The Marathi Aai Initiative (MAI) has launched its first national marketplace platform, The MAI Store, aimed at “establishing a recurring revenue stream to support community events and programs for MAI’s growing network of families across the United States.”
The initiative was introduced ahead of International Women’s Day celebrations. The inaugural inventory debut is scheduled to take place in the Bay Area, California, on March 8, where nearly 100 community members and their families are expected to attend the launch event.
According to a statement from MAI, the new platform reflects the organization’s commitment to promoting “women’s empowerment.” At a recent event, the statement noted that MAI Co-founder Dr. Sayli Natu highlighted the contributions of many leaders and team members within the organization who are not only “talented and committed volunteers but also mothers of young children who balance family responsibilities while leading initiatives.”
“The MAI Store exemplifies this philosophy, having been proposed, developed, and executed by a MAI community mother,” the statement said, adding that the store was envisioned and developed by Neha Joshi, a member of the MAI community and Product Lead for the initiative. Joshi worked alongside volunteer teams handling vendor relations, merchandise development, marketing, and operations.
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“We’re building long-term sustainability from within our own community,” said Joshi. “Our goal is to create a recurring revenue stream that strengthens MAI’s cultural and language programs for 1,500+ families nationwide. This began with a simple question: how do we fund our growth responsibly? We knew the talent already existed within our community. A dedicated team of MAI mothers volunteered to build The MAI Store end-to-end, ensuring that every purchase directly supports cultural and linguistic initiatives for Marathi families across the country. It marks a meaningful new chapter for MAI and the store team.”
Joshi also expressed gratitude to other team members including Kshitija Karmarkar (Co-Founder), Megha Khairnar (Design Strategist), and Rugveda Pande (Volunteer).
The statement noted that while the current phase features curated MAI merchandise, Joshi envisions expanding the platform to include entrepreneurial MAI mothers as well as small and mid-sized Marathi-owned businesses from across the country.
Nationwide ordering will open on the MAI Shopify platform following the initial Bay Area inventory launch. Additional products and variations are expected to be introduced in future releases. The team has also welcomed partnership inquiries from organizations and individuals whose work aligns with MAI’s mission.
