Times Bridge, the global investments and partnerships arm of The Times Group of India, today announced its strategic partnership with Girl Effect, an international non-profit organisation that works to empower adolescent girls to change their lives. The partnership will accelerate Girl Effect’s India focused plans.

Founded by the Nike Foundation in 2004, Girl Effect is now an independent organisation working from nine global locations and active in over 50 countries. Using a unique understanding of girls and innovative behaviour change science, Girl Effect has a globally-proven journey to create media brands that girls love, with content that is entertaining, informative and relevant to them.

In India, Girl Effect has a 15-member team of digital-media, brand and gender experts based in Mumbai focused on creating digital-first content that is co-created with and for girls. Working with partners to drive demand and link to information and services available, Girl Effect India’s branded media content is designed to debunk myths, challenge gender stereotypes and change behaviours so that girls are equipped with the right skills and confidence to make decisions about their future.

Through the partnership, Times Bridge will support Girl Effect India across the board - from market partnerships and the creation of an India Advisory Board to activating public advocacy initiatives and more - as it seeks to create a generation of girls who are able to define their own trailblazing journey and become a part of the India growth story. To date, Times Bridge has already initiated strategic alliances with national and regional influencers to advance awareness of Girl Effect’s work in India. Drawing on the resources of the Times Group, this partnership will also focus on bringing onboard culturally relevant distribution platforms and facilitating conversations with stakeholders - both public and private.

Commenting on the new association, Rishi Jaitly, CEO, Times Bridge, said:
“Times Bridge’s mission is to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Girl Effect is a bold idea, and one that has proven itself by successfully launching compelling youth brands around the world. We at Times Bridge are honored to bring to bear our resources to build on recent momentum and advance Girl Effect’s mission across India.”

Jessica Posner Odede, CEO, Girl Effect, said: “We are delighted to have the support and confidence of Times Bridge as we launch in India. This partnership will accelerate our ability to scale and grow Girl Effect India, facilitating new partnerships that ultimately enable us to empower more girls to make positive choices. Girls in India face many barriers to reaching their potential - simply because they are girls - and negative norms, experienced in adolescence, will go on to impact a girl’s place in society for the rest of her life. With the digital revolution in India, there is now an unprecedented opportunity to use media and mobile at scale to empower girls to transform their lives. I’m grateful to Rishi and the team at Times Bridge for supporting us on this journey.”

About Times Bridge

Times Bridge is a leading investment firm with a mission to bring the world’s best ideas to India and share India’s best insights with the world. Its current portfolio includes Airbnb, Coursera, Houzz, Smule, Uber and Wattpad, among others. By providing unmatched market leadership to its select partners and by harnessing the assets of The Times Group, India’s largest media company, Times Bridge accelerates growth and immersion across the Indian subcontinent for leaders who believe in winning in and learning from India.

About Girl Effect

Girl Effect is a creative non-profit working to support girls through adolescence and empower them to make positive choices so they can reach their potential. Founded by the Nike Foundation in 2004, Girl Effect is now an independent organisation working from nine global locations and active in over 50 countries. Using a unique understanding of girls and innovative behaviour change science, Girl Effect creates media brands that girls love, with content that is entertaining, informative and relevant to their everyday lives. Girl Effect uses technology to reach girls at scale and works with partners to drive demand and link to information and services available to them.