In 2019, AYE Finance recognised a fundamental truth: financial aid alone wasn't enough to transform India's vast micro-enterprise landscape. While they had successfully disbursed over ₹2,200 crores to 150,000 grassroots businesses, the real challenges lay beyond funding. This realisation birthed FAME, the Foundation for Advancement of Micro Enterprises – a Section 8 company designed to provide the holistic support that micro-entrepreneurs desperately needed.
Source: FAME
FAME's story begins with understanding. After years of lending to micro-enterprises, AYE Finance had accumulated invaluable insights into the sector's pain points. They discovered that whilst these 60 million businesses possessed remarkable skills and determination, they lacked access to quality training, modern marketing techniques, and direct market linkages. Traditional middlemen were eating into their profits, and digital platforms seemed unreachable.
Enter FAME's revolutionary approach. Instead of generic programmes, they developed cluster-specific interventions that address each sector's unique challenges. Their dairy development programme introduces digital livestock management through the FAME Dairy App, created in consultation with leading veterinarians to provide credible cattle healthcare advisory. In footwear clusters, they work with women artisans, helping them access larger markets whilst preserving traditional craftsmanship. Sports goods manufacturers learn quality enhancement techniques from master artisans, whilst also receiving guidance on e-commerce platforms.
The transformation stories are compelling. Take Kamal Singh, a shuttlecock manufacturer from Meerut who sold 10,000 boxes monthly to traders but remained invisible in the market. FAME helped him establish his own brand and navigate online platforms, eliminating middlemen and dramatically increasing his profit margins. Such success stories reflect FAME's core philosophy: empowering micro-entrepreneurs to scale up organically and compete effectively.
Meet the team
FAME, on LinkedIn
Sanjay Sharma, Director
Sheena Sakhuja, Director
Led by Chairman Brij Mohan, former Executive Director of SIDBI and a micro-finance pioneer, FAME operates with impressive reach. Their programmes span dairy, footwear, sports goods, namkeen, and kirana sectors, with customised interventions for each cluster. They conduct workshops across India, focusing on three critical areas: manufacturing best practices, marketing management skills, and digital platform navigation.
FAME's impact extends beyond individual businesses to entire communities. By strengthening local clusters, they're creating sustainable economic ecosystems that generate employment and boost regional development. Their work directly contributes to several UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those focused on decent work, economic growth, and reduced inequalities.
With over 200,000 lives already transformed and counting, FAME represents a new paradigm in CSR – one that recognises micro-entrepreneurs not as beneficiaries, but as capable business owners who simply need the right tools and knowledge to thrive in modern markets.
