WEP partner programmes ask for it. The portal itself warns against fake sites that charge for registration.
What we left out, and why
You will see many lists of “free programmes for women entrepreneurs” online. We left out state incubators, SIDBI-run programmes and private accelerators that we could not confirm as currently open on an official page in October 2026. SIDBI is listed as a stakeholder in WEP’s Financing Women Collaborative, a network of banks and financial institutions working on lending to women, but that is a partner forum rather than something you apply to. For incubators in your state, use WEP’s directory and confirm directly with the incubator that applications are open.
Common mistakes
- Expecting money from WEP. It connects you to support; it does not fund you.
- Registering and never completing the profile. Mentors and programmes rely on it.
- Missing cohort deadlines. Calls are time-bound; check Events monthly.
- Paying “consultants” to register you on WEP or Udyam. Both are free.
- Ignoring your credit score until a bank rejects you.
Tips for small and first-time founders
- Book a mentor for one specific problem, such as pricing, a trademark, or a project report, rather than general advice.
- Use the free CIBIL check six months before you plan to borrow, so there is time to correct errors.
- Pair WEP mentoring with a concrete scheme: for example, a mentor reviewing your PMEGP project report.
- Save the incubator and scheme pages you find useful; directories change.
FAQ
Q: Is WEP a government scheme with a subsidy?
A: No. It is a free NITI Aayog platform for information, mentoring and programmes. Subsidies come from schemes such as PMEGP.
Q: Who can register?
A: Women entrepreneurs, including aspiring founders still planning a business. Mentors and partner organisations register separately.
Q: Does it cost anything?
A: Registration is free. Some third-party offers listed on WEP may be paid; WEP says it does not endorse them.
Q: Is the platform in Hindi?
A: The site offers a language switch and a Hindi walkthrough of the mentorship module.
Q: Are any WEP programmes open right now?
A: The cohort programmes on the site were all marked concluded in October 2026. Mentoring and SEHER are always available.
Q: How do I contact WEP?
A: Email wep@wepindia.org.
Official links
- Women Entrepreneurship Platform: https://wep.gov.in/
- WEP mentorship: https://wep.gov.in/wep-mentorship-home
- SEHER (finance readiness): https://wep.gov.in/seher
- WEP incubators and accelerators directory: https://wep.gov.in/incubators-and-accelerators
- Udyam Registration: https://udyamregistration.gov.in/
- PMEGP portal (EDP and sample projects): https://pmegp.msme.gov.in/
- PM Vishwakarma: https://pmvishwakarma.gov.in/
Last checked: October 2026. Rules, limits and fees change; confirm with the official source before you apply. This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.
Sources: Women Entrepreneurship Platform (wep.gov.in), homepage, About Us, Mentorship, SEHER, Financing Women Collaborative and Incubators pages (October 2026); Udyam Registration portal (October 2026); PMEGP 2.0 portal (October 2026); Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 646 on PMEGP (July 2024); PM Vishwakarma official portal (October 2026).
