LedBy Foundation

GENERAL FAQ’s:

 

Q1. What is LedBy Foundation?

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LedBy Foundation is a leadership incubator closing the opportunity divide for Indian Muslim women by providing them skills, experience, and support through a tech-based, non-religious, social, and professional community platform that brings together inspiring and aspiring Indian Muslim women and the people who support them.

 

Q2. How were we formed?

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LedBy Foundation was incubated and developed at Harvard University in March 2019, with seed funding from the Social Innovation and Change Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School. More information can be found by clicking here.

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Q3. Why were we formed?

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There are 2 million Muslim women in India with graduate degrees, yet very few Muslim women leaders. A dearth of role models and customized programs contextualized to the unique struggles of these women could account for the lack of C-suite success stories. 

While education is an important ingredient in climbing professional ladders, it does not always translate into career success. LedBy Foundation transforms Indian Muslim women's education into empowerment by providing them real-life career skills, a supportive ecosystem, and access to the right opportunities and networks.

 

Q4. What do we do?

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We are creating a community of Indian Muslim women with professional skill sets to conquer their career goals while being supported by experts with shared backgrounds. Our program focuses on L-B-F:

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• Logic: Thinking/ Clarity/ Goals-setting/ Career Planning
   

• Broadcast: Presentation/ CV writing/ Story-telling/ Writing ability
   

• Feedback: Up-Down mentoring/ Allyship building/ Team strengthening/ Systems improvement.

 

Q5. What do we provide?

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For Indian Muslim women in their early career years, who have high ambitions, and an appetite for professional excellence, our programs offer a unique opportunity to hone their professional skills while networking with mentors from the community who have achieved success.

 

We run two fully funded programs in a virtual setting contextualized for Indian Muslim women 18 years or older. More details about our programs can be found by clicking the below links:

• LedBy Corporate Leaders Fellowship

• LedBy Accelerator

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Q6. Who is the founder of LedBy Foundation?

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 Dr. Ruha Shadab, Founder & CEO of LedBy Foundation, is a physician and a Master’s graduate from Harvard University. Born in Saudi Arabia and raised in India, it heavily influenced her strong conviction that empathy is one of the most important virtues we can harbor. She is very passionate about working for Indian Muslim Women. This section of Indian society (8% of the population) has massive underrepresentation in business, politics, media, and even, generally, in higher education.

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Q7. How are the programs executed?

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The programs are held virtually with the possibility of 1 or 2 in-person sessions like orientation or graduation. However, it depends on multiple factors, especially safety protocols and travel restrictions.

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Q8. What technology/devise is needed to participate in the programs?

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We require our participants to have a laptop or tablet with a webcam, microphone, and a fast and reliable internet connection. We will not be able to accommodate applicants who do not have consistent access to a computer; it is impossible to complete the programs using a smartphone.

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Q9. Is it a paid program?

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No, all our programs are fully funded for selected candidates.

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Q10. Who is the foundation supported by?

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LedBy Foundation was seed-funded by Harvard University and incubated there too. More details can be found here

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