Google reaffirms commitment to digitally empower small and medium businesses

Google India reaffirmed its commitment to digitally empower India’s small and medium businesses (SMBs) on Wednesday at an event in New Delhi by recognising business leaders who have embraced technology to power growth.

The SMB Heroes who emerged as national winners under each of the categories are: Farida Gupta for Business Impact Through Digital, Shantanu Pathak and Aditya Kulkarni for Impacting Change Through Digital and Arpita Ganesh for Woman Business Leader. These business leaders have excelled in innovative use of technology and have leveraged it to address challenges and grow their businesses.

Addressing the audience, Rajan Anandan, vice-president- India and South-East Asia, Google said, “India’s incredible story of internet adoption continues to have a transformational impact on how people are consuming information, finding new businesses and connecting with one another. However, India’s 51 million-strong small and medium business community is not yet where it should be. At Google, we are committed to removing the barriers to adoption and providing small business with the training and tools they need to accelerate their growth.”

India today has 51 million SMBs that drive 37% of the country’s GDP and employ 120 million people. Out of these, only 32% have an online presence. It is this gap that initiatives like Google’s SMB Heroes aims to bridge.