With the rise of technology, it was just a matter of time before people shifted to online transactions. While this mode of payment became popular, many companies introduced the idea of e-wallets. One company that stands out in this space is MobiKwik. It is an Indian fintech unicorn that has made digital payments simpler and more accessible for users.
Behind the success of MobiKwik is a determined leader, Upasana Taku. The company was founded in 2009 by Upasana Taku and Bipin Preet Singh. Taku has played an important role in building the company and taking it to greater heights. Under their leadership, MobiKwik became a prominent player in the fintech industry. In December 2024, the company went public with its IPO opening for public subscription.
In this article, learn more about MobiKwik’s co-founder Upasana Taku, her education, her career, the challenges faced, and more.
Upasana Taku – Biography
Name
Upasana Taku
Birthplace
Gandhinagar, Gujarat
Born
1980
Nationality
Indian
Education
B.Tech in Industrial Engineering (NIT Jalandhar), MS (Stanford University)
Profession
Entrepreneur
Position
Co-Founder, Executive Director & CFO of MobiKwik, Co-Founder of Zaakpay
Upasana Taku was born into a Kashmiri family in Gandhinagar and grew up in a family of academicians. She completed her schooling in Surat and went on to pursue engineering at the prestigious Dr B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar. Taku holds a B.Tech degree in Industrial Engineering from that institute. She did her MS in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University, USA.
Upasana Taku – Career
After completing her Master’s, Upasana Taku’s career began in 2004 at HSBC Auto Finance in San Diego. She worked as a Business analyst in product management, where she was successful in many areas, like marketing and outreach, forecasting, and market research. She then joined PayPal in 2006. There, she worked as a Senior Product Manager. During her tenure at PayPal, she learned about payment systems in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Apart from that, she also gained knowledge about risk detection and fraud management, user experience, and design at PayPal.
All these experiences laid a solid foundation for the founding of MobiKwik in 2009. In 2012, Upasana Taku launched Zaakpay, a payment service by MobiKwik. It offers mobile and online payment solutions to eCommerce companies in India, staying true to the values of its parent company.
Currently, Upasana Taku serves as the Co-founder, Executive Director, and CFO of MobiKwik, where she continues to work on the company’s financial strategies and growth.
Bipin Preet Singh and Upasana Taku – MobiKwiki Co-Founders
In 2008, although she had a comfortable life with her corporate job, she realized that she no longer wanted to be a corporate drone. According to her, work was becoming too easy, even though she worked on some high-impact projects and accumulated millions of dollars. But she wanted to come back to India and contribute to the Indian startup ecosystem. Well, this was the turning point of Taku’s career!
Her family didn’t support her decision to return to India, as they saw it as a big risk. At PayPal, she had a successful career, and she enjoyed a comfortable life. Despite all this, she was back in India in 2008.
While she was figuring out her next steps, she worked with Drishtee, a rural microfinance NGO, in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, helping to empower local communities while gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in rural India.
In the subcontinent, she met a lot of people and extracted ideas about the buzzing sectors and unsolved gaps in the business and startup ecosystem. According to her, a wallet like PayPal was not popular in India. Therefore, users could never imagine a cashless world. Well, the example of India gave the idea to resolve this gap and work for the advancement of technology in the country.
While working on her ideas and project, she happened to meet Bipin Preet Singh in India through a common friend. Together, they started their fintech venture with a shared vision of disrupting the payments industry in India.
“It was a time when our parents would go to a nearby shop to recharge phones and that is when the idea of a mobile wallet business struck us which could pave a way to make consumer payments simpler. Fast forward to now, India is at the cusp of a digital revolution and the payments industry is witnessing a disruption like never before. We kind of saw this coming almost a decade ago,” said Taku in an interview.
Upasana Taku co-founded MobiKwik in 2009 with Bipin Preet Singh, who serves as the CEO and is also her husband. MobiKwik is one of India’s leading mobile wallets and financial services platforms. The app allows users to make payments like mobile recharges, bill payments, and bank transfers. It also offers services like instant digital loans, investment options in digital gold, mutual funds, fixed deposits, and credit card bill settlements.
A key feature of MobiKwik is Pocket UPI. This allows users to make UPI payments without linking their bank accounts. Under Upasana’s leadership, MobiKwik has expanded its services, making it one of the most trusted and widely used platforms in India.
Upasana Taku – The Journey of MobiKwik’s Growth and Milestones
Upasana Taku’s Mobikwik is very simple and need-based. Initially, they launched the company as a recharge platform, and soon, within a few years, it became the face of mobile wallets in the country. At a time when people were dependent on physical cash for a trivial amount like INR 10, Taku revolutionized the sector by bringing the concept of a physical wallet onto the big stage. Presently, a millennial or Gen Z cannot imagine going to a shop for small recharges; all he/she need is to use an app to cover all the recharges. Now, Mobikwik has grown exceptionally as a company. In 2010, the company hired its first employee, and it was somehow very difficult for the team to find someone with the same mindset to serve the community.
In 2011, the team grew very slowly, with a team member count of six! They were dependent on the home-office sector. Even on their wedding day, Taku and Bipin Preet had to work for the company! Later in 2011, they rented their first office which had five rooms. Within a short period, they were growing at an exceptional pace and were a team of 35 people by June 2012. In September 2012, the team applied for RBI’s PPI license, and they received it in July 2013.
This was a milestone for the team as it was a symbol of their growth. The first round of the company’s funding was $5 million, which enabled them to shift to a larger office in Udyog Vihar, Gurugram, with 50 employees. The second round of funding came in 2015, they were able to draw funding of $25 million from Sequoia Capital, American Express, Tree Line Asia, and Cisco Investment.
Under her leadership, MobiKwik achieved major milestones, becoming a unicorn startup in October 2021 and launching its IPO in December 2024.
Upasana Taku’s journey has not been easy. When she was starting MobiKwik, she faced some tough challenges, especially because she was a woman in a male-dominated field. During investor meetings, she was often asked personal questions like why she wasn’t married by 30 or how many children she had. People even mistook her for her husband’s assistant instead of recognising her as a co-founder. New employees at the company would also question whether they should report to her or a male manager.
Taku faced gender bias in the investor meetings as well. She shared that some financiers told her they preferred male founders. In response, she would confidently say that her male counterparts might not be able to answer their questions as well as she could. She made it clear that she would never work with such people.
Despite these challenges, she remained focused, communicated clearly, and continued working towards the success of her company. Even when she was pregnant, she didn’t slow down. Upasana continued working and even attended a board meeting just a day before her cesarean surgery. Coming from a lower-middle-class background, she worked hard to earn a scholarship to study at Stanford University in the US.
While things are slowly getting better for women in business, Upasana acknowledges that there is still progress to be made. Her story is a great example of how, with hard work, determination, and courage, women can overcome any challenge.
Upasana Taku – Success Mantra
Taku’s mantra “Kick up a storm or die trying” has helped her to stay focused in difficult times. According to her, Tenacity is the key. Hence, her hard work and desire to serve the startup community have made her an inspirational figure for many aspiring entrepreneurs.
Upasana Taku – Awards and Recognitions | First Woman to Lead a Payments Company in India
Forbes “Asia’s Women to Watch (2016)”
Best Woman Entrepreneur Award 2017 by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM)
In 2018, she received an award from the President of India for being the First Woman to lead a Payment Gateway Startup in India.
Forbes Asia’s Power 25 Businesswomen (2019)
In 2024, she was honoured with the ‘Unstoppable Icon’ award and recognised as India’s Leading Tech Founder & one of the Top 15 Richest Self-made Women in India.
In April 2025, Taku was recognized in Fortune India’s “100 Most Powerful Women in Business 2025” list, celebrating her impactful leadership and achievements in fintech.
Taku has been appointed as the Vice-President of the Executive Committee at the Unified Fintech Forum (formerly DLAI).
Upasana Taku is the co-founder and CFO of Mobikwik, India’s leading mobile wallets and financial services company.
What is Upasana Taku age?
Upasana Taku was born in 1980 into a Kashmiri family in Gandhinagar and grew up in a family of academicians.
What is Upasana Taku education?
Upasana Taku’s education includes a B.Tech in Industrial Engineering from NIT Jalandhar and an MS from Stanford University.
What is Upasana Taku net worth?
While the exact net worth of Upasana Taku is not publicly available, in 2024, she was recognised as India’s Leading Tech Founder and one of the Top 15 Richest Self-made Women in India by CNBC-TV18.
What is Upasana Taku’s MobiKwik net worth?
As of May 12, 2025, MobiKwik’s market capitalisation stands at approximately INR 1,925 crore (around $232 million), based on its current share price of INR 247.80. This reflects a significant decline from its peak valuation of INR 4,102 crore (approximately $494 million) during its IPO debut in December 2024.
Who is Zaakpay founder?
Zaakpay, co-founded by Upasana Taku and Bipin Preet Singh (also MobiKwik co-founders), is a payment gateway service provided by MobiKwik. It focuses on fast, innovative digital payment solutions, tackling challenges in payments, reconciliations, and user experience. Recently, Zaakpay received RBI approval to operate as an online payment aggregator, further enhancing its capabilities.
With the consistent developments in the Indian startup ecosystem, more and more women are chasing the entrepreneurial dream and flourishing in their ventures. This is empowering other Indian women who are still confined to the traditional homemaker role to think for themselves. However, a recent report states that only two Indian cities have made it to the list of the 50 most favorable global places for women to work.
India’s Silicon Valley, Bengaluru, ranked 40th, while Delhi was at 49th place. This survey was conducted by the tech giant Dell in partnership with the consultancy firm IHS Markit. The ranking—based on inputs from women entrepreneurs in India, policymakers, venture capitalists, media, and academicians—measures a city’s ability to attract and support those women who want to grow their businesses.
According to the National Sample Survey, only 14% of the businesses in India are run by women entrepreneurs. Most of the companies are bootstrapped and run on a small scale. The global disparity is evident in a report that says nearly 126 million women have their own business across the globe while Indian women linger around the 8 million mark; a paradoxical statement is given that India is the second-most populous nation in the world. StartupTalky has compiled a list of successful female entrepreneurs who’ve made a mark in India’s startup ecosystem.
Some Interesting Statistics on Female Entrepreneurs in India
About 58% of the female entrepreneurs were in the age range of 20-30 when they started out.
Nearly 73% of them report revenue of approximately Rs 10 lakhs in a financial year.
Almost 40% of these women started out solo, i.e., without any other member.
About 35% of the women had a co-founder.
Roughly 40% of the Indian female entrepreneurs employ five people or less.
Despite the challenges of business ownership, 74% of the women entrepreneurs were somewhat or very happy owning a business, 17% were somewhat or very unhappy, and 9% were neutral.
In a country like India, where most women aren’t encouraged to think big (especially in the rural parts of the nation), there are some who have soared higher than one would expect in a constrictive setup.
These wonder women are inspiring other ladies to venture on the path of entrepreneurship through their success stories comprising personal struggles and challenges. As a result, India is steadily rising up the ranks when it comes to a favourable startup environment coupled with some solid backing from the Indian government.
Aditi Gupta is a social-cause entrepreneur and the co-founder of Menstrupedia, which works on spreading awareness about menstruation. She is counted as one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in India. She started the venture along with her husband, Tuhin Paul.
The venture stemmed from her own experiences with this so-called taboo. Menstruation was often a painful time she had to go through without any help to alleviate the pain.
After finding out many women resonated with her on the same problem, she decided to create a website on menstruation, complete with illustrations and graphics, to educate women about periods. Menstrupedia has become extremely popular among girls and women seeking to gain awareness on the topic.
Aditi continues informing women about menstrual hygiene to eliminate certain misconceptions about this natural process. She is indeed among the gems who want to do something for society.
She aspires to create a future where menstruation is not seen as evil but as a welcoming change in a girl’s life. She hails from Garhwal in Jharkhand. Aditi is a post-graduate from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.
2. Anisha Singh
Name
Anisha Singh
Designation
Founder and CEO of mydala
Founded
2009
Anisha Singh – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Anisha Singh is no stranger to roller-coaster riders; she went through various ups and downs in life before achieving the success she enjoys today. She is the co-founder and CEO of India’s biggest deals platform, Mydala.
Anisha’s long journey started when she was working in Capitol Hill and helping entrepreneurs. She then joined a software company in Boston, where she designed e-learning ecosystems. Anisha Singh is known for openly supporting women’s causes and campaigns. She speaks her mind out and doesn’t cave into fear.
Anisha is from New Delhi, India. She pursued her master’s degree in political communication and then an MBA in Information Systems from American University, Washington DC. Anisha Singh is one of the top businesswomen in India. She was also the judge for an Indian reality show, MTV Dropout, that was based on entrepreneurship.
Anisha Singh in MTV Dropout
3. Shradha Sharma
Name
Shradha Sharma
Designation
Founder of YourStory
Founded
2008
Shradha Sharma – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Shradha was at the peak of her career while working with famous news media houses like the Times of India and CNBC in Mumbai. During that period, she interacted with many entrepreneurs and got to know about their success stories.
Her idea to feature these entrepreneurs, particularly young female entrepreneurs in India, was rejected by several channels. She figured out that there were millions of stories storming around but no platform to cover them. She decided to create an online portal to provide a platform for featuring such stories.
YourStory was launched in 2008 and has 70,000+ stories on its website today. Shradha Sharma leads a team of 100+ people who offer content in 11 local languages. The motive is to share the roller coaster of emotions an entrepreneur goes through.
She was awarded the L’Oreal Paris Femina Award and was included on the list of the world’s top 500 LinkedIn influencers Top 500 LinkedIn Influencers. Shraddha is one of the most successful and influential female entrepreneurs in India.
4. Upasana Taku
Name
Upasana Taku
Designation
Co-Founder of Mobikwik
Founded
2009
Upasana Taku – Top 20 Young Female Entrepreneurs in India
Upasana Taku co-founded Mobikwik with her husband, Bipin Preet Singh. Mobikwik is a fintech startup. It is a virtual wallet tied to a huge network of companies and services. People can recharge and pay at registered places through the Mobikwik wallet. Mobikwik also rewards its customers with cashback through a concept called “SuperCash”.
Upasana Taku has a strong fintech background, having worked as a senior product manager at PayPal (an eBay company) in Silicon Valley and with HSBC (San Diego) prior to that. She graduated with a bachelor’s in engineering from NIT Jalandhar and has a master’s degree in management science from Stanford University.
5. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Name
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Designation
Founder of Biocon
Founded
1978
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is one of the most revered female entrepreneurs in India. She is a billionaire entrepreneur of India who is hailed as the founder and Executive Chairman of the popular Bangalore-based biotechnology company Biocon. Kiran Shaw is responsible for the growth and the large-scale expansion that Biocon has seen to date, and it is her belief in “affordable innovation” that was the key here.
She had previously worked at the United Breweries and has also broken many stereotypes thereafter expanding into biopharmaceuticals. After completing her graduation from Bangalore University, Shaw went on to study brewing at Ballarat College, Melbourne University and topped in her classes, coming out successfully with a master’s brewer degree in 1975.
Ghazal Alagh – Top 20 Young Female Entrepreneurs in India
When it comes to the most successful female businesswomen in India, we ought to name the co-founder of Mamaearth, Ghazal Alagh. Along with being the head of Mamaearth with her husband, Varun Alagh, she is also known as one of the women entrepreneurs who sits on the judges’ panel of the celebrated Shark Tank India show. She is one of the most famous business women in India.
Shark Tank India Judges
Ghazal Alagh is a Panjab University BCA graduate in IT. She then enrolled in the School of Visual Arts for a Summer Intensive Course, and later on, Shaw went to the New York Academy of Art. She is currently serving as the Co-founder, Chief Mama and Chief Innovation Officer at Honasa Consumer Pvt. Ltd. (Mamaearth).
Neeru Sharma – Top 20 Young Female Entrepreneurs in India
Neeru Sharma is the co-founder and director of Infibeam, India’s leading e-commerce portal. Neeru is an expert in conducting market research and providing financial diligence for investments.
Neeru Sharma holds an MBA degree in Finance and Strategy from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. She has been a part of TCS, Nokia, and Amazon.
8. Sugandha
Name
Sugandha Agarwal
Designation
Founder of Docttocare
Founded
2016
Sugandha Agarwal – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Sugandha is one of the youngest businesswomen in India and the founder of Docttocare. Docttocare is an online healthcare service provider that provides information to its users about the best doctors, clinics, hospitals, and diagnostic centres. Docttocare also offers virtual walkthroughs of the hospitals and their facilities.
Sugandha has worked with companies like Infosys, Oracle, and Google Maps before founding Docttocare. Sugandha is an electrical & communication engineer by qualification. She manages a team of 15 people who make Docttocare better every day.
9. Malika Sadani
Name
Malika Sadani
Designation
Founder of The Moms Co.
Founded
2016
Malika Sadani – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
A banker-turned-entrepreneur, Malika Sadani is the founder and CEO of The Moms Co., a leading homegrown brand for toxin-free, natural, and effective products for pre and postnatal care, babies, and conscious consumers seeking personal care solutions.
It was when Sadani had her first child and moved back to India from the UK that she experienced difficulties in finding chemical-free, quality products in the country. There was a huge gap in the baby-care market that was yet to be addressed. She is one of the top 20 women entrepreneurs in India.
With The Moms Co., she has embarked on a mission to help mothers in India and across the world make safe choices for themselves and their loved ones. The team works with experts from around the globe, and even though it’s a native brand, all the products under The Moms Co. have Australian certifications.
Ruchi Garg – Top 20 Young Female Entrepreneurs in India
Ruchi Garg founded Venuelook in 2014. VenueLook is a Noida-based more than 15 years of professional experience O2O platform for venue aggregation, recommendation, and booking. Venuelook makes venue booking seamless and awesome across 16 cities in India. It helps organizations in managing and promoting events.
Ruchi has a bachelor’s degree in computer science. She has more than 15 years of professional experience building products and teams. Ruchi manages a team of 50 people in Venuelook. Even though she is in the event management industry, Ruchi still maintains a connection with technology—leveraging it to solve business problems.
11. Ankita Gaba
Name
Ankita Gaba
Designation
Co-Founder of Social Samosa
Founded
2011
Ankita Gaba – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Ankita Gaba is a consultant, lecturer, entrepreneur, and media strategist known for her multitasking prowess. She co-founded Social Samosa in 2011. However, she left the company in 2015 to start another venture.
Born on April 4, 1985, she hails from Mumbai. Ankita Gaba won “The Social Media Entrepreneur of the Year Award” at the Wat Awards in 2013. Her first venture was Superchooha, one of the first social media agencies in India. She is one of the top 20 women entrepreneurs in India.
12. Ashwini Asokan
Name
Ashwini Asokan
Designation
Co-Founder of Mad Street Den
Founded
2016
Ashwini Asokan – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Ashwini Asokan had Anand Chandrasekaran, her husband, by her side in her entrepreneurial quest. She began by leading a mobile innovation team in Silicon Valley. This stint incited her interest in Artificial Intelligence.
After coming back to India, the husband-wife duo tasted success with their first offering—Mad Street Den. Mad Street Den is an AI platform that enables users to capture smiles and detect facial expressions and emotions through their smartphone cameras. The company is located in the Bay Area, California, with offices in Seattle and Chennai (India).
Ashwini and Anand also founded vue.ai, an image recognition platform for the retail industry. Vue.ai works with marquee retailers, brands, and marketplaces across the globe. It transforms operations in the fashion industry through intelligent automation. It won’t be wrong to label Ashwini as an innovative female tech entrepreneur!
13. Akanksha Anshu
Name
Akanksha Anshu
Designation
Founder of Refundme.in
Founded
2012
Akanksha Anshu – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Akanksha Anshuis thefounderof refundme.in. Refundme.in offers a platform to travellers where they can easily claim compensation in the case of unfavourable circumstances such as flight delay, flight cancellation, overbooking, denied boarding, and so on. She is tech-savvy, a visionary, an entrepreneur, and the founder of 3 successful ventures. She comes from an enterprise technology background, holds an engineering degree, and has managed various roles in the international market, from IT services to business development.
Through refundme.in, she has given suggestions to the government, and the efforts have helped the government revise the Air Passenger Charter Act. Akanksha Anshu has been featured by many media platforms like ETWealth, BW Disrupt, Business Insider, and more for her contributions to the Aviation Industry.
Akanksha has expertise in technology, marketing, and automation. She has been mentoring various startups for their IT infrastructure and strategic planning. Besides consultancy, she is a traveller, storyteller, and motivational speaker. So far, she has been a speaker at various events where she has presented her ideas on distinct topics—technology, entrepreneurship, IT automation, motivation, and web security.
Chitra Gurnani Daga – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Chitra Gurnani, a young female CEO in India, along with her husband, Abhishek Daga, commenced Thrillophilia in 2009. The venture was a manifestation of their passion for travelling. Thrillophilia is a travel company that provides the best local experiences and assures its customers of a trip they will cherish forever. Her aim is to make the people of India aware of the marvelous travel spots and tourist destinations within the country.
Chitra Gurnani hails from Bangalore. She has an MBA degree in Marketing from the Indian School of Business. Chitra previously worked at SAP and Infosys as a software engineer. She is focusing on building an organization that adds value to its customers and employees instead of solely focusing on revenue.
15. Debadutta Upadhyaya
Name
Debadutta Upadhyaya
Designation
Founder of TImesaverz
Founded
2012
Debadutta Upadhyaya – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Debadutta Upadhyaya believes in persistence, whether in hell or in high water. In fact, she always finds a solution to every problem. Debadutta founded Timesaverz, an online portal that helps people find solutions to their handyman problems. It assists homemakers with house repairs.
Debadutta was born in the city of Odisha, Rourkela. She has an MBA from IIM, Calcutta and worked for Yahoo India.
Life is as you would like to make of it. All of us have a choice and the easy or hard part is just a derivative of what one has chosen. – Debadutta Upadhyaya, Founder of Timesaverz
16. Gurleen Kaur
Name
Gurleen Kaur
Designation
Founder of Hareepatti
Founded
2005
Gurleen Kaur – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Gurleen Kaur Tikku is the CEO of Hareepatti. Hareepatti is a financial advisory firm imparting its customer’s financial wisdom. It is an extension of Trilok Singh & Associates that was started by Gurleen’s father, the late Shri Trilok Singh Jee.
Gurleen Kaur pursued a PGDBM in Finance from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad. She has been recognized among the Top 30 Women Entrepreneurs from Delhi.
17. Jaya Jha
Name
jaya Jha
Designation
Founder of Pothi and InstaScribe
Founded
2008 and 2013
Jaya Jha – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Jaya Jha is another successful female entrepreneur in India. She is the brain behind two startups—InstaScribe and Pothi.com. These platforms enable users to create their own eBooks.
Jaya has enviable credentials with the IIT-IIM tag. She graduated from IIT, Kanpur in Computer Science and has a PGDM in Marketing and Strategy from IIM, Lucknow. She previously worked for Google as an Assistant Product Manager and with IBM as an Assistant Manager.
18. Neha Behani
Name
Neha Behani
Designation
Founder of Moojic
Founded
2011
Neha Behani – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Neha Behani has done something really unique through Moojic. Moojic is like a radio/jukebox for restaurants and cafes. It allows customers to alter and customize playlists as per their interests. Neha is no stranger to failures, she has had a difficult journey but always emerged victorious.
Neha Behani hails from Mumbai. She pursued her MBA in Marketing from the Asian Institute of Management. She previously worked as an Assistant Product Manager at HP.
19. Megha Malik
Name
Megha Malik
Designation
Founder of DesignerPeople
Founded
2000
Megha Malik – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Megha Malik started her journey as an entrepreneur a decade back by starting DesignerPeople. Her vision is to transform the way product packaging, design, and positioning are perceived by young brands. As a creative director at Designer People, Megha’s responsibility is to provide proactive, practical and contemporary brand advertising solutions and support a futuristic brand presentation in tune with global trends.
She has worked with more than 500 brands over the last ten years and helped them build their branding portfolio. Megha holds an MBA degree in Marketing Strategies and a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts.
20. Chitra Ravi
Name
Chitra Ravi
Designation
Founder of Chrysalis
Founded
2001
Chitra Ravi – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Chitra Ravi is the founder of Chrysalis. A management graduate, Chitra has a strong desire to improve education. Chrysalis has innovated an academic program for the formative years (in the age group of 2-12) of a child’s education – “ThinkRoom”. Chitra deftly combines her skills in conceptualization, storyboarding, and instructional design to deliver products and services that are dynamic and on par with any international curriculum standards.
Chitra has traveled to the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Southeast Asia and has participated in many international training programs and conventions like Project Zero, which is conducted by Harvard University exclusively for educators. She also presented a program on the effective use of technology in the K-12 curriculum for one of the biggest satellite channels in India.
21. Aparajita Amar
Name
Aparijitha Amar
Designation
Founder of SHLC
Founded
2015
Aparajita Amar – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Leading women entrepreneurship in India, Aparajita Amar is the founder of SHLC-Sexual Harassment Law Compliance Advisory. She is a certified sexual harassment and workplace diversity advisor and an Advocate. At SHLC, Aparajita and her colleagues provide documentation, consultation, and advisory services to organizations to assist their clients in complying with sexual harassment laws.
The team works on drafting anti-sexual harassment policies, sensitization and awareness sessions, and ICC capacity building. She has designed and conducted training, sensitization, and awareness workshops for employees, supervisors and senior management. She has also designed and conducted capacity-building and strengthening programmes for the members of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).
Aparajita is a Legal Development Programme (LDP) Member of the “Strengthening Road Safety in India” program organized by the Bloomberg Initiative and the World Health Organization (WHO) on global road safety. Aparajita has attended workshops held in Beijing and Geneva.
22. Rati Batra
Name
rati Batra
Designation
Founder of YourHR
Founded
2017
Rati Batra – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Rati Batra is an HR strategist and the founder of YourHR; the startup is known for rendering strategic consulting support to start-ups and SMEs. YourHRprovides end-to-end human resource management (HRC) strategic consulting support to businesses. She brings HR and business development expertise to the table.
She attended the GEC Conference 2019 held in Bahrain as part of the Indian delegation, deliberating ways to sustain the entrepreneurial and startup culture. Rati is also working to build a network that celebrates and encourages strong, independent female entrepreneurs.
Aditi Balbir, a young female CEO in India is the founder and CEO of V Resorts – an organization that provides holiday experiences that showcase the real India.
She graduated from ISB (Hyderabad) and the Fuqua School, Duke University. Aditi started her career in finance before establishing V Resorts. V Resorts was her first venture outside of finance in 2014. She received $9 million in two successive rounds of funding from Bedrock Ventures, Seedfund, and RB Investments. She has contributed to building the business from the ground up to carefully curate, develop, and manage unique resort properties in India.
She received the Young Women Business Award for Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs by CNBC TV 18 in 2017, Exceptional Women of Excellence by the Women Economic Forum in 2017, Fortune 100 Most Powerful Women Asia in 2017, and Dell Foundation’s 200 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in the world in 2016.
24. Falguni Nayar
Name
Falguni Nayar
Designation
Founder of Nykaa
Founded
2012
Falguni Nayar – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Falguni Nayar is one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in India and the founder of Nykaa, India’s beauty product retailer. After serving 20 years as a venture investor and merchant with Kotak Mahindra, she suddenly announced her departure to pursue her dream. Nykaa has over 850 brands along with robust content through videos, blogs, and dynamic social media engagement. Running an online business successfully, Nykaa has also introduced 35 physical stores. She is one of the most famous business women in India.
Nykaa has also been a front-runner in bringing international luxury brands to India, giving Indian customers all-encompassing products and services to choose from.
Garima Satija, along with other young women entrepreneurs, founded PoshVine. Before embarking on her journey with PoshVine, Garima gained valuable experience working with Naukri.com and Ozone Media. PoshVine, an online destination curated by young women entrepreneurs, serves as a platform for discovering and booking dining and travel experiences. The venture commenced by bringing together premium restaurants and experimental chefs, all eager to craft distinctive activities for users to enjoy.
PoshVine enables individuals and companies to create experiential packages directly on its site. PoshVine recently adopted a B2B2C approach in its business model. It works with large clients like HDFC Bank, Citibank, Axis Bank, Jaguar, etc. and manages their experiential engagement for affluent customers.
26. Vandana Luthra
Name
vandana Luthra
Designation
Founder of VLCC
Founded
1989
Vandana Luthra – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Mrs Vandana Luthra is the founder of VLCC. VLCC is a globally recognized name in the beauty, health, and fitness industry. Mrs. Luthra had humble beginnings in 1989 with the opening of a beauty and slimming services center in New Delhi. This center ran weight management programs along with cutting-edge skin and hair treatments.
In the year 2013, she was awarded one of India’s topmost honors, the Padma Shri, for her immense contribution to Trade & Industry. She won the Asian Business Leaders Forum Trailblazer Award in 2012, the Enterprise Asia Women Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2010, and the Rajiv Gandhi Award in 2008. She has been featured in the Forbes Asia 2016 list of 50 Power Businesswomen in the APAC region. She has been featured in Fortune magazine’s annual listing of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business in India for six years in a row – from 2011 to 2016. She is one of the most successful businesswomen in India. She is one of the top 50 women entrepreneurs in India.
27. Suchi Mukherjee
Name
Suchi Mukherjee
Designation
Founder of LimeRoad
Founded
2012
Suchi Mukherjee – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Suchi Mukherjee founded LimeRoad in 2012. LimeRoad is a social commerce site where products are shared and sold. These offerings are targeted directly toward the women’s community. LimeRoad is the fastest-growing fashion platform today. Suchi Mukherjee studied economics at the School of Cambridge and completed her master’s degree in economics and finance in London. She was part of the early team building out the UK business for eBay, an executive management team member at Skype, andamanaging director at Gumtree.
She was among the 15 women voted for ‘Rising Talent – Global Leaders Under 40’ at the World Women’s Forum in Paris in 2010 for her contributions to scaling businesses encompassing consumer technology.
28. Mansi Gupta
Name
Mansi Gupta
Designation
Founder of Tijori
Founded
2013
Mansi Gupta – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Mansi Gupta is the co-founder of the lifestyle brand ‘Tjori’. Tjori was launched in India in 2013. Tjori is a lifestyle brand with products in the apparel, home, wellness, jewelry, shoes, and bags categories; it recently introduced a mother-and-child catalog. All of these categories follow the richness of Indian handicrafts and the quality of international standards.
She created this brand with the idea of promoting traditional Indian handicrafts imbued with a touch of modernism to fetch them much-needed global recognition. A plan built on the whiteboard of a room in the Wharton University housing complex has now become a global e-commerce website with ever-expanding future plans.
The daughter of an elite clothing tycoon in Jammu, Mansi completed her MBA from the Business School of Cardiff University and has a specialization in the field of finance from the University of Wharton.
The brand is a spitting image of her style and aura. The art and the details of the handicraft are kept intact and enhanced with a modern touch. The products are well-thought-out and only then sold to customers.
Mansi and her employees are determined to build the brand and are dedicated to taking Tjori to global imminence. Mansi Gupta says, “If we don’t have any battles to fight, then the war is lost. A battle will only be won once we stand true to our aims and goals.”
“The transition from an e-commerce website to a walk-in store is Tjori’s next goal, and we aim to win this battle by spreading our stores worldwide. The end goal would be to be the best-selling Indian lifestyle brand on a global platform,” she adds.
29. Vani Kola
Name
Vani Kola
Designation
Founder of Kalaari Capital
Founded
2012
Vani Kola – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Vani Kola is the founder and Managing Director of Kalaari Capital. Kalaari Capital is one of India’s leading early-stage venture capital firms. Vani has successfully led more than 30 investments at Kalaari in e-commerce, gaming, digital content, healthcare, and more. Some of her successes include Dream11, Myntra, Cure.fit, and Snapdeal. Vani is on the board of several companies that are redefining the landscape of Indian business.
Vani Kola has been profiled in numerous books and has been identified as one of Fortune India’s ‘Most Powerful Women in Business.’ She is also supporting various organizations fostering entrepreneurship and women’s leadership.
30. Nisaba Godrej
Name
Nisaba Godrej
Designation
Founder of Godrej Consumer Products
Founded
2001
Nisaba Godrej – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Nisaba is the executive chairperson of Godrej Consumer Products. Nisaba has a bachelor’s in science degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is the key architect of GCPL’s strategy and transformation in the last decade.
Over the last ten years, GCPL’s market capitalization has increased twenty-fold, and GCPL has developed a strong, engaged, and ambitious team. It is consistently ranked among the best places to work.
She has transformed Godrej into a more meritocratic and highly performance-driven organization while retaining the group’s values front and centre. She spearheads the Godrej group’s “good & green” agenda to drive inclusive and sustainable growth.
Ankita Vashistha – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Ankita Vashistha is the founder and chief executive officer of India’s (and Asia’s) first venture capital fund, Saha Fund. Saha Fund promotes and invests in women-led ventures and firms making strides in technology and innovation. Saha Funds has made investments in India, Asia, the UK, and the US.
Ankita, recognized as one of the top businesswomen in India, also collaborates closely with multiple domain experts, industry leaders, and a custom investment team that advises and chairs ventures to help them grow.
32. Aditi Avasthi
Name
Aditi Avasthi
Designation
Founder of Embibe
Founded
2012
Aditi Avasthi – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Aditi Avasthi, one of the successful women in India, is the founder and CEO of Embibe, an educational technology company based in Bangalore. Aditi, who holds an MBA in finance and marketing from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, leads Embibe with a vision to revolutionize the educational landscape.
Aditi Avasthi, a notable women entrepreneur in India, was awarded ‘Accenture Vaahini Innovator of the Year’ at the inaugural edition of the ETPrime Women Leadership Awards (ETPWLA).
33. Gazal Kalra
Name
Gazal Kalra
Designation
Founder of Rivigo
Founded
2014
Gazal Kalra – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Gazal Kalra co-founded Rivigo, a Gurugram-based logistics startup. Gazal Kalra has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Rivigo, spearheaded by Indian women entrepreneurs, operates on a relay truck model, ensuring that no driver would drive for more than four hours at a stretch, returning home the same day. Recently, Rivigo secured $65 million in funding from Warburg Pincus and SAIF Partners, bringing its total raised capital to $180 million.
34. Manisha Raisinghani
Name
Manisha Raisinghani
Designation
Founder of LogiNext
Founded
2014
Manisha Raisinghani – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Manisha co-founded LogiNext, which helps SaaS companies to manage and optimize logistics and field service operations. Manisha Raisinghani did her master’s in information systems from Carnegie Mellon University. She then worked with Warner Brothers as part of the data analytics team for iTunes. She also worked with IBM in the US before deciding to start LogiNext.
LogiNext is backed by Alibaba-funded Paytm and the Indian Angel Network; it has raised more than $10 Million as an investment to date. LogiNext has achieved exponential success in a very short span of time and is set to exceed 300% in growth by the end of 2020.
35. Sreelakshmi Suresh
Name
Sreelakshmi SUresh
Designation
Founder of eDesign
Founded
2014
Sreelakshmi Suresh – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Sreelakshmi is the youngest woman entrepreneur in India. Sreelakshmi became the youngest web designer-cum-CEO in the world in 2020 at the age of 21. She designed and developed the official website of her school located in Kozhikode (Kerala) when she was only 8 years old. She has many accolades to her name. Sreelakshmi has received many national and international awards.
At the age of 10, she designed and established eDesign, a web designing company that offers SEO, design, and other related services. Sreelakshmi Suresh has developed over 100 websites for renowned institutions and organizations across India.
36. Richa Kar
Name
Akanksha Anshu
Designation
Co-Founder of Zivame
Founded
2011
Ruchi Kar – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Richa Kar commenced her professional journey in the information technology sector. However, upon completion of her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the esteemed Narsee Monte Institute of Management Studies, she joined the retailer Spencer’s, where the seed for Zivame, a women’s apparel company, was sown. Through her work, Richa identified a gap in the market for an e-commerce lingerie brand and made the decision to invest her personal savings into the establishment of Zivame in 2011.
In May 2012, Richa secured her first investment of US$3 million for Zivame. Subsequently, the company has experienced remarkable growth, expanding its operations to include brick-and-mortar stores alongside its e-commerce business. Presently, Zivame is valued at US$13.6 million and has played an instrumental role in dismantling taboos associated with lingerie shopping in India, ensuring that every woman has access to comfortable products.
37. Tanvi Malik
Name
Tani Malik
Designation
Co-Founder of FabAlley
Founded
2012
Tanvi Malik – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Tanvi Malik is a highly successful entrepreneur who completed her MBA specializing in brand management at MICA, Ahmedabad, back in 2009. She started her career as an assistant brand manager at Titan Industries after graduation. However, in 2012, she took the bold step of leaving her corporate job to launch FabAlley and Indya, two online platforms catering to women’s fashion needs.
Tanvi’s visionary leadership has recently led FabAlley to secure a substantial investment of US$8.54 million from SAIF Partners, enabling the brand’s expansion into offline retail. Her outstanding accomplishments have earned her recognition on several prestigious lists, including Entrepreneur India’s 35 Under 35 in 2019 and Fortune India’s 40 Under 40 in 2021. Tanvi is widely admired for her commitment to promoting inclusivity in Indian women’s fashion and for blending traditional Indian aesthetics with modern styles for the millennial woman. Her impact on the industry is profound, serving as an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere.
38. Vineeta Singh
Name
Vineeta Singh
Designation
Founder and CEO of Sugar Cosmetics
Founded
2015
Vineeta Singh – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Vineeta Singh‘s professional journey began with internships at ITC and Deutsche Bank, followed by the completion of an MBA at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. Transitioning into senior roles spanning e-learning and HR, she honed her skills across diverse industries. In 2015, Singh took a bold step into entrepreneurship with the establishment of Sugar Cosmetics, which rapidly evolved into a formidable beauty empire. She is one of the top 50 women entrepreneurs in India.
Today, Singh’s entrepreneurial acumen has propelled her to a net worth estimated at $36 million. Her influence extends beyond her business ventures as she takes on the role of an investor on Shark Tank India, where she actively encourages and mentors young Indian women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, igniting a new era of female empowerment in the Indian business landscape.
Neha’s frustration with choosing the right fitness classes sparked the creation of Fitternity in 2013. With a background spanning finance, risk, and HR, coupled with an MBA from the Wellingkar Institute of Management and Research, Neha saw an opportunity to simplify the fitness journey for others. Today, Fitternity stands as a prominent online booking platform with over 10 million users across its website and app, generating an estimated yearly revenue of $16 million. It has evolved into one of India’s leading fitness search engines, offering a seamless experience for individuals embarking on their fitness endeavours and fostering a sense of community along the way.
Kanika Tekriwal – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Kanika became India’s youngest self-made entrepreneur when she established her aviation startup at just 22. Despite facing significant challenges, including battling cancer just as she was launching JetSetGo, an online platform for booking chartered planes and helicopters, her determination never wavered. Her journey took an unexpected turn when illness struck, setting back her startup plans by a year. However, after overcoming cancer, Kanika poured all her efforts into realizing her vision for JetSetGo. Now, a decade later, her perseverance has paid off handsomely, with a net worth of around US$50 million and recognition on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list.
Kanika’s story exemplifies resilience and ambition, propelled by her educational background with an MBA in finance from Coventry University in 2011, laying the foundation for her entrepreneurial journey. Despite facing setbacks early on, her unwavering determination and focus propelled her towards success. Today, her startup stands as a testament to her tenacity, marking her as a shining example in the world of entrepreneurship and inspiring others to overcome obstacles on their path to achievement.
41. Naiyya Saggi
Name
Naiyaa Saggi
Designation
Founder of BabyChakra and Co-Founder of The Good Glamm Group
Founded
2015 and 2021
Naiyya Saggi – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Naiyya Saggi pursued her MBA at Harvard Business School in 2012 through a Fulbright Scholarship, shifting gears from her role as a business analyst at McKinsey to delve into entrepreneurship. She kickstarted her journey with BabyChakra, an online community catering to mothers, in 2015, followed by the establishment of The Good Glamm Group in 2021. The Good Glamm Group swiftly ascended to unicorn status in the Indian beauty commerce sector the same year, boasting a valuation of $1.2 billion. Today, both of Naiyya’s ventures thrive in synergy, with The Good Glamm Group exhibiting an impressive annual growth rate of 12% while BabyChakra stands as a prominent platform offering invaluable parenting resources and support in India.
Finding decent, safe, and budget-friendly accommodation in India can often be a daunting task, particularly for students and professionals. Recognizing this common struggle, Sneha Choudary, along with her partners Dr. Nikhil Sikri and Akhil Sikri, seized the opportunity to address this need. They founded ZoloStays, a platform dedicated to providing hassle-free, long-term stay options that are both affordable and professionally managed.
ZoloStays has transformed the landscape of accommodation in India for young individuals, experiencing remarkable success in just nine years of operation. By offering fully managed accommodations that are easy to book, the platform has become a million-dollar enterprise, catering to the needs of students and professionals alike and significantly simplifying the process of finding quality housing in the country.
43. Divya Gokulnath
Name
Divya Gokulnath
Designation
Co-Founder of BYJU’S
Founded
2011
Divya Gokulnath – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Divya Gokulnath, alongside her husband Byju Raveendran, co-founded BYJU’S, a prominent educational technology company in India. Their shared passion for education and technology led them to develop an innovative learning app that offers personalized online learning experiences for students of various ages. Through their dedication, BYJU’S has emerged as a global leader in ed-tech, transforming traditional learning methods and reaching millions of students worldwide.
Divya’s unwavering vision and tireless efforts have propelled BYJU’S to international acclaim, establishing it as a powerhouse in education technology. Her commitment to providing accessible and effective learning solutions has garnered widespread recognition, contributing to BYJU’S substantial user base and global impact. Through their collaborative efforts, Divya and Byju continue to revolutionize education, empowering students with engaging and personalized learning experiences.
44. Swati Bhargava
Name
Swati Bhargava
Designation
Co-Founder of CashKaro
Founded
2013
Swati Bhargava – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Swati Bhargava, co-founder of CashKaro, has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing the e-commerce landscape in India. The inception of CashKaro stemmed from Swati and her husband’s personal experience of saving money while booking their honeymoon tickets through a cashback website. Motivated by this, they embarked on the journey to establish a similar platform tailored for the Indian market in 2013.
Under the astute leadership of Swati, one of the leading women entrepreneurs of India, CashKaro has flourished into India’s premier cashback and coupon site. Their platform offers users the opportunity to earn cashback on a diverse array of online purchases from partnered retailers. This innovative approach to saving money has resonated with both men and women, making CashKaro a go-to money-saving solution for millions of users, and further solidifying Swati’s reputation as a trailblazer in the business world. Through her leadership, CashKaro has empowered countless individuals to make smarter financial decisions while indulging in online shopping.
Radhika Ghai Aggarwal – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Radhika Ghai Aggarwal is a prominent female entrepreneur whose innovative ventures have garnered her recognition as one of India’s top 10 women entrepreneurs. Among her notable successes is ShopClues, an online marketplace launched in 2011 to serve the varied requirements of Indian consumers. Initially comprising a modest team of 10 individuals, the company steadily expanded its workforce and customer base. Presently valued at $1.1 billion, ShopClues stands as one of India’s most prosperous indigenous online marketplaces.
In addition to her accomplishments with ShopClues, Radhika Ghai Aggarwal ventured into establishing Kindlife in 2021. Kindlife is an online platform specializing in organic products that is gaining significant traction within the market. Radhika’s entrepreneurial acumen has not only fueled the success of her ventures but has also contributed to the advancement of e-commerce in India, solidifying her status as one of the most famous women entrepreneurs in India and a trailblazer in the business world.
46. Indra Nooyi
Name
Indra Nooyi
Designation
Chairperson and CRO of PepsiCo
Founded
2006
Indra Nooyi – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Indra Nooyi is an Indo-American businesswoman who served as the Chairperson and CRO of PepsiCo from 2006-2018. It was under her leadership that PepsiCo’s revenue shot up by 80%. She was the focal point in shifting the company’s focus towards healthier products with sustainable initiatives. Her reclassification of PepsiCo’s products into categories of – ‘fun for you’ (regular soda and potato chips), ‘better for you’ (low-fat versions of drinks and snacks), and ‘good for you’ (healthier items such as oatmeal) helped create a positive impact of the brand in the minds of people.
Nooyi consistently ranks among the world’s most powerful and influential women. She was ranked 13 on the Forbes list in 2014 and the second most powerful woman on the Fortune list both in 2015 and 2017. Indra also sits on the board of Amazon Inc. and the International Cricket Council.
47. Ritu Kumar
Name
Ritu Kumar
Designation
Founder, Ritu Kumar
Founded
1969
Ritu Kumar – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Considered to be one of the pioneers of Indian fashion, Ritu Kumar launched her label in 1969 in Kolkata. She began her fashion business using two small tables and hand-block printing techniques. Initially, she started with bridal wear and evening clothes and later moved into the international market. Renowned for using traditional textiles and craftsmanship, she blends the modern with the old. She has been one of the pivotal figures in reviving India’s rich artisanal heritage and bringing it to the global limelight. Her company’s annual turnover was estimated to be around INR 10 billion. Her clothes have been worn by celebrities such as Late Princess Diana, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Jemima Goldsmith, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone, and more.
Roshni Nadar Malhotra – Top Business Women in India
The current Chairperson of HCL Technologies, she is the first woman to lead a listed IT company in India. She is the only child of Shiv Nadar, the HCL Group Founder and billionaire. In 2019, and 2024, she was ranked 54th and 60th on the Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. According to the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List (2019), she is the wealthiest woman in India, with an estimated net worth of $42 billion as of October 2024. In 2023, she was ranked as the 60th of the World’s Most Powerful Women per Forbes.
In addition to her corporate prowess, she is involved in multiple philanthropic initiatives, including the conservation and education of children across India.
Radhika Aggarwal – Top Women Entrepreneurs in India
Radhika Aggarwal is one of the first female co-founders of a unicorn startup, ShopClues, an online marketplace. Aggarwal was a part of the marketing teams for brands such as Nordstrom and Goldman Sachs. She has over 14 years of experience in diverse sectors such as retail, lifestyle, fashion, and eCommerce in the USA. Some awards she has won over the years are Outlook Business Woman of Worth at Outlook Business Awards, Woman Entrepreneur of the Year at Entrepreneur India Awards, Exemplary Woman Entrepreneur of the Year at CMO Asia Awards, and CEO of the Year Award at CEO India Awards in 2016 alone.
Radhika has been a trailblazer in the eCommerce sector and has empowered both small and medium businesses with a platform to reach out to a broader customer base.
The prominent Indian entrepreneur, Shahnaz Husain, is known for her herbal cosmetics brand, Shahnaz Husain Group. Founded by her in 1970, Shahnaz has dedicated her life to popularizing Ayurvedic beauty treatments globally. She has received international recognition for reviving Herbal beauty care and taking the Indian heritage of Ayurveda global. In 2006, she received the Padma Shri from the Government of India for her contribution to the field of trade and commerce. In 2012, she won the Outstanding Ayurvedic Innovation Award in London and the Olympia Asia Award for Outstanding Contribution in Ayurveda and Plant Cosmetics in London.
Husain’s commitment to natural products has made her a household name and a pioneer in the Indian beauty industry.
Khushboo Jain – Young Women Entrepreneurs in India
Khushboo Jain, one of the youngest business woman in India is the co-founder and COO of ImpactGuru, a crowdfunding platform launched in 2014. The platform focuses on the healthcare sector and raises funds for medical issues and social causes. She has been crucial in providing funding to those in need by making healthcare easily accessible to all. Khushboo has received recognition from multiple organizations, such as the Fortune 40 uner 40 list and the National Commission for Minorities in India. In 2019, she was among the Top 15 women entrepreneurs at the United Nations Women Transforming India Award & Niti Aayog. Her idea for ImpactGuru came at a time when 65%-70% of the middle-class population did not have insurance. She was driven by the idea of making healthcare more affordable and accessible for everyone in India.
Sairee Chahal founded and is the CEO of the women-only social network Sheroes in 2014. The platform is a support group, opportunity provider, and resource finder for women at multiple stages of their careers. Founded in 2014 as a helpline, SHEROES has since emerged as a social network dedicated to women. Users can bridge the gender gap, interact, and grow. Sairee created the platform as a safe space for women to share, connect, and grow professionally and personally.
Sairee also founded Mahila Money, a small loans agency for women micro-entrepreneurs. Women can receive funding from INR 10,000 to INR 2,00,000 and get approval within 48 hours. Even if they are rejected, they can stay in the community to learn more about their financial abilities. Currently, Mahila Money has partnered with over 60 women-focused organizations to help them gain more trust.
Ankiti Bose is the CEO and co-founder of Zilingo, the fashion and lifestyle eCommerce platform launched in 2015. She is considered to be one of the youngest female CEOs who leads a startup worth over a billion dollars. Ankiti was featured in Forbes Asia as 30 under 30 in 2018 and as 40 over 40 in 2019. The idea for Zilingo was born after she visited Chatuchak Weekend Market, where Ankiti noticed immense room for penetration and growth. She realized that while people were slowly moving online, retailers were not trained financially or digitally to compete with global players. In 2019, Zilingo raised $226 million in Series D funding. She is one of the most successful women in India.
Ankiti’s vision has changed Zilingo into a global platform that empowers small manufacturers and retailers in the fashion industry.
Indians need to learn from these role models. Their ventures and initiatives are more than just a source of profit. The ladies covered in this post are some of the most successful women entrepreneurs in India and demonstrate the results of creativity and innovation. Gender is not a deterrent to achieving success.
Hope this post has incited the hidden entrepreneur in you!
FAQs
Who is the first youngest woman entrepreneur in India?
Sreelakshmi Suresh is the first youngest woman entrepreneur in India.
Who is the first woman entrepreneur in India?
Kalpana Saroj is the first woman entrepreneur in India. She is the Chairman of Kamani Tubes.
How to become a businesswoman in India?
If you are wondering to stand as a successful businesswoman in India, then these are a few tips that you can keep handy:
Research about your field
Be confident
Be organized
Network with people
Find a mentor
Analyze your customers
Stay updated always
Be positive
Who are the top 10 female entrepreneurs in India?
The top 10 young female entrepreneurs in India are:
Anisha Singh
Shradha Sharma
Upasana Taku
Falguni Nayar
Vandana Luthra
Ghazal Alagh
Suchi Mukherjee
Kiran Shaw
Neeru Sharma
Nisaba Godrej
Who is the richest female entrepreneur in India?
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the founder of Biocon is the richest female entrepreneur in India.
Who are the most popular female entrepreneurs in India?
Some of the most popular female entrepreneurs in India are:
Falguni Nayar
Vandana Luthra
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Ghazal Alagh
Indra Nooyi
Suchi Mukherjee
Aditi Gupta
Vani Kola
Radhika Ghai Aggarwal
Supriya Paul
Malini Agarwal
Who are the most powerful women in India today?
According to the 2021 list, the most powerful women of India list consists of:
Nirmala Sitharaman
Nita Ambani
Soumya Swaminathan
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Suchitra Ella
Who are the top female entrepreneurs in the world?
Here’s the list of the top female entrepreneurs in the world:
In May 2021, Forbes stated that Kylie Jenner is no longer a self-made billionaire. Forbes claims that Kylie inflated the sales figures of Kylie Cosmetics, accusing her team of forging tax returns to boost her net worth and thus revoking her billionaire status. Kylie Jenner sold her company 51% to Coty in a deal valued at $1.2 billion. Her income after-tax estimation was $340 million. After analyzing, Forbes reported that Kylie Jenner is “not a billionaire“.
Forbes previously released the annual World’s Billionaires list and Kylie was the world’s youngest self-made billionaire in 2020, just before CVID-19. Yes, the youngest self-made billionaire, she didn’t inherit her business; she built it herself. Kylie was a billionaire with a net worth of $1 billion. Yet, the Kardashian-Jenner sister’s ‘self-made’ status has attracted a degree of controversy, considering the wealthy, reality TV famed background from which she descends.
Kylie Jenner – Biography
Name
Kylie Jenner
Born
August 10, 1997
Age
Los Angeles, California, United States
Nationality
American
Education
Laurel Springs School (2012–2015), Sierra Canyon School (2012)
Kylie Kristen Jenner was born on August 10, 1997, in Los Angeles, California to parents Kris and former Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner. Kylie has an elder sister, Kendall Jenner. Kylie has three half-sisters – Kourtney, Khloé, and Kim Kardashian and half-brothers – Brandon, Brody Jenner and Robert Kardashian. Kylie has been in the news since childhood, thanks to the paparazzi being crazy for her family.
Kylie grew up in the spotlight among her famous siblings in the reality series, Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Jenner attended the private Sierra Canyon School and earned her high school diploma from Lauren Springs High School in California. Additionally, she’s amassed a mega social media following and in 2015 was named one of Time magazine’s Most Influential Teens.
Kylie Jenner – Career
The Kardashians are one of the most widely followed families today when it comes to entertainment. Every member of the Kardashian clan is wildly popular for their controversial and non-controversial antics. For a long time, Kim Kardashian stole the limelight.
Kim was at the fore of her celeb family when it came to coverage in tabloids and magazines. However, the last two or three years have seen another Kardashian member take Kim’s place—Kylie Jenner. She’s harnessed her family’s fame to launch her business ventures including a successful cosmetics line.
Kylie Jenner started her on-screen career in 2007, appearing as a main cast in the family’s popular reality television series ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians‘. She has also appeared in many of the spin-off shows focused on her sisters, Kourtney and Khloé. In 2011, she, following Kendall, earned a huge sum of money endorsing two nail lacquers from the Nicole by OPI brand, named “Rainbow in the S-kylie” and “Wear Something Spar-Kylie“. Kylie and Kendall launched ‘The Kendall & Kylie Collection’ with PacSun in February 2013.
Taking advantage of such a massive following and appreciable looks, Kylie launched the ‘Metal Haven by Kendall & Kylie’ clothing & jewelry line with her sister in June 2013 followed by a collaboration with Steve Madden for shoes and handbag collection. The reception was overwhelming. The succeeding fame got her in music videos.
The collective result was a soaring presence on all major social media platforms, particularly Instagram and Snapchat. Top celebrities admired her, she hosted shows and appeared on several media channels all of which added to her growth. This combined with exposure and famous background allowed her to cash in and become a hit with commercial audiences.
In 2015, Kylie individually launched her hair extension line, ‘Kylie Hair Kouture‘ with Bellami Hair. She became the second ambassador ever for the skincare line ‘Nip + Fab’ in March 2015. She became the face of PUMA in the fall of 2016. She again teamed up with her sister Kendall to launch their clothing line ‘Kendall & Kylie’ with Topshop, a British fashion retailer in June 2015. She launched her website and a paid lifestyle app in September 2015, along with her lipstick line ‘Kylie Lip Kit’.
Kylie Lip Kit
It was taken to the next level when she started her full-fledged cosmetic line – Kylie Cosmetics. In 2018, she invested $250,000 of her own money from modeling gigs in 2015 for the first batch of 15,000 lipsticks.
Kylie Jenner stated, “I said, ‘I’m ready to put up my own money. I don’t want to do it with anyone else.”
The product sold out in seconds with her media presence being a pivotal factor. The millions of fans who revered Kylie through social media were an easy target audience.
Kris Jenner, her mom, supported Kylie in this initiative by pitching in with the appropriate strategies and tactics. The mom-daughter duo sold 500,000 kits in no time. There was no looking back and sales blew through the roof. She further included many beauty products in her brand. Jenner’s business was immediately promising.
She further cemented her spot in November when she agreed to sell 51% of her Kylie Cosmetics to beauty giant Coty Inc., an American multinational beauty company, for $600 million. The deal, which closed in January 2019, valued her business at about $1.2 billion. Cash from the sale and her remaining 49% share of the company make Jenner one of just 2,095 people in the world with a ten-digit fortune.
In March 2019, Jenner was highlighted by Forbes as the youngest-ever self-made billionaire as part of its annual ranking of the planet’s richest people. With her net worth up to $1 billion, the then-21-year-old became the youngest member of the billionaires’ club and the youngest-ever self-made billionaire. She surpassed the benchmark once set by 23-year-old Mark Zuckerberg.
Showing no signs of slowing down, she went on to launch her Kylie Skin skincare line in May 2019.
Kylie Jenner launched Kylie Skin in May 2019
In April 2020, the makeup mogul, Kylie Jenner made into Forbes’ 2020 World’s Youngest Billionaires list for the second year in a row. With her billion-strong wealth, Jenner became ‘one of just 2,095 people in the world with a ten-digit fortune’.
After analyzing filings of the deal with beauty giant Coty Inc., it was revealed that Kylie Jenner inflated the sales values to boost her valuation. Later Forbes removed her from the list and stated that Kylie Jenner was no more a billionaire.
Kylie Jenner – Philanthropic Work
Kylie Jenner has come forward to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Kylie has donated $1 million to buy protective equipment including face shields and masks for the first responders. In mid-March, after being requested by the surgeon general of the United States to do so, she issued an Instagram plea to follow social distancing instructions. She asked her approximately then 169 million followers on Instagram to just stay home for the sake of safety.
Not only this, Kylie Jenner and her mom, Kris Jenner, announced that they would make a mass hand sanitizer donation to hospitals in southern California. At the same time, their custom product, a joint effort with Coty Inc., will be “dedicated to first responders working to support our communities” during the coronavirus pandemic. Coty, a major stakeholder in Kylie Skin and Kylie Cosmetics, will be making Kylie’s hand sanitizer in its factories as many medical professionals currently facing severe shortages.
Apart from this, Kylie Jenner has been involved with several charities over the years. In 2013, she and her sisters raised money for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles by auctioning old clothes on eBay.
It’s the power of social media. I had such a strong reach before I was able to start anything.
Conclusion
While she was the youngest, there were nine other billionaires under the age of 30, including Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel, 29, with a net worth of $1.9 billion, and digital payment app Stripe co-founder John Collison, 29, with a net worth of $3.2 billion at that time. Yet, this social media star cum entrepreneur, Kylie has carved a special place for herself in the digital segment. She is the epitome of social platform influencers and has become an inspiration for many millennials. Above all, she was the youngest billionaire ever!
FAQs
What is the net worth of Kylie Jenner?
The net worth of Kylie Jenner is $$710 million as of May 2024.
Is Kylie Jenner a billionaire?
Kylie Jenner was declared a billionaire by Forbes in March 2019, largely due to the success of her cosmetics company, Kylie Cosmetics. However, in 2020, Forbes revised this assessment, stating that she was not, in fact, a billionaire.
How did Kylie Jenner become a billionaire?
Kylie Jenner became a billionaire through her cosmetics company, Kylie Cosmetics, utilizing her massive social media following, and selling a 51% stake to Coty Inc. for $600 million, valuing the company at $1.2 billion.
The importance of a woman in this ecosystem and in our lives is a no-brainer. Everyone knows and acknowledges it. However, the true achievement lies in how we’ve managed to witness the social growth of women from donning several roles – a wife, a mother, a daughter, an employee, an employer, and an entrepreneur.
This has been a remarkable journey – a story that needs to be told to the universe and we thought what could be better than this day, to speak about everything that we have seen over the years and all the roles they’ve played in our lives either directly or indirectly. We do not intend to glorify what they’ve already accomplished because what they have done for this startup ecosystem and the change in the aroma that we can feel among the business fraternity – deserve a raw and royal tribute, the most original version of themselves.
So today – on International Women’s Day – here is a small glimpse of what women in business have to say about their journey in this ecosystem. Let’s hear from them:
Jaya Bhura, Co-founder and Director of Chakraview Solutions
Jaya Bhura, Co-founder and Director of Chakraview Solutions
As a working mom, the daily uncertainties of my children’s school bus commutes became a nagging concern. Delays, lack of communication, and safety worries tugged at my heart. Instead of lamenting, I decided to act.
So, not driven by lofty ambitions, but a genuine desire to help, I embarked on a journey that resulted in Chakraview. It’s more than just a product; it’s a testament to the power of empathy fueling innovation. Witnessing parents now empowered with real-time information and improved communication brings me immense satisfaction.
Chakraview serves as a reminder that sometimes, the most impactful solutions emerge from personal experiences and a desire to make a positive difference.
Sunila Bahl, Co-Founder of Koolchas
Sunila Bahl, Co-Founder of Koolchas
In this society of preconceived notions about women entrepreneurs, at the age of 68, I believe that age and gender have no barrier especially when you have the required skills and passion to present your talent to the world and all you need is a chance to portray the same. I believe in turning dreams into reality and working hard towards achieving goals that lead to the start of Koolchas. I want to inspire every woman regardless of age to believe in themselves and take a step forward towards achieving their dreams. I always wanted to start something on my own in the food segment and let the world taste my recipes. Mrs. Bahl is the mastermind behind the 2 outlets of Koolchas and is personally involved in preparing all the masalas and pickles while supervising the outlets to maintain the highest levels of hygiene standards at the restaurants.
Sadiya Khan, Founder at Akund Communications
Sadiya Khan, Founder at Akund Communications
I have always desired to do something on my own, without the boundaries of a 9-5 routine. This meant that I was looking for something that was long-term (professionally), where I could work on my convenience and be my own boss. This naturally led me towards entrepreneurship and a startup. As an entrepreneur, you maintain a sense of responsibility and accountability towards your work. My background in communications naturally made me leverage my strengths in publicity. If not an entrepreneur, well… I don’t think I would have ever thought of life any other way! Entrepreneurship is as focussed as raising a baby, but the best part of it is that I work on my own terms – interact with clients directly, implement new ideas and take my venture to the next level.
Divanshi Gupta, Director at The Marcom Avenue
Divanshi Gupta, Director at The Marcom Avenue
The world is a dynamic place and people are finding solutions to new problems every day, and I am someone who loves to solve problems. If we look at any enterprise, we’d see that it is fulfilling one or the other need of the client, and I have been motivated through-out my life till today to help the people involved get what they want. If I see it today, I never wanted to have any other option than being an entrepreneur. Even while I was pursuing my graduation, I researched about the issues in the dance industry and tried to come up with a solution, hence, DanceHelpline was born. Another reason why I chose to be an entrepreneur every single day is that it enables me to do something for society, it allows me to create job opportunities for many people, especially women.
Shristi Banka, Co-founder and CEO at Banka CFO
Shristi Banka, Co-founder and CEO at Banka CFO
I have always wanted to create an establishment by putting my skills, knowledge, and experience into building something that can have a considerable impact on society. Being an entrepreneur allows you to do just that. Once I had obtained requisite educational qualifications and gained sufficient work experience, I decided I should venture out on my own and pursue my dreams. If not entrepreneurship, I would’ve pursued literature and been a full-time writer. Right now, I am able to write only in my spare time and my first poetry book, “Summer Solstice and other poems” has been published and released by Locksley Hall Publishing LLP on Valentine’s Day this year.
Harshita Gupta, Founder at Hail Women
Gupta, Founder at Hail Women
It was always more than a dream for me to start something of my own, to use my creative ideas and put them to good use, everything or everywhere I worked with the mindset of learning from it so that i can use all those experience for myself. if not entrepreneurship then i have no idea , then i believe i still be looking for opportunity to start it and still be learning from my job experiences.
Kriti Jindal, Owner and Designer at Kari by Kriti
Kriti Jindal, Owner and Designer at Kari by Kriti
I have always loved working with textiles and luckily for me that I was able to pursue my interest in textiles through a formal education in textile and apparel management. In 2012, while nursing a broken ankle, I started my blog, Handmade Talks. I shared stories about my love for textiles and interviewed passionate, creative entrepreneurs. Inspired by these stories of men and women turning their passion into a creative outlet, I created my blueprint for Kari by Kriti. In 2014, I was finally able to build this business from scratch with an online store on Etsy. Etsy gave me a global platform and the wings that I needed to take off! If it wasn’t for Kari by Kriti, I would have still been working with textiles, probably as a home textiles merchandiser/buyer for an overseas home decor brand.
Harjinder Kaur Talwar, National President at FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) and CEO at Comvision India Pvt Ltd
Harjinder Kaur Talwar, National President at FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) and CEO at Comvision India Pvt Ltd
When I was a child, my dad always felt that I have all the raw materials for being a business woman and a successful one. Probably that was set deep in my mind and I always dreamt of becoming one. As I grew up I decided at the age of 23, that I need to do business. Even though my dad was very established in his business and he offered me the money to start my business. However, I refused because I wanted to do everything on my own. Dad agreed to my request and I applied for a bank loan. Being a woman entrepreneur, my first challenge was I never got a bank loan on my name, so I had to make my Dad partner in my company to be able to receive the loan. A meagre INR 3 lakh loan it was.
I have always believed that economic empowerment of a woman is a true empowerment and that can lead to empowering many other aspects she is looking at. Again this is deep set in my mind so much so that I never had to spread my hands for taking anything rather one should be a giver then only you will be empowered and people will listen to you. So I got into business and as you know business is slow process, it’s not a miracle that things will start happening from day one and you will soon be a successful business woman. You have your failures, your successes as well. Each failure teaches you something , each failure makes you stronger and this is what has made me the only woman in India who is offering intelligent traffic and transport solutions to Government of India and I also became the first woman in India who gave multiple citizen services of government under one umbrella first time in India in Hyderabad in the year 2000 and this project was seen by none other than former US President Bill Clinton. It is no way that I would not have been an entrepreneur. As told earlier, my father who was a successful businessman, always told me that I have all the ingredients of becoming a successful entrepreneur. I had to be an entrepreneur, there was no second option I kept in my mind.
Himani Khanna, Co-Founder & Director at Continua Kids
Himani Khanna, Co-Founder & Director at Continua Kids
It was a very conscious decision and proud to be calling myself as docpreneur as the stage had arrived where I was feeling that plateau has been achieved in terms of providing care to the society. One becomes a doctor because of the nobility associated with the profession but personally speaking, I have started feeling an entrepreneur can do much more if one is willing in terms of providing help to the society. I shall give you an example. When I was a doctor I was trying to help patients who are entering my chamber but as a docpreneuer I am being able to help not only the patients who are coming to me but we are running an institution where we are trying to fulfill aspirations of so many people in the society which not only includes therapists, front office people, housekeeping staff or security for that matter. My philosophy is If you want to help other people, be a manager. If done well management is among the noble of professions. You are in a position where you have 8-10 hours every day from every person who works for you. You have the opportunity to frame each person’s work so that your employees go home feeling good. If not entrepreneurship, I would have continued to serve the society as any other doctor to handful of patients who are coming to me. A most fulfilling part of my job currently is that I am in a position where I can serve the weaker sections of the society who simply cannot afford to pay by generating funds through CSR activity.
Avni Kaul, Founder at NutriActivania
Avni Kaul, Founder at NutriActivania
I would say if as a woman you have a dream and a vision to fulfill them then there is no reason why something should stop you. One needs to understand that every good thing in life has to face stiff resistance first. It is this phase that actually decides how long one can go. If you are strong and determined enough nothing will bother you and your concentrated effort to establish yourself will win eventually. Life is full of ups and downs so it is important not to get distracted by it. If you aim to get something just go for it come what may. A woman should not forget that she herself has a lot of potentials and is not someone who needs to be dependent on anyone. One must not forget we live in a country where a woman once became the Prime Minister so nothing can be a greater example than this. Women must trust their own abilities rather than focus on what others are saying or doing. As a woman, you should know you are not weak and can achieve anything on her own these are the qualities that one needs to succeed.
Moqierish Tak, Co-Founder at India Assist Insights
Moqierish Tak, Co-Founder at India Assist Insights
I am one of those 1% that didn’t choose entrepreneurship, but entrepreneurship chose me. I was bestowed with an idea and a journey that gave me the opportunity to impact people’s lives. India Assist is a product that has the potential to make a huge impact, this alone was reason enough for me to leave my previous career and embark on the journey of entrepreneurship. Now that I have begun this journey, I do not see myself being anything else but an entrepreneur. Regardless of how difficult the journey is, I would choose entrepreneurship over a corporate career every time.
Neha Bagaria, Founder & CEO at JobsForHer
Neha Bagaria, Founder & CEO at JobsForHer
I took a 3.6-year break in my own career when I had my children. During this personal journey, I became aware of the various difficulties a woman faces in order to re-enter the workforce. This also opened my eyes to the accomplished and qualified women around me who stopped working for personal reasons such as marriage, motherhood or elderly care, and then never returned to the workforce. I started delving into the reasons behind this female brain drain and it became clear that there are many re-entry challenges that need to be addressed in India. These range from requiring flexibility, regaining confidence, retraining, overcoming biases and changing mindsets. It made me determined to enable other women to restart their careers and connect them with whatever they require to do so. And so I founded JobsForHer on International Women’s Day, March 2015. Our Vision is to reverse the female brain drain from within the Indian workforce. We do so by connecting women who want to restart post motherhood/marriage to companies looking for such experienced female talent available at no notice period.
Nishtha Gupta, Co-founder at Rein Games
Nishtha Gupta, Co-founder at Rein Games
I like building things (big & small), I care a lot about people and I love problem-solving, so being an entrepreneur was my dream. In fact, in my previous companies, I was mostly operating as an intrapreneur. I like taking ownership and fixing things end-to-end, so even when I was not working for my own startup I was operating like one. I and Vaibhav, both always wanted to build a great product and debated different ideas and it is with gaming we took our first bet. If we wouldn’t have taken this bet, I might still be working for a gaming company. There a few gaming companies in India which have a global culture, value employees and have high standards for product & technology quality. I would have looked for such companies.
Neelam Gupta, Founder President & CEO at AROH Foundation
Neelam Gupta, Founder President & CEO at AROH Foundation
I chose to be an entrepreneur because I wanted to make a difference to other people’s lives. I wanted to change the world! I had a vision of an equal society where all people live in dignity and security and there are equal opportunities for all. As a young girl, had seen people and young children suffering poverty and it was my dream to help them live a better life. There was no other way to fulfill my dream, other than being on my own and being an entrepreneur. There was no other way of finding solutions to the problems such problems which brought poverty and misery to people, but entrepreneurship. Furthermore, I had always felt that a routine nine to five job does not suit my temperament and I always wanted to be my own boss working in my own style. To me entrepreneurship was the only option for me. I never had a Plan B. It had to be entrepreneurship or nothing. I think I was not made for a job. I had several offers and opportunities to take up decent jobs after finishing my studies. But I declined all and started my journey towards being an entrepreneur and finally ended up in the field, in social sector, which has my heart and soul in it.
Kamakshi Sood, Co-Founder at Petveda
Kamakshi Sood, Co-Founder at Petveda
My journey of Entrepreneurship began with Dhruv, when we realized that there is a dire need for some care essentials for the pets. So, I come from a corporate background. Having worked for KLM, as an HR for 4 years & at Mizuho Corporate Bank for 9 years, the thought of Petveda grabbed my attention because of its USP, as organic goodness for pets. I got involved with building the brand and with its positioning, as a part of which I participated in the first Global Pet Expo in Orlando in 2016. Since I was working as well, at the time of Petveda’s conceptualization I had to manage a lot many things. I initially started taking care of Petveda’s social media, which extended to brand promotion and its marketing strategies. Had I not been on the entrepreneurial journey, I definitely would be working as a banker.
Ruchi Jhawar and Anju Modi, Co-Founder at Cogitus
Ruchi Jhawar and Anju Modi, Co-Founder at Cogitus
We both have been passionate about education and trying out new ways of developing Higher order thinking in kids. As we kept thinking about giving kids in India the gift of thinking in a structured format, we kept evolving and then we joined hands with the world’s best! It was not a choice but a natural way for us. Also being an entrepreneur gelled well with our personal lives and gave us time for our own schedule and families. We saw launching Cogitus as an important Solution to fill in the lacuna in the Indian system of education.
Freny Jariwala, Founder at The Secret Ingredient
Freny Jariwala, Founder at The Secret Ingredient
Being an entrepreneur has always been in my veins. Before starting my own brand – The Secret Ingredient, I have always been helping my dad in his business. My family always inspired me to be independent and take care of my own expenses and that drove me to put my ideas into action, and a few years on, here I am, Women Entrepreneur. I learned very early that you have to make your own future. So, even if not entrepreneurship, I would still be thinking about what I can do or how I should find a way to be self-reliant to create and be part of something that is bigger than myself.
Kanika Tekriwal, Founder & CEO at JetSetGo Aviation
Kanika Tekriwal, Founder & CEO at JetSetGo Aviation
When you belong to a typical Marwari family, you know that entrepreneurship is in your blood. I always knew, from a very young age, that I would be running a business of my own at some point in my life. Though my parents were all prepared to pack me off into a ‘nice Marwari family,’ which would have put my chances of doing business near zero, they have been incredibly supportive since JetSetGo was founded. The idea for JetSetGo came up because I sensed a need for an aggregator in the private jet space. I would meet a number of people using private jets who complained that booking one in India was a very shoddy experience and they felt cheated that the entire private jet experience is a far cry from travelling business or first. At the same time, private jet owners were selling planes due to the escalating costs, regular maintenance, and other hindrances as well as not getting the real pleasure of actually owning an aircraft.
Kavea R Chavali, Anchor & Co founder at KALANECA- House of Handloom
Kavea R Chavali, Anchor & Co founder at KALANECA- House of Handloom
The single most empowering thing one can do for yourself is to create that change for others. It would have always been entrepreneurship because I have been working independently already as an Anchor for the last 9 years so it was easy to adapt to all the roles of understanding management and most importantly connecting with people. It would have always been entrepreneurship because I love to create- be it new designs for our weaves, new opportunities for our weavers or new ideas for the team.
Malika Sadani, Founder & CEO at The Moms Co
Malika Sadani, Founder & CEO at The Moms Co
Before becoming an entrepreneur, I was a banker with degrees in engineering and management. However, when my daughter had her first skin reaction, I realised it was so hard to find great quality natural products that were safe and effective. I would often ask friends and family members to bring natural products when they were coming to India from abroad. After speaking with over 200 moms, I realised that we were facing the same struggle of finding safe, natural and effective products for our babies. That was when the idea to create a brand that can truly be a partner to moms’ journey into motherhood came alive in the form of The Moms Co., with a mission to help moms make natural, safe & effective solutions for themselves and their families.
Regila Marinus, Cofounder at Vidhya Vidhai Foundation
Regila Marinus, Cofounder at Vidhya Vidhai Foundation
Being part of the Social Entrepreneurship Cell in Azim Premji University set the start to my entrepreneurship journey. I was inspired by many organizations and its intend to bring change in their own way. Opportunities to lead change from my school days gave me a strong urge to be part of change in the society. Entrepreneurship cell gave me a platform to develop my skills and knowledge on entrepreneurship. If not entrepreneurship I would have been part of initiatives in educational organizations.
Nupur Khandelwal, Co-founder at Navia Life Care
Nupur Khandelwal, Co-founder at Navia Life Care
Having spent close to 4 years in the corporate world, I was never quite content with the limited stretch of possibilities an employment has to offer. I felt like a total misfit as I was bound to operate within a small range of issues that were far away from substantive real world problems. This deep sense of disconnect made me quit what I was doing, determined to be ‘directly’ involved in something I was truly passionate about. So when Kunal, my co-founder pitched the problem Navia is trying to solve and his idea to bridge real information gap between doctors and patients, I knew I felt strongly for it. With govt healthcare spending as low as 1% of GDP, poor doctor to patient ratio and lack of proper infrastructure, India’s healthcare sector requires significant structural and technological changes to be able to meet the needs of growing population. We at Navia are committed to bring about these changes with our digital tools, assisting doctors in recording EMR and eventually building predictive analytic tools around it to streamline healthcare ecosystem. Given my inclination towards companies that are solving real world problems, if I was unable to fulfil my dream of being an entrepreneur, I would probably hope to be on the VC/PE side, helping manage investments in purpose driven start-ups.
Mansi Gupta, Founder Tjori
Mansi Gupta, Founder Tjori
The passion for the authentic Indian arts and crafts has motivated me to pursue this dream with great persistence, which was further supported by the demands in the global market for exclusive and authentic Indian handicrafts. The idea of being an entrepreneur gives me the confidence to take care of my life on my own terms and give equal time to my venture and my 7-month child. This life of an entrepreneur gives me a sense of purpose which helps me live my life in content.
Kavya Dommeti, CEO at iB Hubs
Kavya Dommeti, CEO at iB Hubs
I’ve always been keen on optimising and solving things. I feel Entrepreneurship is all about that. More than a choice, I’d like to think of it as a mindset. I found my passion early on and soon, I found a bunch of other passionate people like me at iB Hubs. Our founding team has a pack of entrepreneurs passionate about making India a global leader in 4.0 technologies and transforming the country into an innovation powerhouse. For this vision to become a reality, becoming an entrepreneur was a natural choice.
Kusum Bhandari, Director at Bhookha Haathi
Kusum Bhandari, Director at Bhookha Haathi
After working for 18 years for others, being an entrepreneur finally gave me the freedom to work on my own terms. Though, it is more challenging than working for others; when you start the journey of your entrepreneurship, you have to manage several tasks and roles at once rather than performing just one assigned task or role. You have to be more hands-on with everything and it makes you learn things that you wouldn’t have learned in any job. The adrenaline rush of being on your own is much greater than any high in the world. It helps you grow as a person and as a professional as you learn to overcome many challenges and hurdles on the way, which is very rewarding. If not entrepreneur, then I think I would still be a small-time business owner, having a small café or home-stay in the hills of my homeland Uttarakhand while at the same time following my passion for painting and other crafts.
Himani Ahuja, Communications Director & Founder at One Digital
Himani Ahuja, Communications Director & Founder at One Digital
The world around us is experiencing an advanced wave of new technologies in every bat of the eyelid. Choosing entrepreneurship does not come easy and it’s ultimately one of the biggest challenges you can work upon in your lifetime. The panoramic field of architecture has numerous divergent maneuvers beyond designing liveable spaces and the implementation of structures.Hence, it becomes an imperative step to establish ‘architectural communications and journalism’ as a mainstream option for architecture students of design. When you can amalgamate both Architecture & Journalism, then why not? It’s about getting the best of both worlds! Entrepreneurship comes with its own pros and cons, and my journey with One Digital has been driven on passion and conviction to succeed against all odds. I am exactly where I want to be and stand devoted to my ambitions.
Divya Gupta, Founder at Dialogue Room
Divya Gupta, Founder at Dialogue Room
I realised there is a very strong glass ceiling in the legal industry in India. Women are not treated at par with men. They are not paid as much, not respected as much and are not taken seriously. I wanted to change this. Rather than changing it from the inside, which might not have been possible as a junior, I want to do so from the outside. Therefore, my platform ‘Dialogue Room’ really focuses on women in business.
If not entrepreneurship, then definitely a writer. I have traveled a lot, changed multiple schools and have met a lot of people. All of this accounts for great stories that I’d like to share them with the world.
Aarti Gill, Co-founder at OZiva
Aarti Gill, Co-founder at OZiva
The seed thought behind being an entrepreneur was sown during the IIT days. My mother is a healthcare professional. While growing up, I saw a lot of problems faced by people could have been easily avoided, only if they just had a better lifestyle. This was the seed thought behind starting OZiva, ‘making living healthy convenient.’ We started with the goal of enabling 100 million+ people to a better and healthier life.
Ayushi Gudwani, Founder at Fablestreet
Ayushi Gudwani, Founder at Fablestreet
During my stint at McKinsey & Co. as a Senior Engagement Manager, I consulted and worked with numerous companies. It was a very exciting journey and eventually got me thinking about setting up something of my own. Having an MBA also opened up horizons across categories and industries – I was very keen to experience and learn about business-building and multiple industries, and did not want to restrict myself to just the technical area. So, running my own company seemed like a natural progression. I always sought continuous learning and growth in my career, corporate or otherwise. So, had I not been an entrepreneur, I would definitely be doing something else that involved these factors.
Swati Chugh, Director at 7th Heaven
Swati Chugh, Director at 7th Heaven
Entrepreneurship lets you be creative, your own boss, earn as much as you want to, motivates you to work tirelessly and helps you grow internally as a person. Entrepreneurship gives you the freedom to be creative & artistic; contrary to the popular opinion that business means boring and dry work.I call it an artistic process because it brings out your individuality as your personal planning, decisions, strategies, creativity and philosophies will lead to the final outcome (your company) which is like an artwork which finally reveals itself after the artist finishes her processes. It has been 5 years since I became an entrepreneur and there is no looking back, from one store of 7th Heaven we have expanded to 150+ outlets becoming the largest bakery chain in India in terms of number of cities and states covered and I honestly do not see myself doing anything else. In fact, this month I am launching our second brand – Miraflor which is a gifting and home décor brand. However, apart from entrepreneurship I have deep interest in psychology; I used to be a professor of psychology and this something I would still love to do at the side though I apply my psychology and philosophies in my personal and professional life deeply.
Swapnil Mahajan, Founder of MyStarHub
Swapnil Mahajan, Founder of MyStarHub
The most fascinating thing about being an entrepreneur for me is to bring ideas to life. I have had an extensive run with the corporates – Managing people to looking after regional sales, P&L evaluations and taking up marketing and finance challenges within or outside of my jobs to comprehend how a business operates so this has really been instrumental in driving me to passionately pursue Entrepreneurship.
The Plan B is to make sure Plan A works so nothing but an entrepreneur.
Diksha Chhabra, Founder at Diksha Chhabra FItness Counsultations
Founder at Diksha Chhabra FItness Counsultations
The decision to become an entrepreneur was not something planned. My transformation from overweight and unfit mother to a Fitness Model and influencer made me realize that the right information and treatment is needed to be spread amongst the masses. People struggle for years to get back in shape which is doable and achievable if done in the right manner in short span of time. I have worked in corporate sectors before my startup in the HR and Admin sector but when I founded my company I was a stay at home Mom.
Poonam Prahlad, Founder & CEO at CafePopShop
Poonam Prahlad, Founder & CEO at CafePopShop
Entrepreneurs are never appeased with the knowledge they have and are always on the lookout for more. Entrepreneurs are optimistic in true sense as they seek opportunities even in a place where others might find problems. For me this is the best part of entrepreneurship. I chose to be an entrepreneur because of my love for undertaking challenges, pushing boundaries beyond imagination and exploring things on my own terms. As an entrepreneur, I am responsible for the decisions I take, good or bad and this gives me immense satisfaction. If not an entrepreneur, I would probably be trying my hands in the fashion space as a designer with a renowned brand.
Vani Kabir – Writer, Divorce Monk
Vani Kabir – Writer, Divorce Monk
I was always an entrepreneur but my divorce forced me to shut my companies and return to consulting. But now after consulting for 4 years, I am rekindling that desire through Vani Kabir Worldwide Pvt Ltd, which actively works to help people battling their marriage or seeking a divorce or wish to rebuild from there. I was married at 19 and divorced at 28, with a 5 year-old son Kabir. I have come a long way from my divorce and I seek to chaperone people who are going through a bad phase of either taking a divorce or have already taken it. Having helped thousands of people in the last few years, I decided to take it upon me to create programs where people can find healing and growth and find their own tribe too. A community that respects the fact that an individual doesn’t need to be tagged to be respected. I create firebirds out of the battered ones!
Khushboo Sharma – Founder, Zero Gravity Communications
Khushboo Sharma – Founder, Zero Gravity Communications
There has been a paradigm shift in the mindset towards women entrepreneurs over the past few decades. Initially, women took up entrepreneurship as there were limited career options available to them that provided them with the flexibility and comfort to manage their homes. It is well-known that managing a household is thought to be a woman’s responsibility instead of shared responsibility with their spouses or other household members.
However, more and more people are warming up to the idea of entrepreneurship. Women are choosing to become entrepreneurs because they want to make a mark in a particular industry or solve a specific solution to a problem through a disruptive idea.
While working in a full-time job, I reached a ceiling of growth as my capabilities and exposure to new challenges were limited due to motherhood over my professional aptitude. That gave birth to my venture. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise, but not all women who face such a situation can be an entrepreneur.
I am an engineer by education, but I have always been a people’s person with a creative mind. This prompted me to establish my venture- Zero Gravity Communications, an integrated advertising and marketing company. Like a typical entrepreneur and mother of two, I too have a set of challenges, but I believe taking one step at a time overcomes every obstacle.
Shrishti Bhandari – Executive Director and Chief Marketing Officer, Mangalam Information Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
Shrishti Bhandari – Executive Director and Chief Marketing Officer, Mangalam Information Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
Entrepreneurship, in my opinion, is having the ability to dream and having the fire in the belly to chase it. Over the years, women have managed to break the stereotypes and make a mark across various sectors such as defence, space, engineering, manufacturing, etc. Women are known to be more organized, diligent and possess great people skills that are an asset to entrepreneurship.
After having worked for several renowned companies, I chose entrepreneurship as it gave me the opportunity to utilise my technical expertise and transform my creative ideas into reality. At Mangalam Information Technologies, we have also instituted measures to foster a women-friendly culture as women comprise 30% of our workforce. Mangalam has implemented a pathbreaking initiative wherein it has created an exclusive night shift WFH platform for women to provide an opportunity to those with working constraints. Mangalam thrives on building a strong work culture and pride in its people and achieves this goal through inter-department employee engagement activities, an open-door policy, and other initiatives such as annual health checkups, anti-sexual harassment committees, rewards and recognition programs and a hybrid work environment.
Anchal Mehta – Founder, The Knowbility
Anchal Mehta – Founder, The Knowbility
Being your own boss” has a special ring to it. Through entrepreneurship you choose to wake up everyday and make a source of income out of your own ideas. Here are some of the reasons why women choose to become an entrepreneur:
• To enjoy independence:
When you’re incharge of your own business not only do you get the financial independence but you can make your work life as flexible according to your preference.
• To become an inspiration:
Adding to the sense of pride that you get when you know you started something on your own and made a living out of it, women entrepreneurs have become a sense of inspiration for many. Everyday there are more women who get inspired and choose to become independent.
• To have a secure career backup:
You don’t need to quit your job to become an entrepreneur, you can have a job and work on your own business plan side by side. It not only ensures a career back up but also works as another source of income.
Entrepreneurship is providing women with the much needed freedom to work for themselves, giving them a pathway to build something on their own and become the boss that they’re meant to be.
Ms. Pooja Nagdev – Founder, Inatur
The route to entrepreneurship for me has been part destiny and part design. My father has been one of my earliest role models and hero. He built his business from scratch with grit determination and lots of sacrifices. Watching him inspired me to study business and do my MBA. Handling his business was my first taste of entrepreneurship. As a person, I have always been drawn towards nature and wellness. I believe nature has more to offer than we have ever known through beautiful ingredients that have caring and healing properties. This inspired me to study Aromatherapy and Ayurveda eventually leading to the creation of Inatur, a brand of natural & organic skin, hair and wellness products.
Entrepreneurship also allowed working on and contributing towards Women’s Empowerment, a subject very close to me. Today over 80% of our employees are women and I take pride in this fact.
Anchal Kadam and Arpan Mahtani – Co-founders, Carat Crush
For Aanchal & Arpan starting Carat Crush was about filling a gap in the market for affordable fine jewellery. As women we wanted to give others the option to purchase something dainty, that they could enjoy wearing everyday and that was affordable, would always hold its value and be a saving. We wanted to create a legacy brand which focused on daily diamonds essentially jewellery you live your life in. Our brand plugs the gap and empowers women to purchase their own fine jewellery. The Carat Crush usp lies in empowering women and their every day choices, so in a way it’s like entrepreneurship chose us.
Vaishnavi Rangarajan – Co-Founder & CEO, The Nestery
I chose entrepreneurship because it was an idea that demanded to be executed. It was a pain point that I personally felt as a raised my daughter from 2015. While the needs of the parents had changed, the experience of shopping for the parents hadn’t changed and hadn’t kept up with the change on how parents have really evolved in the last two centuries, that’s what prompted me to start The Nestery. I just felt like I was at that stage where I had to step away and sort of take this leap of faith and jump into entrepreneurship. It was, in hindsight, it’s still the best decision I’ve made. I wouldn’t change this for the world. There are highs lows and every single thing between and it’s been a fabulous journey.
Aparna Vasudevan, Co-Founder & COO, The Nestery
I don’t think I chose entrepreneurship as much as it chose me. My dad was a first-time entrepreneur but I did not really think it was my cup of tea until The Nestery happened. An idea that I thought could work and demanded to be executed led me to join hands with Vaishnavi and TSV. And here we are 3 years later building something absolutely loved by parents with 450+ brands and trusted by a large community of parent!
Ms Charushilla Narula Bajpai, Founder, Director & Key Mentor, University Connection
Entrepreneurship is often not a choice for women, it is a necessity. Personally, when I wanted a better early childhood experience for my daughter, I plunged into Montessori and soon enough when I found that overseas education was dominated by agents who had vested interest in universities, I just felt the need to start University Connection – an unbiased career and college guidance organisation -making so many scholarship dreams come true. I know so many who created products and services because no one else was – from women hygiene and better fitting innerwear to her apps that track pay parity and equity at work place – you can see the woman behind these ventures and see her not just as crusader for her organisation, but also the consumer of what she’s built! It’s also important to map that women often choose sectors such as healthcare, education, wellness, food, sustainability and ventures that are linked to growth and community enhancement. So instead of wondering why women choose entrepreneurship, we must ask why not!
In my opinion, encouraging women to take up entrepreneurship is like creating an army of nation builders.
Sakshi Aggarwal, Founder, Gharobaar.com
Entrepreneurship happened to me by chance, not by choice. I took a break from my banking career when I had my second child, and I did see some challenges in getting back to a corporate work culture where I could face issues with maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Thus, I wasn’t sure that time if I want to resume working, but 4 years down the line, when the idea of Gharobaar came up, it immediately became my passion.
I always used to think that entrepreneurship is easier than a regular job because you can work on your own terms and with flexible timings. However, I soon realised that starting a business from scratch is equivalent to raising a child, and you need to give it time day and night to nurture and grow it. Gharobaar immediately became my third child, and since then, there has been no looking back.
Taking a plunge in entrepreneurship gave me everything I was craving for in the past few years, and can safely be the best decision of my life (so far).
Ms. Ravina Jain, Founder & CEO, The Skin Story & The Beard Story
Women entrepreneurs are purpose-oriented minds that choose the uncharted route to achieve their dreams and fulfill their inherent potential. They have a self-mastery over fear and are known to stan up after every fall. For them, entrepreneurship is a natural extension of their passion and gives shape to their purpose by employing creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. Leading woman entrepreneurs are turning as inspirations and mentoring potential younger women to bring value into what their passionate about. This rechanneling has helped raise their skills to the next level and brought in the much-needed support system necessary to sustain and thrive in the real hard world.
Sejal Pravin Purohit, Founder, Seven Spring
There are a few reasons why I choose Entrepreneurship
1) “The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious, the desire to reach the heart is wise” This quote is exactly what I aim for with our venture ‘Seven Spring. Although my qualifications were in the financial field, my interest always lay in the health and fitness sector. I wanted to come up with something that brought my passion and qualification together and without entrepreneurship, it wasn’t possible.
2) I always wanted to carve my own niche, something (Legacy) which I could pass to my son as I believe why always father passes the legacy and why not mother. I decided to create my own story when i saw my son for the first time. I decided that i wanted him to be proud of me. I want him to see me in every role possible, be it a mother, Wife, Daughter-in-law, Daughter, Homemaker, Best Friend and Business woman.
3) I chose Entrepreneurship because it is in my blood. My family has been in business for the last 80 years so I actually grew up seeing all these. So I can say, the entrepreneurship spirit is in my genes.
4) Besides the above reasons, I chose Organic Tea business because so many people choose entrepreneurship but how many businesses we know where you are fulfilling commercial as well as social aspects. We are into such business where we lift people’s spirits by making their health and habits better.
Devidutta Dash, Founder, Lemme Be
With a long profound passion for creating a disruptive brand and building a supportive community in the period-care category, I started ‘Lemme Be’, which is how Gen Z says “Let me be”. I founded the company in 2020, amidst the pandemic when I discovered the lack of a bold and gender-inclusive brand that caters to every menstruator. With Lemme Be, I have created an innovative product range, with novel design, to ensure comfort and sustainability. My vision for Lemme Be is to create a safe space for all menstruators and to add lustre and joy to an otherwise bland, unresearched and neglected industry.
Shreya Mehra, Founder, Aab Label
The single most empowering thing that one can do is to find ways to channelise one’s energy & creativity. And this is precisely what pushed me to foray into an absolutely new field of fashion & e-commerce despite coming from a media background. After working in various capacities in the media industry, I started to feel the creative blocks and lack of freedom in the work I did. That was my nudge to finally make a transition to entrepreneurship. And ever since, it has been gratifying and fulfilling in ways I never imagined.
In building Aab Label from scratch, I have found ways to direct my energies in expressive & creative ways and, alongside, have come the responsibility of managing teams as a founder & leader. It’s challenging and constantly pushes me to my limits, and in these challenges I find my growth.
Anamika Pandey, Founder, Naario
Entrepreneurship or Starting Up as many would call it, gives an individual absolute ownership of his or her decisions. When you look at women, they have traditionally been denied the chance of absolute ownership of anything- be it their life choices or something as simple as what to wear. These choices in a matter of time start defining our degree of freedom.
It’s this freedom- to make our own choices, that leads a lot of us to Entrepreneurship. When we start up, we don’t just have power over how the venture shapes up but also have a say in everyday things. It somehow makes women feel more valued, more listened to, more present. The power dynamics start looking more balanced, even when they go back home after a long day of work. Over a period of time, the woman gets a say in not just which school her son should be admitted to but also in where the family’s long term savings should be invested.
Neha K Bisht – Founder and CEO, Blue Buzz
One of the reasons I chose to start my own business was because I wanted to create, lead and make a difference. Society makes us think it’s going to be very difficult since we are not conditioned to be financially independent but having your own enterprise is a great way of challenging that myth. When I decided to take the plunge, I was sure that I wanted to bring a different set of ideas to the table and ensure greater equality in my own organisation. I knew there will be stumbling blocks, but my zeal to build my own brand was greater than my fears. The entire journey from following others, imbibing skills and learning to run my own organisation has been a long and scintillating one. It has been an enriching experience and I hope more women have the courage to come forward and lead and discover themselves in the process.
Padmaja Jalihal – Director, Indic Inspirations
I, Padmaja Jalihal been born to a working class family had never aimed to start my own business. I did my graduation in commerce and pursued my MBA in finance and was happy to work in a finance company . I worked for 6 years and after that took a gap for my daughters . When they were growing up I took up consultancy and was my own boss. Later on , I wanted to give back something to the society and hence started the trust Heart for Art , in arts and crafts, my passion where I was able to connect to more than 300 artisans where many of them were women artisans . The satisfaction of doing something for their welfare and for their upliftment was not enough. We wanted to bring back the pride and give our arts and crafts a much needed boost by narrating stories behind each art and craft. Thus Indic Inspirations was born where we narrate stories through objects based on our tradition, culture, heritage and achievements. We work with the same artisans and get our collectibles made as per our design and giving the craft a new dimension which could be relished by today’s generation.
We work with many woman artisans who proudly display their workmanship and we take those to the market. With the new technology , the rural artisans are now self sufficient , they no longer depend on others to showcase their work and also get paid directly for their work.
Mrs. Sneha Visaria – Founder and CEO, PDD Falcon
Women are striving very hard to achieve everything that their heart desire. This has changed the whole scenario of women working and doing even better in their respective fields. Women entrepreneurship is something as an individual, I have always been looking forward to. Being an IT Professional and coming from the corporate background, I always wanted to start something of my own and be my own boss. I wanted to make a difference and bring changes in the society and lead forward with all other women. This is how I came up with PDD FALCON along with my husband Mr. Chirag Visaria, as per the blessings of my father-in-law Late Bhupendra Visaria. Falcon PDD manufactures stainless steel home and kitchenware products, and the steel is 100% recyclable. My vision is to offer a safe and healthy alternative to plastic storage, with stainless steel. As a mother and consumer, myself, it was easier for me to see the gaps in the market for safe and reliable stainless steel products as an alternative to cheaper plastic and inferior variants. What gave us a breakthrough was to get a chance to pitch our ideas and business on the popular reality show, ‘Shark Tank India-Season 1’.
Namrata Rupani, Founder & CEO, Capture Life Dental Care & Studio Capture Life
Women entrepreneurs are fearless women who choose to overcome every obstacle and are determined to withstand every challenge with an overcoming mindset. In a way, the entrepreneurial spirit chooses these leaders who go on to build inspiring legacies for other potential women to follow. For them, leading an enterprise that closely resonates with their dreams is an extension of them chasing their dreams. Women entrepreneurship is a voice that is getting louder and stronger and is transforming itself into a force that will help society to grow and flourish. They develop and create original solutions that not just solve the problems, but also highlight their proficiency in handling multiple roles with superior competence.
Ms Sharmilee Agrawal Kapur, Co-Founder, Atmantan Wellness Centre
Entrepreneurship to me is about doing or creating something that hasn’t been done before. I chose to create a wellness haven where people would put themselves first, and not be judged, deprived or coerced, but instead supported and applauded as they took on personal wellness journeys; I wanted to create a place that exactly reflected this wellness vision and service, and I knew that a place like that didn’t exist in India. For me doing this from scratch made sense.
And yes there is another important reason entrepreneurship looked doable to be. I grew up seeing my Dad (and joint family) do it; there were struggles, but it needed guts, persistence, and I am happy to say that I also went on to see the glory of it. I can truly say that I saw the real side of entrepreneurship and not just the glitz of it. even today there are tough periods (like the pandemic which shook the best of us) but I knew then and I still know that this is exactly what I was meant to do.
Shreya Sharma, C.E.O and Founder, Rest The Case
I come from a family that is a first generation business house and so all through my childhood I have seen and understood the thrill and the ambition to run a business. Looking at that while I was growing up has been a major reason to make me get into business. I dived into entrepreneurship the first chance I got. right out of university I started working on my company. It has always been a dream and I’m glad I could do something that I felt was solving a purpose.
Ankita Thadani, Co founder, Secret Alchemist
As Michelle Obama said –“There is no limit to what we as women can accomplish”
Women can choose and excel whatever they set their heart on. For many it might be a conscious decision, one made after a lot of deliberation, but for me it was in the belief of my product and the need for wellness in India.
I dint choose entrepreneurship; entrepreneurship choose me. My mother who is my biggest role model, was an entrepreneur in 1996, way ahead of her times. She choose this path out of her need to support her family and her children’s need, and she stepped up when everyone else failed her.
She mastered the science of clinical aromatherapy and believed in the true potential of Mother Nature. Her mindset and her belief in her decisions, and her determination each day to show up and further her business, has been instrumental in my up brining. The torch she lit, was like magic and all I wanted was to hold on to her vision.
Powerful things happen when you start putting in the work to achieve your goals. Entrepreneurship became a drug to me, truly addictive to bring mine and my mothers dream an inch closer each day, every day.
Niraali Parekh – Founder and Creative Director, Bokaap Design
I believe the reason to become an entrepreneur is the same for both men and women. They want to create something of their own rather than work for someone else. They want some amount of flexibility and independence and want to build their own legacy. There is a segment of women, who also choose to make their hobbies or creativity into a business for financial independence from their husbands or fathers.
I come from a family of entrepreneurs, right from my great-grandfather to my father. I often tell people that our parents or grandparents had their own “startups” long before it even became a term. And that too with having to support a spouse and young kids when they were young and starting themselves. I have seen the entrepreneurial spirit ever since I was a child. I saw the hard work in building something; I also witnessed many lows upfront. When moving back to India in 2009, it was a natural thought that I would start my own business as well. I wanted to nurture the idea of a collaborative design studio – a concept that I had been inspired by since my student days in the USA. I happened to move to India at the right time, as there was an entrepreneurial boom and many of my clients were from the startup eco-system.
Ms. Sonia Shah – Founding and Managing Director, SOVI&TYDI
In the society where we mainly witness the biasness between male and females, more women are starting businesses to escape the glass ceiling. Entrepreneurship is the cue to economic development in many countries across the globe. Women entrepreneurs have always been there and shaped the economy in an unforeseeable way. Fortunately, Female Entrepreneurship has attracted increasing attention in recent years especially in India.
Many women are leaving corporate life because their jobs just aren’t inspiring them anymore. Starting a business allows you to find meaning and gives you the ability to leave behind a legacy that you can be proud of. Women entrepreneurs keep pushing themselves to achieve their goals and beyond. For women, success is not only about profits, although it is obviously a major concern. The legacy of their business for the next generations is very important for women to feel successful, as well as the social impact of their enterprises. This is one more reason why women generally make better social entrepreneurs and are more likely to start a social enterprise.
Neha Bagaria, Founder & CEO, JobsForHer
Neha-Bagaria – Founder, JobsForHer
I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. One ambition that continued during my journey of being a Wharton grad, a wife, a mother-of-two and a woman who restarted her career, was to create something substantial for women professionals.
I took a 3.6-year break in my own career when I had my children. During this personal journey, I became aware of the various difficulties a woman faces in order to re-enter the workforce. I then became committed to the cause of enabling women to restart their careers and founded JobsForHer.com on International Women’s Day, 2015.
JobsForHer was founded to reverse the female brain drain from within the Indian workforce. And now it has expanded to being India’s largest online platform to enable women to start, restart and rise in their careers.
Final Words
This list of women entrepreneurs looks long but we haven’t even touched the surface! Most of these WonderWomen also juggle family life and their businesses like a boss! We hope these stories from women entrepreneurs inspired you to final start writing down your brand strategy and taking the next step. The road will be rocky but will be so fulfilling. We wish you all the best on your entrepreneur journey. We also hope to feature you in a similar article in the feature!
‘Women are far more superior than men across aspects and if provided with a level playing ground with the basics of equity and equality embedded into the DNA of an organisation – we can witness unprecedented growth of industries, opportunities and wealth across sectors.’
Before you jump to conclusions and treat the quote as one of gender discrimination against men – let me tell you this serves a different and much deeper cause.
It’s about the fundamental flaws in our thinking of a perfect organisational structure that generally puts men on top, except for a few exceptions – wordplay we know! But, then to provide a level playing ground we first need to undo the damage done to the structure by making some changes that help women get that much-coveted kickstart to contribute to their fullest. They’ve earned it and deserve every bit of it, forever.
On this day, we get to step into the shoes of a few of these women entrepreneurs and understand what changes they’ve made keeping the welfare of women in mind. Let’s begin:
Vanessa Pandita, Director of Business Development and Strategy, Alcobrew
Vanessa Pandita, Director, Business Development and Strategy, Alcobrew
In the ever-evolving corporate landscape, companies are putting together policies that promote diversity and inclusion, with a significant emphasis on empowering female employees. Accordingly, women’s contributions are recognized, creating an environment where talent is not limited to an individual’s gender. These policies may range from equal pay and a safe workplace to mentorship programs and flexible working hours. They demonstrate assurance to break down barriers and foster an inclusive and gender-sensitive work culture.
Companies that prioritize equality not only attract and utilize a diverse pool of talent but also contribute to shaping a future free from gender stereotypes, where success is determined by collaborative efforts. By supporting women in the workplace, we aim to strengthen the foundations of development and uplift diversity beyond a policy.
Dr. Aakanksha Gupta, Vice President (Media and Communications) Bachpan Play School
Dr. Aakanksha Gupta, Vice President (Media and Communications) Bachpan Play School
According to the World Economic Forum, it would currently take us over 169 years to bridge the global economic gender gap. A simple fact such as this is enough to highlight the gravity of the situation. It is, therefore, good to see companies trying to support women in the workplace through various policies regarding executive posts and reproductive rights. However, such efforts are not consistent and concerted, and we need to make the required effort, and that too without disregarding the rights of men. Otherwise, it would not be gender equality in the real sense.
Geeta Ramakrishnan, Ontological Coach and Author
Geeta Ramakrishnan, Ontological Coach and Author
We have assigned lactation rooms, offer flexi and work from home schemes, and have designated parking space for pregnant women. We are also looking at associating with nursery and child-care near our office area. We recruit women management trainees and mentor them. We have competent women in C-Suites and leadership positions. We are also promoting more women in the Maritime industry and have women crew onboard our ships. We follow a strict sexual harassment policy and conduct women-specific well being and wellness workshops.
Harshita Gupta, Founder at Hail Women
Harshita Gupta, Founder at Hail Women
We respect women regardless of the colour, caste, body type, Age, Position & in regards to everything, from suggestions to new idea we welcome with open hearts. We are trying to create difference in the women’s formal wear section by providing the major customisation options so that they can choose the level of comfort accordingly, without struggling and compromising with the trends.
Chinu Kala, Founder at Rubans Accessories
Chinu Kala, Founder at Rubans Accessories
Women constitute 65% of my staff; they are hardworking and shuffle between responsibilities. As an organization I have given the flexibility of work timing to my women staff so that they can simultaneously take care of their homes too.
Pavithra Rao, Co-founder and VP at Growth and Revenue, WaterScience
Pavithra Rao, Co-founder and VP at Growth and Revenue, WaterScience
Manufacturing is traditionally a men’s industry, and where women are hired, they are paid less than men. We make sure to hire women across all departments, so that as the company grows there are enough women in senior roles who can be role models. All our policies are designed so that all employees -not just women have a safe, happy and a comfortable workplace where they feel empowered.
Sumita Tulsiani, Co-founder & Director at TravelDilSe
Sumita Tulsiani, Co-founder & Director at TravelDilSe
We currently have the following policies protecting the rights of women :
Equal Pays
Holidays & Leaves
Maternity Leaves
Work from home flexibility
Safety and Security
Swati Chugh, Director at 7th Heaven
Swati Chugh, Director at 7th Heaven
Apart from complying with the usual government policies and other internal benefits one of the main advantages for women working in my company is that we allow many of the females to work from home and get the work done at the time they have. If they complete their work in the given period of time, we are fine with it. We do not bind them by a fixed time as we understand that they are caretakers of their respective households and children. When such freedom is provided, you would be surprised to see their level productivity and sincerity. These women are spread out across India and we stay connected with them through the help of technology. This has not only helped the women working for us, but by eliminating the need to be physically present in the office, we have been able to hire many competent staff regardless of where they live.
Avni Kaul, Founder at NutriActivania
Ms. Avni Kaul, Founder at NutriActivania
Nutri Activania is an organization that has staff that only consists of females. If you come and visit Nutri Activania you will get to see that all the employees here working are women. I think there was a misconception about women are not capable especially when it comes to working outside their home. I never believed that myth and misconception. This is why I decided that I will make a company that will be run and managed by women. Honestly, in my views, women are nowhere lesser than anyone. It is just that they need an opportunity to explore new horizons. And I am glad that Nutri Activania is able to create that environment where women can not only work as an employee but they also contribute immensely towards the overall growth of this organization. I think in terms of policies Nutri Activania being the only women-based company is the best part.
Saumya Kaushik, Founder at Growup Technologies
Saumya Kaushik, Founder at Growup Technologies
My company, Growup Group, has 100% Women Workforce. We are a workforce as a service company. 100% of our workforce comprises women. They all come from different walks of life. We have various women from different fields as some are lawyers, some are teachers, some are software engineers. We train them to become Virtual Assistants and help them gain 150+ business skills. We are intent on employing only those women who have a limitation in the case that they are not able to work a full-time job. We employ them as virtual assistants which aids them in being employed, virtually. My company gives such women a second chance- a chance to restart their careers. We call these amazing ladies who try to balance work and life are, in my company, supermoms.
Ankita Sheth, Co-Founder at Vista Rooms
Ankita Sheth, Co-Founder at Vista Rooms
We implemented a policy, focused at working mothers, giving them flexibility with respect to working hours, wherein, they could work some hours from home and work completely from home on Saturdays. We figured that young mothers were very career oriented but because of some restrictions and responsibilities at home due to their children, they often could not continue with their work, but by being flexible on the employers side and giving them the right platform. We also encourage women who were on a maternity break to come back and join us even after a year of their childbirth. Many women have come back at the same or even higher levels.
Charmi Sheth, Senior interior Designer at Livspace
Charmi Sheth, Senior interior Designer at Livspace
At Livspace, there are a host of benefits and policies catering to the well being of women employees. The ratio of women present at Livspace is much higher than that of men, making it important for leadership to cater to the needs of the workforce, and the challenges that they face. Paid maternity leave and on-demand cab services to and from the office are examples of some of the policies that are in place to cater to the well beingand safety of women employees. Great attention is paid to making the workplace atmosphere comfortable and competitive for women at various stages of their lives- from trainees out of college, to women who are looking to rejoin the workforce after a break due to familial and other reasons. Livspace also offers employees flexible work hours, the option to work from home, or even the option to be a design partner- working independently from the company. I am a design partner at Livspace, and this has allowed me the freedom and flexibility to design and consult independently from the projects I am assigned by the company. This has allowed me to dabble as an entrepreneur, while also having the security of a full-time job that would provide me constant access to leads to practice my craft.
Dr. Patricia Connolly, CEO at SMC Squared
Dr. Patricia Connolly, CEO at SMC Squared
The first policy and belief is in pay equity. Discussing this and making this a priority is key to inspiring and motivating all team members. Women have not yet achieved this globally, however if we are able to stand up and provide an example, I’m proud to play that role. Second is a willingness to be flexible and work with women and men as they move through life events. This may be growing young families or caring for our valued parents and seniors. When you company stands with you, it makes a personal difference, makes the team stronger. This is less about policy, and more about doing the right thing in each situation. Also, we also established FACE as our stated values. The culture of a company is played out internally and externally. I’m a strong believer in not just talking about our values but delivering on them. FACE stands for Family, Allocation of Success, Continuous Learning, and Excellence.
Kriti Jindal, Owner and Designer at Kari by Kriti
Kriti Jindal, Owner and Designer at Kari by Kriti
I work with a local NGO, here in Hyderabad – that helps economically challenged women find meaningful livelihood. The NGO trains the women to stitch and then provides them employment at centers in their local urban villages. This way they are able to work much closer to work, without even leaving the village and still earn a living for themselves. I support these women by working with them for my stitching requirements. I also have a few women who come and work for me a couple times a month. I employ them for tasks like making tassels, packaging, and some embroidery. On days that they visit me, I invite them to bring their little children and babies with them, so they don’t have to leave them in the care of neighbors or other family.
Deepikaa Jindal, Creative Director and Managing Director at JSL Lifestyle
Deepikaa Jindal, Creative Director and Managing Director at JSL Lifestyle
I feel blessed to have an opportunity of contributing towards the society in my own way. I passionately work towards making some difference that we can bring through our assorted efforts, especially for women. We value all our employees and have taken numerous initiatives to ensure their well being and security, like 24 Response enrollments, POSH policy enforcement, destination call checks for women employees, and much more. Furthering this, as a chairperson of varied O.P. Jindal platforms, I feel that we are not leaving any stone unturned to make constructive change in the society, and are utilizing every resource available to better lives that we are able to touch through our deep rooted social work. These duties entail me to get involved at the ground level and see how we can contribute in making social difference. We have planned interventions in the fields of education, vocational training, integrated health care, women empowerment, social projects, rural infrastructure development, environment sustainability, sports, preservation of art and culture, and much more.
Dr. Prerna Taneja, Director at Clinic Eximus
Dr. Prerna Taneja, Director at Clinic Eximus
So as an doctor and entrepreneur I started my clinic called Clinic Eximus. We have women majority workforce to encourage more and more women to connect and work with us. I take special privilege in saying that I do feel good about it that I have been able to do a bit for the women who want to pursue their dreams. Also, in my other companies we are trying to recruit more of women employees. Having said that we obviously give them flexibility of time and understanding their needs and working closely. And they come back as a growth partners in a very very impactful way as they get emotionally bonded to the company. We try and support their dreams and help them to grow as a person who can live their life according to their rules and not restrict their ideas and creativity inside due to any fear of judgment from our society.
Rashmi Shetty, Co-founder at Storytellers 101 Communications
Rashmi Shetty, Co-founder at Storytellers 101 Communications
Women with multiple roles in their daily lives find it difficult to manage work, family and other personal commitments. We believe that when you have the freedom to manage you work day to accommodate your personal responsibilities or follow your hobby/ passion you work much better and deliver creatively achieving the oft elusive work – life balance. For brands and businesses who put their faith in us, not only does their work get done in a personalised manner and more effectively; they also become part of a change in the way the PR industry functions. Collectively, we are ushering a change that is needed at this time and age.
Regila Marinus, Cofounder at Vidhya Vidhai Foundation
Regila Marinus, Cofounder at Vidhya Vidhai Foundation
As a growing organization with an intention to be gender neutral, we do not have gender specific policies. But, we are making efforts to address the physical challenges faced by women. For example: Work from home option during menstruation and 3 months leave during Pregnancy.
Divya Gupta, Founder at DialogueRoom
Divya Gupta, Founder at DialogueRoom
My company Dialogue Room is very sensitive towards and supportive of women. In case a woman is on her first day of the period, and I understand some women have it bad on their periods, we offer them work from home. Office timings are sane and we offer flexible working hours. If in case, work does get too demanding, we all pitch in from home.
Rajni Ohri, Founder at Ohria Ayurveda
Rajni Ohri, Founder at Ohria Ayurveda
Ohria is a women-oriented team. Hence, we have policies, mainly for women’s safety. Also, to support, we celebrate women and sisterhood very strongly. We work with NGOs like SEWA and employ underprivileged women to stitch potli bags & travel sachets. SEWA works to strengthen the unprivileged women by giving them identity as informal workers.
Shobhana Sriram, Co-Founder and CTO of Quick Ride
Shobhana Sriram, Co-Founder and CTO of Quick Ride
As one of the founders of Quick Ride, which is a carpooling platform connecting individuals traveling along the same routes in real-time, I have seen immense growth and potential in this eco-friendly and sustainable commuting option. The Government has in the past supported carpooling as a concept but more needs to be done through regulatory changes and creating awareness. Given the importance of carpooling in reducing both traffic congestion and vehicular pollution, the central and state governments must advise companies and tech parks to promote carpooling among their employees.
Tina Garg, CEO at Pink Lemonade
Tina Garg, CEO at Pink Lemonade
We’ve actually done quite a few unique things. All of these are open to men and women but women may use them more because we have more women at work. We allow all employees’ kids to come to work as often as needed. Children can also attend workshops with us over summer holidays. We have hobby classes for our people, helping them learn different and fun things like making dream catchers, salsa dancing, clay molding and so on. There are head and neck massages for everyone every month. Our leave policy allows people to take off over weekends easily. We have a Pink Holiday which allows a working day off for 2 people in a month. All these policies and benefits allow people to enjoy a better life at work. Women of course avail of them more than the men at work do.
Mona Dahiya, Co-Founder and Director at Homefoodi
Mona Dahiya, Co-Founder and Director at Homefoodi
We are committed towards the success of every Home Chef on our platform.We have made it extremely convenient for every woman to understand the opportunity and our policies to make them successful. As a practice, Homefoodi team visits everyone at the comfort of their home who reach out to join us. All selected Home Chefs are supported to manage their business professionally. We address all their challenges of Banking, FSSAI registration, food photography, packaging, delivery, online payments and lastly marketing. We have strong collaborations with the support ecosystem and have continuous workshops for Home Chefs. Every chef is ably supported to ensure a seamless on-boarding on the platform with adequate training to understand the market potential and leverage every opportunity through Homefoodi. As a matter of fact, we actively promote every Home Chef to create their unique identity through our marketing campaigns and personalized videos.
Freny Jariwala, Founder at The Secret Ingredient
Freny Jariwala, Founder at The Secret Ingredient
We are an entire women-only team and I appreciate the team of women I work with every day. We listen, we suggest – we challenge each other without fear. We support, we encourage, we strive to make our mission better every day. We work in an environment where everyone’s voice is heard, and everyone feels comfortable being themselves, and I think that is very rare. Although we are all very different, we all seem to share a really unspoken but felt a bond, and we all just seem to get each other. So, the base is simple, you think you can work, come join.
Moushumi Pal, Founder at Woodpecker Media
Moushumi Pal, Founder at Woodpecker Media
The main idea in the company is to allow a free flow of ideas without the hurdles of policies and hierarchies. Being a creative agency, it is important that we give our team members the room to allow them to engage in creative thinking. In a nutshell, we ensure that those working with us have flexibility, more leadership roles and empower them to be the decision makers on behalf of the company. We are trying to make independent thinkers instead of robotic members.The agency aspires to enable women to forge a successful career while raising a family.
Madhura Moulik, Co-Founder at Skilfinity
Madhura Moulik, Co-Founder at Skilfinity
As a startup, all our employees, be it, women or men, get to work from home, get a flexible working hour, fair pay and choose their own holidays. We also have an open-door policy to maintain transparency and resolve various challenges like work pressure, financial need, etc. While policies are easy to make, it is difficult to build up a culture. The core culture that we want to inculcate is to think like an entrepreneur and not as an employee. So far I have observed that women have an ingrained sense of responsibility and ownership that makes it easier for me to establish this particular school of thought when I am working with women colleagues.
Barkha Bhatnagar Das, Co-founder at Greendigo
Barkha Bhatnagar Das, Co-founder at Greendigo
At present, we are a small team comprising of only women. We consciously hire women who have the will and motivation to be a part of the working force. We try to employ women who may be from economically weaker segments but foresee themselves as significant contributors in a corporate set-up. To hone the skills of such women, we focus extensively on ‘on-the-job’ learning. We also encourage those women to join us who may have taken a career break for starting a family. For such employees, we offer flexible work timings so that they can tend to the needs of their family while rejoining the workforce. At Greendigo, we counsel and help women employees understand their true potential. Very recently, we realized that one of our women staff members aspires to be an IPS officer. We encouraged her to give the UPSC exam her best shot and not shy away from getting out of her comfort zone.
San Banerjee, CEO & Founder at ADDA
San Banerjee, CEO & Founder at ADDA
Caregiver Leave. This is a policy where anyone (typically it ends up being the woman) can focus on arranging the care for an elderly parent or family member. This was inspired by my own experience of my father battling cancer where I worked sitting outside ICU and between arranging Home Nurse etc. I wished I could completely take my mind off from work and just focus on setting up the caregiving infrastructure. This could help me get back to work with full focus.
Pooja Nagdev, Founder at Inatur
Pooja Nagdev, Founder at Inatur
We are a women centric organisation, proudly made in India. Personally I feel men and women are equal and we are fighting on the same ground. Empowering women listening to them and encouraging them to reach the top is what needs to be done. I believe in India women basically lack equal career opportunities. If at all they have job opportunities it is difficult to find safe and conducive work environment and culture. At my company it is our constant endeavor to ensure that women not only have secure career and equal growth opportunities but also an environment that empowers them and inspires them to give their best.
Vani Kabir Worldwide works for men and women both… because we believe that when it comes to the matters of the heart, we all are same. But we are progressing towards speaking to the judicial system to help single mothers financially, medically and also help their children get easy education. All divorced women are not financially strong and independent and the govt. need to realise this. Only 1% of cases end up in divorce, which isn’t a good statistic because the rest are suffering in bad marriages creating more broken children. I believe relationships are there to bring peace, happiness and growth, not pain, misery and degradation. I decided to be The Divorce Monk giving strength and courage to people who are in this hellfire.
Prashanti Malisetti, CEO and Founder at Pixel Pictures
Prashanti Malisetti, CEO and Founder at Pixel Pictures
More than Policies, I believe it is the culture that matters the most in any team, We have adopted a pretty collaborative style of work culture, where all of us are inter-dependent on each other and draw strength from one another. My team at Pixel Pictures has more female members than Men in every department. In most cases, they are the decision-makers, and make the rules for the rest.
You can see these women are taking a stance and creating a favourable environment for employees to work in with flexible work hours and adequate breaks. Representation is key in the workplace to ensure everyones’s needs are met. If there are any workplace policies you would like to jave been implemented in your workplace you should talk to your superiors and see if any changes can be introduced!
“The dawn of globalization has opened up great avenues for business models and they are no longer perceived as male or female-dominated. Today, the emphasis is given to what an individual has to offer and how his/her ideas contribute to the bigger picture without any focus on gender.” This is India 2.0 for you! An era where abilities are preferred over academics and grind is preferred over gender classification. This is the India that our ancestors must have envisioned back then, although we are still far from the ultimate destination – women in our country have come a long, long way. From being a housewife to the breadwinner. Today, on the eve of International Women’s Day – let’s talk about the work life balance that’s an important issue among entrepreneurs whether it be men or women, especially women who have to manage through the household chores as well, acing another responsibility to perfection seamlessly. It is tough being a women, indeed. Let’s see what the women in the house have to say on this.
I envision a future where women in entrepreneurship are equally respected and rewarded, balancing work and life seamlessly. To achieve this, women need support from society. I’ll contribute by mentoring and supporting women to pursue their dream careers without compromising their personal life or work-life balance.
Nikita Harisinghani, Co-founder, Chrome Asia Hospitality
Nikita Harisinghani, Co-founder, Chrome Asia Hospitality
I envision a future where women lead the charge in entrepreneurship, fostering gender equality and diversity in leadership. As a woman entrepreneur, I’m committed to mentoring and supporting aspiring female leaders. Through networking and skill-building initiatives, I aim to create opportunities and empower women in entrepreneurship. Advocating for policy changes that promote inclusivity is also integral to my mission. By leveraging my platform and influence, I aspire to amplify the voices of women in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, catalysing systemic change and creating a more inclusive environment for all.
Smriti Tandon, Co-founder, Online Chikitsa Mitra
Smriti Tandon, Co-founder, Online Chikitsa Mitra
As a woman entrepreneur for over a decade, I envision a future where women in entrepreneurship thrive with empowerment, equality, and boundless opportunities. Integrating more women into my workforce and offering growth and leadership opportunities are key. Initiatives like mentorship programs and specialized training equip women for leadership roles. Despite challenges in male-dominated industries like the automobile business, witnessing women excel reinforces my belief in their transformative power. I am committed to championing their success to shape a future where women entrepreneurs flourish unhindered.
Shipra Bhutada, Founder, User Connect Consultancy
Shipra Bhutada, Founder, User Connect Consultancy
On Women’s Day, I want to share my approach to balancing work and family through diligent effort and strategic planning. Building a strong team at work is crucial; I carefully select and trust my colleagues, fostering mutual support. By prioritising tasks and carving out personal time, I ensure I attend to both work and family commitments. Seeking help when needed and maintaining self-belief, passion, and positivity are key to overcoming challenges. Let’s celebrate our collective strength and support networks on this Women’s Day.
Aaradhna Dalmia, Founder, The Artemist
Aaradhna Dalmia, Founder, The Artemist
As a mother of a 3-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter, having a reliable support system enables me to focus on work. Establishing a solid routine for my children ensures stability. Balancing work and family, I prioritize quality over quantity, striving for consistency in both realms. Adhering to schedules optimizes productivity at work and allows cherished moments with my family. I recognize the importance of flexibility, understanding that sometimes life requires shifting priorities. Ultimately, it’s about finding harmony between professional aspirations and nurturing a fulfilling family life, embracing each moment with grace and resilience.
At Routematic, our commitment to employee transportation services ensures not only punctuality but also actively fosters stress reduction and improves work-life balance. We believe a content and relaxed workforce leads to increased productivity and employee satisfaction, establishing a mutually beneficial scenario for both employers and employees. Prioritizing women’s safety during transit, aligns with our broader goals of empowerment and workplace security. Furthermore, our Electric Vehicle (EV) fleet adoption aligns with our vision for safe, reliable, and affordable daily commutes for the global workforce, actively contributing to environmental sustainability and reducing the overall carbon footprint.
Sujata Chitalwala Principal Designer at Designers Group
Sujata Chitalwala Principal Designer at Designers Group
It’s a common perception in India that it is solely a woman’s responsibility to look after her children and other members of the family. Especially in the case of married women, she is expected to strike a fine balance between her business and family duties. Both men and women must understand that an equilibrium has to be established to empower women and make sure that nothing holds her back. With the support of her family, a woman can achieve the zenith of success. My family has been extremely encouraging and favoured every decision , guiding me from time to time and providing me with extreme support at all times. My husband and kids have been the pillars of my strength and have stood up for me through thick and thin. Parent entrepreneurs have dual responsibilities to their businesses and their families; finding ways to devote time to both is vital for securing an elusive work-life balance.
Ruchi Jhawar and Anju Modi, Co-Founders at Cogitus
Ruchi Jhawar and Anju Modi, Co-Founders at Cogitus
Thinking ahead, Better planning, making a calendar of events and being open about taking help from people around you without feeling shy! A lot of times, women spend times on activities which can be done easily by families pitching in. Also women need to know that sometimes it’s ok to not be around if work takes priority. Following your passion can be a way of life while maintaining a work and home balance. In our case we also see our kids taking pride in their moms work!
Srishti Baweja, Director at E2E Networks
Srishti Baweja, Director at E2E Networks
Failure seems obvious, sometimes. Pressure and stress will be inevitable. It’s hard to stop these things from happening. You should build relationships, mental strength, and coping mechanisms to deal with these issues better. As far as I could see, there is no clear-shot solution that can work. After all, we’re all different in our own ways. It’s a work in progress to manage and improve how you do at home and work. Perfection is a mirage. But you can become better than yesterday through constant effort and progressive learning.
Nishtha Gupta, Co-founder at Rein Games
Nishtha Gupta, Co-founder at Rein Games
I recently finished a book – Mother of All Jobs by Christine Armstrong. I loved it so much that I gifted to my sister-in-law who was expecting. After reading that book I was filled with gratitude and I thanked that I got the right support from my family and my company after having twins. As a mother of twins and an ambitious career-oriented woman, I can tell you that managing both home & work is not an easy task and it never gets easier. You can’t choose your family, your partner but choosing the right company in advance can be a boon. Just like you do in your relationships, look for the signs on whether the company cares or not. Is your input valued, are your given regular feedback, is your appraisal done is time, are individuals favored more than the collaborative teamwork – well these are some signs to look out for! Build your equity with a company that trusts and respects employees.
Saumya Kaushik, Founder at Growup Technologies
Saumya Kaushik, Founder at Growup Technologies
Every day, I see to it that in my organization, women who work from home or from anywhere in the world are able to get monumental results by the means of remote working. This concept of remote working has been introduced through the advent of my organization. I believe this concept is here to stay and in today’s era, it is revolutionary. Remote working gives women an opportunity to work. It does not make them compromise on their career but provides an alternative and efficient solution that can help manage their work and personal life. These women that we hire, I believe, bring credible experience from their own corporate journey. We give them the chance and means to apply it to real-time experience, here at Growup Group by working for the various breadth of times that we offer here.
Vedaxari Joshi, Founder at All ’bout Communication
Vedaxari Joshi, Founder at All ’bout Communication
Well, unlike men, women do have to decide if they want to continue with their career or not. When it comes to men, they are never expected to quit their job because they got married or had a kid. It is hard for women comparatively to have a family and a career going hand in hand without them feeling guilty about it. However, PR & journalism have a lot of women having both aspects going well for them simultaneously. In general, women even today are constantly given a choice to drop out of their careers. I feel if a girl is passionate about her work, in urban settings she still will find her way. In rural settings on the other hand, the first step is education. Only an educated woman can be well informed of her choices and will be truly empowered.
Sapna Khakharia, Director at The CANVAS Design
Sapna Khakharia, Director at The CANVAS Design
Dividing your time equally for your business and family is very important for a working woman. Set aside 30 minutes each week and 15 minutes each day to plan your time and schedule, including the most important goals, tasks and appointments. Situations change, and new opportunities can be both urgent and important. Be flexible and willing to change your schedule and reprioritize it to accomplish something that is most important.
Dr. Pooja Chhabra, Co-Founder at Nuskay Skincare
Dr. Pooja Chhabra, Co-Founder at Nuskay Skincare
Working women find themselves pulled in multiple directions. There are work and home, and a multitude of things in between – with roles as diverse as being a wife, an entrepreneur, or a leader. I see so many women entrepreneurs delaying their family plans or becoming so engrossed with their businesses that they don’t nurture other essential relationships. There will never be a “right time” to try and have it all. My suggestion is to never neglect relationships be it family or one’s own self. I’ve had my business for almost a year, and I always try to set work hours and sticking to them. I never fail to give myself a little me time where I do a little self-introspection. It helps me in understanding aspects I need to focus on and plan things accordingly. My advice to all working women is to have an understanding of their strengths and how to play them. Prioritizing things and effective time management helps a lot in striking balance between home and work.
Meha Bhargava, Founder at Styl.Inc
Meha Bhargava, Founder at Styl.Inc
When the mind is set right, we can overcome all obstacles. We maintain a very healthy atmosphere at the office, and advise them to have the same at their respective homes. Being organised, time management, stress management is what we educate other corporates that we work with, and hence having all those qualities instilled in our own company is very imperative. When I’m conducting workshops or seminars, I maintain the fact that as a woman we need to have our priorities right.
Priority number one being, to understand ‘why do you want/have to work
Prioritizing work with respect to home, family and kids.
Accepting the fact that the guilt will never leave you.
Being 100% present to wherever you are, be at work or be at home with your family or with yourself.
Why do you think there must be at least one female co-founder?
Geeta Ramakrishnan, ontological coach and Author
Geeta Ramakrishnan, ontological coach and Author
Without any doubt its a challenge for our society. Planning your day, enrolling your family in the household chore, learning to say ’No’, defining your boundaries and most important accepting love and care makes this an easy juggle.
Sadiya Khan, Founder at Akund Communication
Sadiya Khan, Founder at Akund Communications
Let me be upfront here – it’s not easy. Working women face a sharper critique from both the industry and the home environment as they struggle to conquer both. The ideal way to do this is to sharpen your focus on a few core areas. For example, I had read entrepreneur Randi Zuckerberg’s piece on picking three things that one wants to work with on a day-to-day basis and then focus on those, rather than running after everything. For me, these things are Akund Communications, my family and my health – which is why I can do it well.
Karishma V Mangal Director and Trustee Thakur International School – Cambridge
Karishma V Mangal Director and Trustee Thakur International School – Cambridge
Ask for help! Seriously we need not be doing everything. The system where a woman had to balance both work and home is a bit jaded. But we all know it is a very complex task and it is also mentally draining. At work, I feel it is a practical choice to recruit the best, groom them into the appointed roles so they may perform efficiently, delegate tasks that do not necessarily require my decisions. Managing a home is about being there, actively present with family members and not bringing work related stressors and picking new adventures and fun. But follow a schedule for both home and work, plan your mindfulness and plan for your productivity.
Aditi Olemann, Co-founder Myelin Foundry
Aditi Olemann, Co-founder Myelin Foundry
I think working women – from business to research to all other fields they are in, have been doing a phenomenal job in balancing work and home. There are key aspects according to me that help with this balance:
The ability to compartmentalize work and home
The ability to multi-task without getting stressed out
It is, ofcourse, very important for working women to have supportive partners and family members who are ready to share the responsibilities at home.ways to devote time to both is vital for securing an elusive work-life balance.
Kavita Mehta, Founder & CEO at Caymus
Kavita Mehta, Founder & CEO at Caymus
Accepting that neither side of the equation (home and work) will ever be “perfect” (actually, what is in life?) is the first step to managing a holistic life. Beyond that, building support systems and processes helps a lot. For example, my husband and I have a deal: Monday to Thursday the kids look to me for any questions that need to be answered but come Friday to Sunday, dad is the one who manages schedules, questions, homework help, and so on. Also, if you have children, enlist their help in meal planning, making calls for appointments, writing cheques and so on. With a little oversight and some training, they can be great support for the entire family and in the process, feel empowered themselves.
Kanika Trekriwal, Founder & CEO at JetSetGo Aviation
Kanika Trekriwal, Founder & CEO at JetSetGo Aviation
Effective goal-setting and an uncluttered mind always lead to a productive day. Plan ahead so you always know what to cross off your list next. It helps in identifying what work is on priority and what can be planned for-the next day. It is always better to avoid taking multiple goals without any specified plan, this can often lead to frustration and guilt. It cannot be wrong to advice keeping the house work on weekends and dedicating weekdays to work without overlapping. Also, Multitasking and lots of self – confidence can do wonders!
Tina Garg, CEO at Pink Lemonade
Tina Garg, CEO at Pink Lemonade
Organization, support, and the right mindset are the key to some order here. First, plan to be organized. Pre-order and subscribe to services that allow you to remove mundane tasks off your list. Weekly supplies of vegetables, staples to the house or menus for the meals and tiffin boxes during a working week can help maintain some order. Set a routine and follow it. Support from neighbors, friends, family and domestic helpers is critical. Work this support out for yourself and life can be easy enough. Thinking you can do without some help and adding that burden to your day is a no-no. Plan for peace of mind and leave the support system to take care of it. Build a mindset that’s attuned to reality. You can’t be the best in every sphere of life. It pulls you in all directions. Prioritize work or home depending on the life stage you are at and plan to accelerate or slow your career basis that. If work is your priority, don’t sweat the small stuff where the home is concerned. Pick up the pieces when you have time and see what’s manageable.
Dipali Mathur Dayal, CEO and Co-Founder at Super Smelly
Dipali Mathur Dayal, CEO and Co-Founder at Super Smelly
Not just co-founders, I believe that for every male CEO, there should be a female CEO, for every male CFO there should be a female CFO, and so on. Today, women are nearly 50% of India’s population, but only 20% are a part of the workforce and a minuscule 7% of them make it to c-suite jobs. It is not possible for India to grow at a rate of 9-10% with only about half of its population contributing to the economy.
Shobhana Sriram, Co-Founder and CTO of Quick Ride
Shobhana Sriram, Co-Founder and CTO of Quick Ride
Managing both home and work is not easy but a good work-life balance is essential and requires cooperation from all sides, including family and colleagues. My family has been supportive throughout my professional life and I have to say I have an incredible team that supports me. This allows me to work from home from time to time, thereby giving me quality time with my family and saving me from spending valuable time commuting to work. The role of Indian women in the past has revolved around the home, thereby making most women adept at multitasking. This multitasking ability is reflected in our professional lives and while managing work and home might not be easy, our fortitude helps allow us to find a balance between the two.
Aarti Gill, Co-founder of OZiva
Aarti Gill, Co-founder of OZiva
It’s easier said than done. But here are two things that really help – first is about clearly defining priorities & second is investing in your health. If you are healthier & fitter – both physically & mentally, you are able to work more efficiently and manage different tasks.
Ayushi Gudwani, Founder at Fabletreet
Ayushi Gudwani, Founder at Fabletreet
As women, perhaps our greatest trait is multitasking. There is no 9 to 5 for us – we are always working, from managing deadlines to running errands. At times, work takes precedence over our personal lives and vice-versa. I suggest you find a balance around that. Taking a step back and switching off for a while also helps. I personally do CrossFit or indulge in Thai food when I need to take a break.
Sangita Desai, Co-Founder of Raw Nature
Sangita Desai, Co-Founder of Raw Nature
My belief is that “the more you endure, the more you can perform, and the more you perform, the more is endowed upon you”. It’s a juggle, defining priorities, time management and discipline. “What you gotta do, you gotta do”. It has its own challenges, but there is no escape. Work empowers you, gives you satisfaction and a sense of achievement which drives you to juggle both the roles with equal passion. My belief is that “the more you endure, the more you can perform, and the more you perform, the more is endowed upon you”. It’s a juggle, defining priorities, time management and discipline. “What you gotta do, you gotta do”. It has its own challenges, but there is no escape. Work empowers you, gives you satisfaction and a sense of achievement which drives you to juggle both the roles with equal passion.
Mona Dahiya, Co-Founder and Director at Homefoodi
Mona Dahiya, Co-Founder and Director at Homefoodi
To start with, one should set their priorities. Secondly, plan to meet these priorities and calendarize them as much as possible. Thirdly, accept and acknowledge that you can’t do everything and hence delegate some things to others. Thanks to the technology, knowing the well-being of your loved ones isn’t a challenge anymore as we are connected at all times.I urge every woman to take some time out for themselves and do things that they really love. It is the only secret to maintain a perfect work-life balance. Ease of management both at home and work is at the heart of Homefoodi. Our chef application allows every Home Chef to manage their businesses with the comfort of a few clicks, be at home or at work. All Home Chefs have the freedom to decide the days of operation, timing, listing, pricing and even promotions. Our Chef Application was made after extensive feedback received from Women to address their challenges both at home and work.
Pavithra Rao, Cofounder and VP at Growth and Revenue, WaterScience
Pavithra Rao, Cofounder and VP at Growth and Revenue, WaterScience
My first recommendation is to have a job you like. When you have a job you like, you are a much happier person at home too. The second recommendation is to prioritise- We tend to get caught up in things that take up a lot of time and don’t really provide much value- this is true not just for work. It becomes much easier if one has a good support system.
If you are looking for tips on how to manage work and family as a women entrepreneur, I’m sure this article was helpful! Now there’s one less reason not to take the plunge and enter the entrepreneurial world.
We have lived in times where men had the sole decision-making powers, be it regarding the choice of furniture in their house or whether the wife should opt for working a job of her choice. Women have been designated indefinitely to roles such as mothers, wives, and generally someone who you could lean on. This very quality makes a woman the pole center of any support system.
Contrary to popular belief, women are the biggest supporters of their own kind.
Be it a household, or a corporate setting, women are trying hard to survive the winter that tests their social acceptance as someone who is more than just a primary caregiver in the former and someone who can lead in the latter. As we speak to successful woman entrepreneurs, we aim to understand how their support for other women in the industry has made a difference overall.
At BC Web Wise, we are committed to supporting women employees in their journey by implementing a range of initiatives. We understand the importance of flexible timings or working from home, especially during pregnancy and post-maternity leaves, and have accommodated such needs. We also encourage men to support on the home front and provide flexible timings for child care, ensuring a healthy work- life balance. Our performance evaluations take into account these adjustments when needed, ensuring fair treatment.
Furthermore, we have a strict policy against biases in hiring and promotions, ensuring equal opportunities for all. We take immediate action and put measures in place to protect women, creating a safe and healthy workplace environment. Our leadership team sets an example, with equal representation of women, including our CFO and HR head, who have been with us for over two decades, demonstrating our commitment to gender equality. Women are also well-represented in the leadership of our sales operations, creative practice, and strategy practice, etc highlighting our dedication to empowering women in the workplace.
Charu Noheria – Co-Founder & COO of Practically
Charu Noheria – Co-Founder & COO, Practically
In order to empower women in the workplace, I personally believe that, firstly, we need to be educated on women’s issues, secondly, we need to be aware of our role as women and, thirdly, we need to give ourselves a chance to lead. Organizations and coalitions are encouraging more women to work together to create a more inclusive environment for people who identify as female.
In my individual capacity, I try to offer my time and expertise when anyone reaches out to me be it for introductions, job referrals or even professional advice. I believe that we can learn and grow together no matter what we are doing and where we are in our careers. My advice to women is to support and encourage each other. It is important to figure out how to thrive as working women, so you should take the time to invest in yourself while supporting others. Recognize your talents and find out how to share them with other women who may need guidance and inspiration.
I have also been lucky to work with several accomplished women leaders who I look up to. They have shown me that you can be successful and empathetic at the same time. I actively seek out women entrepreneur groups and try to take part in their activities to network with other women entrepreneurs.
Dr. Shikha Baghi Bhandari – CEO & Owner, Timeless Aesthetics
Shikha Baghi Bhandari – CEO & Owner, Timeless Aesthetics
I threw myself into my work right out of university. The work ethic instilled in me by my parents, enabled me to persevere against worldly odds. These qualities are necessary to make it into world. I realize that not all of us are given the same opportunities, which is why it is necessary for people like myself to create opportunities for others.
There is no better way to help someone than to enable them to help themselves. That is one of the main reasons why I took it upon myself to educate and train women to become self-sufficient. These skills can earn them work and they can even start their own businesses.
Timeless Aesthetics is a place where you can find yourself. My entire focus is to make you believe that you’re important, you are perfect and you’re capable. These elements are also part of my trainings.
Our nonprofit initiative “Timeless Promise” helps those less fortunate and acid attack victims. These women are simply ignored by the masses, they not only receive free treatments at my clinic but I also offer them training and employment to which, there are no charges or fees.
Learning a good trade can set you up for life and I firmly believe that. My mother worked her entire life and I am showing it not only to my children the importance of financial independence but also to those who walk through my doors.
I hope to make a difference in someone’s life, I believe I’m doing so in my own way.
Being a woman, I personally respect and admire any woman entrepreneur starting her own business or working with someone. Nowadays it’s good to see almost every young girl wanting to do something. I personally prefer having woman partners, people in space who I work with. I chose to have at least a woman in the team always.
I strongly believe in ‘Women for Women’, which is also the essence of my startup ORCO, an organic condiments, and spices brand. The journey began in 2017 when on a daily basis I witnessed my house help being a victim of domestic violence. Having been associated with social work for a couple of years, I realised domestic violence at home is quite regular in Indian family units, particularly among the low-income communities. That’s when I decided to take a step forward and help these women become financially independent.
I began ORCO Spices with my 25-year-old daughter Adhvika Agarwal, with the mission to empower marginal sector women by setting up a small unit in the backyard of my own house and motivating these women to use the skill they already had, i.e. processing spices. Understanding the changing trends Adhvika, decided on taking the organic route and it was an uphill ride from there.
We started with merely 4 women working part-time in our backyard and now we have been successfully able to employ over 100 women and plan to take the number up to 500 in the next year.
It makes me extremely happy to see that my daughter and I were able to build a brand that has helped several underprivileged women become independent and financially stable.
I have personally been through the phase of a girl in the events industry, which has now shaped me into the Woman I am today.
It is definitely tough, as in most fields which are male-dominated, but more in the events industry you feel the pinch when a woman has to give instructions and demand and be tough on men of different categories from workmen to the office level.
So I do all I can to promote women, teach them the tricks of the trade on how to effectively communicate and not only survive in this world but to thrive.
And of course, if all else fails – the last trick is to get angry and everyone shuts up.
Srijana Bagaria, Co-founder, Pee Safe
Srijana Bagaria, Co-founder, Pee Safe
Ensuringaccess to good hygiene and sanitation practices is one of the sustainable development goals. However, when it comes to women and their access to these amenities for better health, there is not much to talk about in our country.
This is despite numerous campaigns and other initiatives both by the government and private sector entities. The pandemic brought out this gap further with many women left without access to basic and affordable things like a sanitary pad.
Pee Safe went a step ahead during this time and even before COVID-19 struck, we launched our sister concern Raho Safe, a brand that provides access to affordable personal hygiene and wellness products. At Pee Safe, we even launched our own range of female condoms called Domina, something that is yet to be popularly accepted in India. Pee Safe was a brand that started to address the need for hygienic solutions for women at the outset and diversified to other products later.
As women, we are often challenged by limited opportunities, a lack of products that suit our needs, among other things. On Women’s Day, it is important to bust the myth that these challenges are roadblocks. On the contrary, these are an opportunity in disguise. We must quit trying to prove ourselves but rather focus on growing and acknowledging our potential to succeed. We have been changemakers always and will continue to remain so for the times to come.
My startup United We Care sprung out of an essential need in January 2020 when the pandemic was in its full course. Mental health issues are a huge problem in India primarily due to a lack of awareness and the stigma surrounding them. This came to the fore during the pandemic when the lockdown, etc. led to many people suffering from stress, anxiety, and related issues.
For women and members of the LGBTQ community, it was an additional blow. At United We Care, we wanted to give people access to counsellors, therapists, and even lawyers without the fear of stigma or judgement.
We have been able to reach out to a number of people through our platform and integrated campaigns around mental health during this challenging time. As a woman, I challenged two stereotypes: the stigma around mental health issues and the fact that women cannot lead from the front.
I was able to make a difference and believe every woman can do so in her capacity. We have the inherent ability to multitask and think laterally. On this Women’s Day, let us make use of this ability to forge ahead in what we are passionate about and move forward with conviction.
Vanya Chandel – Founder, Forfurs
Vanya Chandel – Founder, Forfurs
We are presented with so many opportunities, that we can rise with others and not over. We are taught to fight for a certain spot to be successful when in reality we can just make space for others like us. Raising each other, co-existing, and collaborating is truly how we bring change in our work environment.
I run a business where we require artisans in our workshop. I try to do my bit by employing and training untrained woman artisans in my workshop. This is good not only for business as we can train them according to our requirement but also for the women as they now have financial independence and a steady income. I believe the easiest way to support someone is to give them a chance.
Some of these “untrained” women have turned into great assets to the company and it makes me proud when I see them excel in their work. If you are in a position where you can help or support someone, you should just do it. I see so many capable women around me that just require a chance to prove themselves and I am so grateful that I am in a position where I can support other women. There are so many women that are coming up with their businesses and doing great in their respective fields, I think it’s time we support, encourage, and empower each other.
Having come from a home where the education and independence of women were held in high regard, I never knew of a challenge that I couldn’t solve. Today, women are being rightly recognized for their contributions at their workplace.
For instance, at my company, one of the most important job profiles is held by a woman and that says a lot about how far we’ve come, with respect to the education and career opportunities that are available for women today.
Not much of an advice, but to all the women out there, ‘Why should boys have all the fun?’
Chahat Aggarwal- Founder and CEO of Impact Study Biz
Chahat Aggarwal- Founder and CEO of Impact Study Biz
Being a woman who has faced her fair share of struggles I do want the path to be easier for those who would follow. And to do so I decided to question and look into all organizational policies ranging from talent management to compensation for any overt or covert gender bias. We offer flexible timings and work-from-home options to men and women alike. And it isn’t just due to the pandemic. We shall continue on the path once things go back to normal as well. We believe this step to be of great help to new moms. We try to be very intentional on our part that we promote gender parity and discourage gender stereotypes. As a result, today we have female talent throughout the organization.
On a personal level too, I try to be as resourceful to women who are contemplating quitting their jobs and thinking of dipping their toes in the entrepreneurial pool and am very open to sharing all my learnings to women who aspire for a career in branding but don’t yet know the path to get started. And I am a cheerleader for life, in life overall to all women who are out there trying to make it happen irrespective of their field. Cheering each other on can do wonders for someone you know.
I strongly feel the best way to inspire fellow women is by showing them the way we practice to lead our professional careers and enhance the skills. Let’s practice before we preach, Real Inspiration must be a lesson, not just an advice.
I look forward to encouraging every woman to speak up and showcase their complete core competencies in their professional arena in whatever industry they are part of.
Naina Aggarwal Ahuja – Founder & COO, Talking Point Communications
Naina Aggarwal Ahuja – Founder & COO, Talking Point Communications
Over the years I have mentored many exceptional women who wanted to understand how PR, reputation management, and digital communications works.
PR is to a large extent a women-dominated profession and often people don’t understand the work and commitment it entails.
I always make it a point to walk newcomers through the same and also constantly encourage colleagues to learn and evolve. I feel it’s crucial to keep growing both personally and professionally.
Debasri Rakshit – Director of Operations & Strategy, Spark.Live
Debasri Rakshit – Director of Operations & Strategy, Spark.Live
It is encouraging to see more and more women diversifying their portfolios and capabilities today. There are also new avenues to showcase their creativity and abilities now more than ever before. Horizontal marketplaces such as Spark.Live are not only helping them learn new skills but also enabling them to teach what they know to others.
During the lockdown, even as traditional jobs went askew, women began honing their inherent talents and skills in more ways than one thanks to platforms like Spark.Live. Women are leading from the front in everything they do – be it running a tech-based business or becoming an entrepreneur in their own right while ensuring that they have a healthy work-life balance. Gone are the days when being a woman was a hindrance to one’s professional success.
Conviction in what we do is everything – and, I believe, it is true for everyone, whether you are a man or a woman. It is, therefore, important that women give their best to anything they do – while supporting and encouraging each other in their endeavors and turning every adversity into an opportunity to achieve their goals. On a larger level, we hope to get more support from the government and corporates to bring in actionable, conducive policies and avenues to help us forge ahead.
I have been fortunate to work with women entrepreneurs who have been always available to offer the right advice when I’ve been in need of advice and guidance on a particular matter. I believe this is the simplest but most impactful way to support anyone. I try to reciprocate all the support that I receive.
Being available to share unique perspectives, approaches on how one can tackle a particular situation, or just being a good listener – sometimes all we need is a good sounding board.
I also believe it’s important to share positive and also not-so-pleasant experiences as ultimately, we’re all facing similar challenges and opportunities. Sharing experiences can not only help someone but could also provide oneself a solution to one’s own challenges.
Fortunately, there are several forums and platforms that are emerging that allow women to support one another, which is not only encouraging but also instils confidence in one’s ability to continue working despite numerous challenges. These forums act as a safety net that allows women to learn of new developments, know what are the challenges that others are facing, and solutions adopted to overcome these challenges.
Conclusion
It’s time women change this narrative of being pitted against each other. We need more women leaders and that’s why the support of each other becomes ever so essential. The stereotype has been shoved down our throats so deep that we are reluctant in believing that women can be world leaders. It’s just about the time that we prove them wrong.
They say, ” The magnitude of a startup is directly proportional to the vision of its founders.” Rightly so, starting up is all about getting things right with your vision. And that’s where the right mix of determination, skills and perseverance comes into play. Where male founders are known more for their skills, time and again – the women squad have proved that no matter what the situation throws at them, the women in our country know how to battle it all. Hence, at this outset – When we celebrate womanhood globally, we asked the women in the startup fraternity about the need for atleast one female founder. Here’s what they have to say:
In today’s professional landscape, the presence of women in leadership teams is essential, and here’s why I believe that. Women bring a wealth of diverse perspectives, innovative thinking, and problem-solving skills to the table. Their insights into customer needs and market dynamics are invaluable for making informed decisions. Moreover, women foster inclusive team dynamics and challenge outdated stereotypes. It’s not just about meeting quotas; it’s about recognizing talent and promoting fairness. As a professional, I advocate for gender diversity in leadership, even in my teams.
Priya Singh, Co-founder and Director, Chalo Mobility
Priya Singh, Co-founder and Director, Chalo Mobility
Women bring a newer perspective and empathy to the table. Having a female co- founder ensures the startup understands the needs and preferences of this demographic, leading to more relevant products and services. With more women onboard, solutions emerging out of such startups will be well-rounded and avoid blind spots.
I think women also bring a different kind of leadership that encourages collaboration, leading to a more positive work environment. A woman co-founder will also inspire other women in the company to pursue entrepreneurship and leadership goals.
That being said, the best co-founder, regardless of gender, is someone who can complement the team and work towards the company’s vision.
Nitisha Agarwal, Co-founder and COO of Digidarts
Nitisha Agarwal, Co-founder and COO of Digidarts
In my opinion, a woman’s role goes way beyond the title of a co-founder; I believe there should be a woman in every boardroom in every organization. Being a woman brings a new perspective on topics and further adds to the diversity of all the operations in an organization. Women have always been multi-taskers and can focus on a spectrum of tasks, thus bringing coherence and synergy to the overall organizational goals. Therefore, having a female in every boardroom is a must for startups looking to succeed in today’s competitive landscape.
Pushpanjali Banerji, CoFounder, AstroJudge
Pushpanjali Banerji, CoFounder, AstroJudge
While it’s not a rule that every startup must have a female co-founder, the benefits of gender diversity in leadership are clear. It’s important for startups to consider the value that a female co-founder can bring to their business. With her unique insights, understanding of the market, and positive impact on team dynamics, she can play a key role in the startup’s success and champion gender inclusivity in the business world.
Mansi Gupta, Founder at Tjori
Mansi Gupta, Founder at Tjori
Women are known for their strong instincts, which is why it’s always good to have female co-founders on the team, simply to balance things out and to be able to get the advantages of the female ways of thinking and working. Depending on the area rof our startup, a female co-founder role can also be crucial. It can be a huge benefit to have women onboard. She understands the topic and product better in relation to emotional intelligence, she might be the better person to do the business development, etc.
Nupur Khandelwal, Co-founder at Navia Life Care
Nupur Khandelwal, Co-founder at Navia Life Care
I believe gender diversity within the leadership plays a crucial role in the success of any organisation. Women come up with a fresh approach to problem solving which often leads to better decision making, something we’ve witnessed firsthand at Navia too. Also, women definitely play a vital role in building a more stable and value-driven culture.
Ishvinder Kaur, Founding Principal at ivpartner
Ishvinder Kaur, Founding Principal at ivpartner
Surely not at least but as many, I believe women today are required to not just be founders o entrepreneurs but in every domain of an organisation. Coming in of more women entrepreneurs into the marketplace has created an opportunity for more successful & diverse enterprises. Women leaders have a valuable and unique perspective that brings in new creative solutions & help broaden horizons. Women in the workplace also have the brilliant ability to foster and maintain long-term relationships. They have efficient communication, organisational and multi-tasking skills that are integral to every area of work.
Kriti Jindal, Owner and Designer at Kari by Kriti
Kriti Jindal, Owner and Designer at Kari by Kriti
I have not approached the government for any help as of now. I would love to suggest a portal that has all the information required to set up a company, documents, finances, govt schemes for entrepreneurs, taxes and GST information at one place. At the moment there is no one easy to refer to a website that can help me understand the requirements to grow my business effectively keeping the laws in mind. I often have to reach out to other entrepreneurs and Etsy for help and most often than not their needs and requirements are very different from mine. Having a portal with a working helpline is the need of the hour.
Dipali Mathur Dayal, CEO and Co-Founder at Super Smelly
Dipali Mathur Dayal, CEO and Co-Founder at Super Smelly
Not just co-founders, I believe that for every male CEO, there should be a female CEO, for every male CFO there should be a female CFO, and so on. Today, women are nearly 50% of India’s population, but only 20% are a part of the workforce and a minuscule 7% of them make it to c-suite jobs. It is not possible for India to grow at a rate of 9-10% with only about half of its population contributing to the economy.
Imaan Javan, Director at Suntuity Renewable Energy India
Imaan Javan, Director at Suntuity Renewable Energy India
If you take a closer look at how any known female co-founder either in India or overseas has shaped her company, you will realize that the value that she brings to her company is not just about doing mundane business. She comes with a vision and a passion to excel. The company becomes an extension of herself and that’s the core difference a woman co-founder makes to a company or organization.
Deeksha Rai Chawla, CEO at Housee Of Cleeo
Deeksha Rai Chawla, CEO at Housee Of Cleeo
Women add life and character to any work. Be it a corporate, an event management firm or a business, women are able to provide a detailed analysis to any situation. They are sharp, have a keen attention to detail, and play a crucial role in defining the culture of an organisation!
Divanshi Gupta, Director at The Marcom Avenue
Divanshi Gupta, Director at The Marcom Avenue
Like marriage is about a long term healthy partnership between two people, running an organization with a female co-founder is similar. I, as a woman entrepreneur, believe that there is a lot that a woman can add to management with their personal experience in handling things related to- operations, strategy, human resources and whatnot. Also, it can be seen that women in leadership in an organization will help in increasing team productivity and enhancing collaboration to inspire organizational dedication. Also, women are soft speakers, and in case of a thriving working environment, handling matters at hand with utmost and deliberate calmness becomes quite necessary. So, I think having at least one female co-founder in the organization is a must.
Kamakshi Sood, Co-Founder at Petveda
Kamakshi Sood, Co-Founder at Petveda
In general, women are more organized than men which makes a lot of things easier in the long run. Also, Women tend to have keen eyes for details, which men may overlook at times.
Neelam Gupta, Founder President & CEO at AROH Foundation
Neelam Gupta, Founder President & CEO at AROH Foundation
Women have certain distinctive characteristics, such as empathy, intuition, and optimism, which greatly contribute towards building excellent workplace relationships and they become the drivers of success for any organization. Women are also considered to be more emotionally intelligent, passionate, and helpful, the traits which create healthy professional relationships and a cohesive workforce within an organisation. When faced by a difficult problem, women generally come up with intuitive solutions with their unique leadership styles, that not only bring a different perspective, but also paves way to success of a company. Women leaders are found to be even more effective in social sector where communication, soft skills, understanding, compassion and empathy are much needed traits where women excel. Women have undoubtedly better social and networking skills which they can use to encourage high level partnerships and collaborations on the one hand, and the poor and vulnerable communities at the bottom of the pyramid, on the other. Having a women co-founder not only showcases gender balance and diversity in the company, but it also balances every perspective of business through their unique and different approach.
Annu Talreja, CEO and Founder at Oxfordcaps
Annu Talreja, CEO and Founder at Oxfordcaps
Having a female Co-Founder is very beneficial for an organization. For us, female sensibilities impact everything we do – right from looking at Student Housing as a service-based business as opposed to a pure brick & mortar real estate, to developing a team which feels valued and creates an inclusive culture. Our sensibilities shape our interactions both in the market as well as within the organization.
Chinu Kala, Founder at Rubans Accessories
Chinu Kala, Founder at Rubans Accessories
Ultimately it all boils down to the vision. An entrepreneur is one who has the vision to take the organization to the next level. So, anyone who can grow the business today, and keep an eye on business goal is the best fit for any organization. If that person is a woman, it gives an added advantage as the organization gets to have a female perspective. Today, 50% of the consumers of any business are females.So, it’s a good idea to have both perspectives in any decision-making process.
Avneet Makkar, Founder & CEO at CarveNiche Technologies
Avneet Makkar, Founder & CEO at CarveNiche Technologies
Research has shown that women led companies have much more symmetrical gender differences, than all male founders company. Women led startups actually hire 2.5 times more women than established firms that are all male. Organizations with all male founders have shown a tendency not to have as many women as employees.
Poonam Prahlad, Founder & CEO at CafePopShop
Poonam Prahlad, Founder & CEO at CafePopShop
Both men and women think differently. They have different approach to deal with a problem. Being a woman myself, I would say, it is always better to have at least one female co-founder in the team who can balance out the thought process and bring a second perspective to the table. Also, women possess some great qualities like the willingness to understand others and have a compassionate nature which is quintessential to take the diverse work force together in any company.
Moushumi Pal, Founder at Woodpecker Media
Moushumi Pal, Founder at Woodpecker Media
So, in nature, there is always a need to maintain a balance. In the Chinese, it is known as Yin and Yan. I like to believe that having a woman co-founder balances a lot of things out. Look at Sheryl Sandberg! Mark Zuckerberg hired her when they were not even looking for a COO. He found her intellect and experience to be of value and thus, carved a role for her then and there. She is the one who pushed for Facebook Ads, one of the most successful marketing tools used today in the business. Having a woman co-founder can bring in the empathetic quotient to the organisation and also bring in the social skills that are usually the forte of the ladies.
Yogita Tulsiani, CEO at iXceed Solutions
Yogita Tulsiani, CEO at iXceed Solutions
The study shows that women-owned firms have better company ethics, high value, and limpidity. In low GDP countries, female businesses can offer a way out of poverty for women faced with few other prospects, which means a remarkable social change. Enhancing female entrepreneurial skills and supporting women who wish to scale up will go a long way to close the productivity gaps.
Diversity fosters creativity and results in better decision making by encouraging new information and perspectives
Increasing the proportion of women entrepreneurs within the SME landscape enhance value creation for the economy, as a result of the different skills, experiences, insights, and ideas they can bring.
Statistics: companies with higher gender diversity are 21% more likely to outperform their industry peers with lower diversity ratios on profitability and 27 percent more likely to create superior value
Statistics -Companies with one or more women on the board have delivered higher average returns on equity, lower gearing, better average growth, and higher price/book value multiples.
Kusum Bhandari, Director at Bhookha Haathi
Kusum Bhandari, Director at Bhookha Haathi
Having at least one female co-founder not only provides a balanced perspective but also brings gender diversity to any organization. Women are emotionally stronger and more adept at handling tricky situations with calm and ease. A woman’s intuitive abilities are a great compliment to the risk-taking capabilities of their male counterparts. Women are good listeners which combined with their problem-solving skills, can help in resolving day-to-day issues and conflicts arising in the organization. Their soft skills help bring discipline and much cohesive work environment that is required for any organization to succeed. Women create deeper bonds with their peers and the team which is very crucial for smoother operations in any organization.
Moqierish Tak, Co-Founder at India Assist Insights
Moqierish Tak, Co-Founder at India Assist Insights
A female co-founder brings many skills with her to the table. Some of them are multi-tasking and an eye for detailing, which I think is a black spot with most men. Apart from that women entrepreneur generally bring social discipline in the organisation. Women have natural endurance and ability to bear more built within them and because of that chances of them sticking outthrough thick and thin are far more than otherwise.
Dr. Sruthi Gondi, Founder and Dermatologist at Science Of Skin
Dr. Sruthi Gondi, Founder and Dermatologist at Science Of Skin
The way men and women think are extremely different. Men are usually very rational and very practical in their approach and mind-set. Women approach situations very differently. We have the ability to gauge instincts and can visualize, and anticipate any forthcomings, and catch vibes better. Hence it is advisable to always have one women co-founder on board. Also, there are extremely successful women entrepreneurs today who are giving the men a run for their money.
Freny Jariwala, Founder at The Secret Ingredient
Freny Jariwala, Founder at The Secret Ingredient
Because balance is important. A woman brings a fresh approach to problem-solving and distinctive leadership styles that can bring in different viewpoints to a particular task or activity. It is said that women are more intuitive and better in soft-skills. Also, women are emotionally stronger, good at multi-tasking as well as bringing order and discipline in any organization and we look for things that sometimes would have been ignored in plain oversight.
Geeta Kumana, Proprietor at Prime Health Support
Geeta Kumana, Proprietor at Prime Health Support
In India, patriarchy is so imbibed in our culture, that it is almost taken for granted that a woman will give up her job once she gets married and has children. Hence, very few women reach the top. I believe it is very important that at least one woman should be a co-founder so that she is given the respect and her point of view can be heard. In a patriarchal society like ours, barring a few enlightened or evolved men, work places are also usually influenced by the male way of approaching employees, especially women employees, which is matter-of-fact & detached. Women’s interactions on the other hand are characterised by much more compassion, caring & understanding, because they have higher EQs. The whole atmosphere changes when women are at the top of an organisation. A work place with one more female co-founder will also ensure greater safety, and greater respect for women employees.
Ankita Sheth, Co-Founder at Vista Rooms
Ankita Sheth, Co-Founder at Vista Rooms
Women, in general, are considered to be more organised and tend to pay attention to detail. They are always on a race against time, hence, proving to get things done quickly. They also focus more on the emotional side of things rather than being transactional, balancing out their male counterparts.
Karishma V Mangal, Director and Trustee Thakur International School – Cambridge
Karishma V Mangal, Director and Trustee Thakur International School – Cambridge
I would like to bring to this a scientifically proven fact- women can multitask. Now if that’s not a superpower, I do not know what is. This ability is what makes women juggle both work and home with much more ease than men, but then again our culture doesn’t expect men to manage both home and work! Gender diversity, according to me brings in better outcomes, be it planning, decision making, financial success or growth of an organisation. Women bring in a certain discipline and are twice as tenacious, they are also highly intuitive and sensitive to human emotions and that makes them great managers and leaders. Also, women are better communicators, which leads to the success of any venture or project.
San Banerjee, CEO & Founder at ADDA
San Banerjee, CEO & Founder at ADDA
In ADDA we have had a balanced gender ratio throughout the journey. The fact that it happened naturally – I attribute to the fact that we have female co-founders and 3 of 6 Leadership roles are held by women. Perhaps female co-founders send the message to women employees that they will not be limited in their growth due to their gender, and the unavoidable additional responsibilities that come with it. Just like a human being is complete when their masculine and feminine sides are equally evolved and balanced, an organization is the same way. When gender ratio is equal the work culture becomes balanced, there is no toxic bro culture, there’s a natural focus on retaining customers not just on acquiring them, employees work much more easily with customers of either gender as they are doing with colleagues.
Shradha Vyas, Founder at Carpediem Events
Shradha Vyas, Founder at Carpediem Events
While I do not promote feminism, a female co-founder is important, because
The approach to problems is different (more realistic more diversity in approach)
Generally more calm and understanding of situations
Better at multi-tasking
Communication skills and sensitivity approach much higher with women usually.
Women’s multitasking skills are unparalleled. These women have given their two cents on why having a female co-founder is beneficial to a startup. If you are on the lookout for a co-founder, do think of hiring a woman based on these responses.
“It’s not worth it.” “It is not for women.” “This is a male dominant sector. Women won’t survive.” Well, if you’ve heard either of these and still managed to survive and made it through, welcome to the 1% club. This isn’t going to be a fairy-tale. It’s not a movie script where everything will magically fall into place. But then, who is working for perfection here. We’re into this to accomplish what others are afraid of. For that to happen, we need to overcome our fears first. Isn’t it? To all the women who’ve accepted “NO’s” gracefully to finally getting to hear that one YES – the world is constantly listening and bowing down for you! Let’s see what the women can do to make things work despite the NO. Here it is:
I believe that success has a formula. Many people would argue that it doesn’t, but I tend to differ a bit. Of course the word success is subjective based on how one defines ‘success’. However, there are certain things you’ll find that are quite common among successful people. Most important in my opinion is discipline and focusing on the process. If you dedicate your 100% on the process, the outcome will surely follow.
It’s about building a habit of doing things the right way. Doing what you are passionate about. When you do this, success isn’t just a possibility, it becomes inevitable.
Himani Ahuja, Communications Director & Founder at One Digital
Himani Ahuja, Communications Director & Founder at One Digital
The first thing women need to understand is that there are no shortcuts to success. With sincere efforts and hard work, they can achieve their goals, no matter how big they are. They can fathom any depths with sheer willpower and determination, and fulfill every dream. My message for not just women but any individual male or female, who are discouraged to become an entrepreneur is that they should stop seeking validation from society. Their self-belief should be unprecedented and any negativity that they are subjected to should be completely ignored. Confidence is key and unless they believe in their knowledge and efforts, it will always be hard to convince others for the same. The task looks daunting at first, but with perseverance and due diligence, anything is possible. It takes courage to take the first step but after that, the process becomes organic and every individual is capable of enduring any obstacle that comes their way.
Arunima Sinha, Co-Founder at ixambee
Arunima Sinha, Co-Founder at ixambee
In today’s world, women are not only ruling the homes but also businesses and crossed all the paths of male-dominated society. This Women’s Day, I urge all women to never doubt your value and power and grab every chance and opportunity in order to pursue your dreams. No matter how many times you fall or fail, but never give u, learn from your own mistakes and continuously work towards making your lives and your nation better.
Saumya Kaushik, Founder at Growup Technologies
Saumya Kaushik, Founder at Growup Technologies
If someone is topping women to become an entrepreneur, I would ask them to give these women a mere 6 months and see the change for themselves. They are gonna have to watch out for these women they were stopping! And for the ladies, I would advise you to tell those people to shut up and watch the potential and pace of the women they are trying to stop. All of us deserve a chance to prove ourselves. No one gets stronger by stopping someone weaker than themselves or even stronger than themselves. Every individual should be respected but nobody should be idolized. That’s my mantra.
Kavea R Chavali, Anchor & Co founder at KALANECA- House of Handloom
Kavea R Chavali, Anchor & Co founder at KALANECA- House of Handloom
Simple- A woman on a mission, needs no permission You can’t stop her unless she WANTS to be stopped.It is as simple as that. So when you do try stopping her she will either be building an enterprise or nurturing/raising leaders to build one. She is a born DOER.
Ruchi Jhawar and Anju Modi, Co-Founder at Cogitus
Ruchi Jhawar and Anju Modi, Co-Founder at Cogitus
Please please please follow your passion and be confident. We are often so caught of in our life and routine that we keep ignoring the great ideas we have in our head. We have seen really creative and talented women deciding to take a back seat looking at it as a choice or a sacrifice they make to continue a balanced or financially stable life. Once a person decides to take a plunge the rest follows.
Akriti Khatri, Founder at Venus Detective Agency
Akriti Khatri, Founder at Venus Detective Agency
My advice is if women are passionate about their career, they should keep on trying, choose positive people and positive environment, keep yourself away from negative environment. If you feel your organization is not supporting and you feelyour organization is not supporting and you feel down, so change your organization. Don’t be with people who are trying to drag you down. Be confident and have faith on yourself that you are capable enough to achieve your dream.
Kamakshi Sood, Co-Founder at Petveda
Kamakshi Sood, Co-Founder at Petveda
There are still families who do not support women for starting up on their own because they then tend to give less attention to home and children. But people today need to understand the value of self-development and growth. My advice will always be to know and understand the importance of focusing on something that makes you happy as only when a woman is happy, can she make others around her happy as well.
Dr. Pooja Chhabra, Co-Founder at Nuskay Skincare
Dr. Pooja Chhabra, Co-Founder at Nuskay Skincare
I believe every person has his/her own journey with struggles, which makes them who they are in the end. You cannot expect anyone else to fight for you. There are no handouts. You will have to stand your ground. A woman entrepreneur has to understand and remind herself that she cannot let the society decide her priorities, and she has to be strong and audacious enough to prioritize her career, her choices and her way of life over everything else. A working woman opens avenues of growth for not just her own self but people around her. For instance, a working woman can teach her kids real life lessons from her own journey and experiences which no textbooks can!
Dr. Patricia Connolly, CEO at SMC Squared
Dr. Patricia Connolly, CEO at SMC Squared
Don’t let anyone stop you. I learned again recently that only you have control of you. The Serenity Prayer comes to mind. There’s wisdom is in reflecting on this simple message. While you may never control another person’s words or actions, you can control your response. An important message I learned early on in life is “Ask for what you need”. This simple, cardinal rule, has been a cornerstone for me in negotiating, building business opportunities, and even raising my children. If someone is putting up a roadblock, let them know. If you need something difference, determine what that is and give them a chance to respond. If you desire another resource, go there and take control of your next step. Just because someone is attempting to stop you, doesn’t mean to give them permission to do so. Have the courage to believe in your dreams, and by all means tell someone your vision and ask for what you need to make it happen.
Sapna Khakharia, Director at The CANVAS Design
Sapna Khakharia, Director at The CANVAS Design
I’d like every female aspiring or established entrepreneur to believe in themselves & have faith when they take that leap of faith that they can achieve everything. There will be failures/losses that is all part of the long road to success. Don’t invest blindly, weigh in ALL your options even if consulted by a financier. We won’t get immediate results, but it will happen- so have faith.
Dr. Sruthi Gondi, Founder at Dermatologist at Science Of Skin
Dr. Sruthi Gondi, Founder at Dermatologist at Science Of Skin
My only advice would be, if you cannot be of any help to her, at least, do not discourage her. There is no other better feeling than being your own boss and working for your own self, and channelizing all your efforts towards a better future, and being self-dependant. The possibilities lie within you. Also, education is extremely important to build a successful future ahead. Make sure you do not compromise on that.
Vishakha Chawla, Founder at Vishakha Chawla Interiors
Vishakha Chawla, Founder at Vishakha Chawla Interiors
My advice for her would be to believe in her idea, her vision, her goal, and her own individuality. Society and people always try to pull women down, and once she achieves her dream that’s when people come to support her. So my message to all budding entrepreneurs, who are finding it difficult to cope up with the situation: try harder, be independent , and you can do it, never stop believing in yourself.
Shristi Banka, Co-founder and CEO at Banka CFO
Shristi Banka, Co-founder and CEO at Banka CFO
Believe in yourself. If being an entrepreneur is your top goal, put in your best efforts and don’t look back. At the start, you may face some friction, but with perseverance, dedication, and honest efforts, you will become successful.
Geeta Kumana, Proprietor at Prime Health Support
Geeta Kumana, Proprietor at Prime Health Support
I would advise her to take all the necessary measures like go to NGO’s that work towards women empowerment, or strong women friends who will stick by her beliefs and encourage her to become an entrepreuner.
Nirupama Subramanian, CoFounder at GLOW
Nirupama Subramanian, Co – Founder at GLOW
I think it is very important for women to believe in themselves and their goal. The other important thing is investing in their own growth to acquire knowledge and skills. At GLOW, we mentor women entrepreneurs in the non technical areas that are important for success- communication, overcoming challenges, setting a vision and mission for the business, networking, brand building, developing resilience among others. Take the time out to equip yourself along with building self confidence, then no one will be able to stop you.
Sumita Tulsiani, Co-founder & Director at TravelDilSe
Sumita Tulsiani, Co-founder & Director at TravelDilSe
Normally, no one can stop a woman when she has set her mind to a goal. Often, the reasons which do stop her – financial resources, family issues or the lack of a successful model, are stemmed within our own insecurities and lack of confidence. I would tell such a woman, to begin, by listening to herself and determining whether this is something she really wants to do. If yes, that’s all one needs to focus on.
Srishti Baweja, Director at E2E Networks
Srishti Baweja, Director at E2E Networks
I advise them to stay strong, stay persistent, and gain financial independence. Doing so helps them build skills and fortitude required for their entrepreneurial journey. Entrepreneurship is a path laden with failures lurking around. Think that the more you prove naysayers that you can do it and that you are cut for this hardship, the less you face unsupportive behaviors and advice.
Aditi Olemann, Co-Founder at Myelin Foundry
Aditi Olemann, Co-Founder at Myelin Foundry
My advice would always be ‘If you explain, they will understand’. Just like any other hurdle in one’s career, entrepreneurship is often faced with initial resistance from friends and family. Since the risks are higher, people find it uncomfortable to support that decision and more so in case of women because they may have familial obligations. In most cases, however, sitting down with the concerned person and chalking down the pros and cons help. Often, making the person talk to other female founders also gives that confidence. At the end of the, entrepreneurship is not just the entrepreneur’s decision – it is a family decision to take the risk and the pains, hence a woman needs to put in the effort to get her close family and friends comfortable. If despite that the person is adamant, sometimes you just need to ‘Go for it, and they will eventually understand’
Poonam Prahlad, Founder & CEO at CafePopShop
Poonam Prahlad, Founder & CEO at CafePopShop
“If you believe in yourself, the world will believe in you. Be confident and be different in whatever you do.” This would be my advice to the aspiring ladies.
Kavita Mehta, Founder & CEO at Caymus
Kavita Mehta, Founder & CEO at Caymus
I always ask: If not me, then who? There are so many problems to be solved in the world. If you have an idea, pursue it. Entrepreneurship doesn’t mean you have to raise outside funding or build a unicorn. Building a lifestyle business that provides valuable services and products is also entrepreneurship. Having confidence in yourself and your ability to deliver is half the battle in building a company that adds value to society.
Rishu Gandhi, Founder & Head Brand Strategist at Mother Sparsh
Rishu Gandhi, Founder & Head Brand Strategist at Mother Sparsh
The key to success is keeping faith on yourself, and following it up with hard and smart work. One needs to remember that bigger things do not come easy. Women must overcome the hurdles with the help of family support, confidence and will power. There will always be critics around, but everyone should fight their own battle if they really wish to pursue their passion.
Geeta Ramakrishnan, Ontological coach
Geeta Ramakrishnan, Ontological coach
I would ask the person to have trust and faith in aspiring women entrepreneurs, giving them emotional support and constantly encouraging them by looking at the budding obstacles along the way as stepping stones to success. These are the cornerstones for growth. As they learn, learn from failures, from success, they grow empowered with self-worth and self-esteem, and these are the women you would want as partners in life, where the next-gen can look upon to.
Deepikaa Jindal, Creative Director and Managing Director at JSL Lifestyle
Deepikaa Jindal, Creative Director and Managing Director at JSL Lifestyle
Women have the art of balancing! I really feel that one has to believe in herself, and try triumphing in-securities or challenges that they encounter to be what they have to be. Giving up on one’s dreams is really not a solution or a direction. You have to be a go-getter to make it happen. We truly have the power of empowering resistance. If the vision is clear, one can achieve what one is deemed to be!
Dipali Mathur Dayal, CEO and Co-Founder at Super Smelly
Dipali Mathur Dayal, CEO and Co-Founder at Super Smelly
If a woman can run a home which involves working on a budget, hiring staff, managing finances and relationships so well, there is no way she can’t run a business well, too. Also, women have immense grit and determination, as each one who is trying to carve a niche for herself is, in some way, representing all other women. It is factors such as these which give us the drive it takes to make an enterprise successful.Thus, someone who is trying to hold back a woman from becoming an entrepreneur is just wrong and, in fact, should be encouraging her instead!
Avneet Makkar, Founder & CEO at CarveNiche Technologies
Avneet Makkar, Founder & CEO at CarveNiche Technologies
My advice would be if you are committed to make it happen, and have the zeal to take it forward , do foray into entrepreneurship. You would only fail when you choose to quit, otherwise there is always another opportunity waiting to be explored. Let’s pledge to help each other & challenge all gender norms this women’s day.
Avni Kaul, Nutritionist, Founder at NutriActivania
Avni Kaul, Nutritionist, Founder at NutriActivania
I would say if as a woman you have a dream and a vision to fulfill them then there is no reason why something should stop you. One needs to understand that every good thing in life has to face stiff resistance first. It is this phase that actually decides how long one can go. If you are strong and determined enough nothing will bother you and your concentrated effort to establish yourself will win eventually. Life is full of ups and downs so it is important not to get distracted by it. If you aim to get something just go for it come what may. A woman should not forget that she herself has a lot of potentials and is not someone who needs to be dependent on anyone. One must not forget we live in a country where a woman once became the Prime Minister so nothing can be a greater example than this. Women must trust their own abilities rather than focus on what others are saying or doing. As a woman, you should know you are not weak and can achieve anything on her own these are the qualities that one needs to succeed.
Shradha Vyas, Founder at Carpediem Events
Shradha Vyas, Founder at Carpediem Events
I don’t think any one would have the courage to tell todays Indian Women – you cannot do this. This only irks us to do something harder. The advice to all upcoming women entrepreneur – if you believe in your self and in your company – take the plunge. Its going to be rough – but it is all worthen. I was very fortunate to have family and friends who only encouraged me, and supported me all the way!
Divya Gupta, Founder at Dialogue Room
Divya Gupta, Founder at Dialogue Room
Before I started Dialogue Room my father stopped me from quitting my job as a lawyer for a good five months. But I just went ahead and quit my job. Eventually, once I started my company, my father understood what I wanted and found value in my company. If someone is stopping you, try and find out why? While I was stopped, I kept plotting the steps in my head. Every question made me think about my company is more detail. So the only advice I can give is “go ahead and do it”. “Face every red signal as a time to review your drive.”
Divanshi Gupta, Director at The Marcom Avenue
Divanshi Gupta, Director at The Marcom Avenue
Hustling towards your dream is not an easy task. One has to devote himself/herself fully towards making it a reality. Sometimes you have to even sacrifice time and bond with your families and friends for it. Starting The Marcom Avenue was not easy, there were many observations, reading, re-reading and whatnot that went into bringing this business alive, but I didn’t give up. There were a lot of things that could have gone wrong, there were actually, but I believed that if I can overcome these, nothing can stop me. I have always believed in “If you have a dream, don’t just sit there. Gather the courage to believe that you can succeed and leave no stone unturned to make it a reality.” Be it your parents or your spouse, you should have the willpower and ability to convince them so that they should also be part of your happiness, struggles, seamless support and encouragement at every phase of your business. And, this is the only thing that I can suggest to any woman out there looking to start her own venture- Don’t give up. Don’t give up on yourself and your ideas. It’s you in this world against everything and everyone, and if you have come so far, there is a 100% chance that you’ll make it till the end.
Deeksha Rai Chawla, CEO at Housee Of Cleeo
Deeksha Rai Chawla, CEO at Housee Of Cleeo
It is important for women to understand their potential. I would suggest her to carefully research, plan and check the feasibility of the idea. There will be risks attached to every new idea or work that they explore. What works for them is what they need to concentrate on. They are the only ones who can define their own limits, no one else can do it for them. Well-wishers always provide support and empathize and provide logical guidance rather than forcing opinions. Hence, they need to be aware of whom they are looking up to for advice.
Harjinder Kaur Talwar, National President at FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) and CEO at Comvision India
Harjinder Kaur Talwar, National President at FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) and CEO at Comvision India
“Where there is a will, there’s a way” Look for a mentor, who could hold your hand and guide you through. Convincing your family comes when you are convinced, and confident, a mentor can certainly help in that. Don’t neglect your family, maintain a balance. Similarly stay committed to your work Do networking. women need to do networking, which they don’t do. They prefer sitting at home in their leisure time, which Men don’t do. If they start coming out and do networking, they will never have to look back. Networking is very important. Men meet, they talk, they ask for business, women will never approach anybody and say I need business. Men don’t shirk away from asking for business, but women do. Infact I really appreciated Actor Neena Gupta who posted on social media asking for work. That’s how it should be, because if you want business, you have to go for it, nobody will come and give you business sitting at home.
Harshita Gupta, Founder at Hail Women
Harshita Gupta, Founder at Hail Women
No one can stop anyone , if she truly wants it, she will find a way. things are not as easy as it seems . it all depends on one’s determination and patience level. how desperately you want to achieve it and how much you believe in yourself. the biggest reason for failure is when you start doubting yourself , it starts weakening everything you build. I don’t mean by self realisation and self improvising is not important, of course one needs to be flexible in adapting changes because you will be needing that at every step once you enter this field.
Imaan Javan, Director at Suntuity Renewable Energy India
Imaan Javan, Director at Suntuity Renewable Energy India
My message is simple: be perseverant. Do not give up on anyone or buckle under pressure. If you have the drive and the zeal to make things happen, things will work out in your favor. I sincerely believe that hard work always pays off and there are always ways to work around any impediment one faces. To all the women out there, I wish them more power, courage, and fearlessness to soar high in their lives.
Ayushi Arora Gulyani, Director at Media Corridors
Ayushi Arora Gulyani, Director at Media Corridors
Being an entrepreneur all it takes is that one courageous step to achieve your goals and dreams. I personally believe that being a woman entrepreneur, the responsibilities are more than what people assume. All you need is a strong and focused approach to achieve your goals, overcome the stereotypes in society and outshine in your business aesthetics and let your work speak for itself.
Aradhana Dalmia, Founder at The Artemist
Aradhana Dalmia, Founder at The Artemist
I think believing in yourself is one of the most important decisions a woman has to take when they decide to become an entrepreneur. According to me, nobody has the right to stop a woman from working in today’s day and age. Being financially independent and having a wholesome career is as important as managing your personal life. ‘Work hard and stay humble’ is one of the mottos that is engraved in my system. I truly believe that where there is a will, there is a way and it is important to blossom in every aspect of your personal and professional life, man and woman alike.
Mona Dahiya, Co-Founder and Director at Homefoodi
Mona Dahiya, Co-Founder and Director at Homefoodi
My sincere advice to all women is to register with Start-up India and reach out to Women Entrepreneurs’ Mentors eagerly waiting to guide you in this journey. The entire country is celebrating the spirit of women entrepreneurship and the Government is actively supporting women led start-ups through various schemes and events.I am personally in touch with a lot of budding women entrepreneurs as a mentor and am convinced that there is a visible change. Our launch marketing campaign just before Diwali 2019 “Ghar Ki Lakshmi Bani Bharat Ki Lakshmi” was born out of this conviction. Women have been successfully managing households for centuries and they have a natural ability to become successful entrepreneurs.
Ghazal Alagh, Co-founder at Mamaearth
Ghazal Alagh, Co-founder at Mamaearth
Trust yourself. Trust your idea! Find people who believe in your idea and request for their support. Grow your network and take inspiration from other women entrepreneurs.
Preety Tyagi, Nutritionist, Founder of MY22BMI
Preety Tyagi, Nutritionist, Founder of MY22BMI
I have only one piece of advice for such women if you see yourself achieving that dream, Just do it. There will always be people out there, to say that it won’t work or that you can’t do it, or it’s not possible after kids, etc., you just have to learn how to listen to your own voice and your own dreams clearer than those other noises. If you see potential in your dream, try out with a market survey, and there will be no looking back after that if it works in your favor. Anyone can be an entrepreneur and anyone can Startup, regardless of age, gender, race, and qualification. And women are known to be much better Multi Taskers when it comes to following many roles at the same time.
If you are tired of listening to NO and on the verge of giving up a career in entrepreneurship, listen to what these women entrepreneurs have to say first! You might change your mind and give it another chance. Just remember that road will be rocky but it will be worth it in the end!
For a long time now, Bollywood and the storybooks have been raking mullahs through selling the idea of a fairy-tale. Something that’s so deeply rooted and then marketed in and around women that many has started believing that a fairytale is an ultimate destination for a woman in our country and every woman wishes for it. But then you know this thing about stories – that they’re always subjective. The perfect version of a fairytale differs from person to person. And, the truth is – there’s no fairytale, whatsoever. For women in India, unfortunately – the process involves continuous tests and proving their mettle, something that makes women possess a qualitative advantage over men owing to the perfection of skill-sets as they pass the tests of time but has the journey been smooth enough? No.
Is the struggle worth it? Definitely yes!
We connected with several women and stepped into their shoes on the event of International Women’s Day and here’s what they have to say about the challenges they’ve faced and overcome over the period:
As a woman entrepreneur, I’ve encountered a myriad of challenges that are unfortunately all too common in the business world. From the very beginning, I’ve had to navigate through pervasive gender bias and stereotypes.
I remember facing resistance from certain members of the staff when I first started out. Itseemed like they were not happy about having a woman in a leadership position, and this created additional hurdles for me to overcome.
Over time, I gradually earned the respect of my peers and colleagues through my dedication and perseverance. By demonstrating my capabilities and delivering tangible results, I was able to rise through the ranks and eventually assume the role of CEO.
But even as I continue to lead and grow my business, the challenges persist. Whether it’s securing funding, breaking into male-dominated industries, or balancing work and family life, the hurdles faced by women entrepreneurs are far from insignificant.
Karishma V Mangal Director and Trustee Thakur International School – Cambridge
Karishma V Mangal Director and Trustee Thakur International School – Cambridge
The worst of it all is the bias- that you are a woman- are you sure? It takes time for doors to open and one has to be at it consistently to build trust and be finally allowed to explore and make mistakes. Luckily for me, I came into an organisation that has a considerable female employee ratio. However, as an entrepreneur, I feel I have the pressure to prove myself against all odds and that sometimes takes a toll on the entire project or purpose. In most scenarios, I try to take inputs, put my best and then work consistently.
Tina Garg, CEO at Pink Lemonade
Tina Garg, CEO at Pink Lemonade
My challenges weren’t unusual from any other entrepreneur. They weren’t really related to being a woman, fortunately. I believe if you’re confident, aware and ahead of your game, you’re pretty much on an even footing today. So my challenges were really around hiring when we were smaller, finding the right leadership, and coaching the team for the next level of growth. The right strategic intervention from my mentor and spouse, Tapan, quickly helped us solve many of these, and today he is the chief mentor to the organization as a whole. Most women entrepreneurs must avail of some form of mentoring support from both men and women if possible.
Artist Swati Pasari
Swati Pasari
Yes, being a woman professional is difficult, in a world that is still dominated by men. People often don’t take you seriously, and being an artist, is even more difficult because there will be times when your clients will start bargaining or even ask why is the painting priced high and the likes. However, I have always maintained a smile and considered politeness to be the best way out, no matter what you are facing.
Anshula Kapoor, Founder Fankind
Anshula Kapoor, Founder Fankind
I chose to be an entrepreneur because I had an idea that I believed could help bring joy to people. I am a sole founder and I have never considered my gender to be a deterrent in anything I have done so far in my life. However, since the inception of the idea of Fankind, being taken seriously or getting the respect of being an entrepreneur when I enter a meeting, is still a struggle. And the notion that respect is somehow tied to my gender still confounds me. I am still asked “will Sir be joining us?” or “is your senior on his way”. I can literally see their faces fall when I tell them I am the Sir and will be commanding the meeting.
I’ve attended meetings where men have found it hard to make eye contact and talk to me directly, even when they were meant to be answering a question I have asked! Respect should not be based on my gender. And I have to consciously choose to not let anyone else’s perception of my ability or skills hamper how I lead or the decisions I make. I’ve learned that I just have to put blinders on and charge forward, armed with self-belief and a goal.
Annu Talreja, CEO, Founder at Oxfordcaps
Annu Talreja, CEO, Founder at Oxfordcaps
One of the biggest challenges I faced in my journey was to build a capable and passionate team that believes in your vision and is willing to work hard for it. This challenge is further amplified if you are a woman as unconscious biases often don’t allow people to imagine women in leadership roles. I have had interviewees actually ask me if I worked in the organisation in HR or admin role and some who asked me what time I personally left work every day. As a woman in one of the most male-dominated industries (real estate), I have developed my own mechanisms to deal with such biases. They have to be dealt with internally as well as externally. Internally, I have always accepted that the world is not fair. Such biases are not just gender-based, they could be based on colour, height, etc. Once you accept this as a person, you start focusing on the solution rather than the problem. This lets you deal with the problem externally by focusing on how you can break these biases and lead by example.
Neha Bagaria, Founder & CEO at JobsForHer
Neha Bagaria, Founder & CEO at JobsForHer
When I founded JobsForHer in March 2015, I was told by a lot of women that they were being advised to hide the ‘gap’ in their resumes because most companies would perceive the gap negatively. The same was corroborated when we started speaking to companies to recruit women returnees and they brashly proclaimed that they don’t want to hire women or women on a break or mothers! Over the last 5 years, we have made huge efforts and progress in changing the mindsets of both women and companies. Women, so that they feel confident about the gap in their resumes and portray it in the right light and companies so that now they are not only taking back a huge number of women returnees but are working with us closely to reach out to this candidate pool.
Shradha Vyas, founder at Carpediem Events
Shradha Vyas, founder at Carpediem Events
Being in the Event industry, there are many difficulties that a woman, in general, would face. I would have hoped being the boss would change how women are perceived. On a regular basis, I manage the execution of events and exhibitions wherein the workers are primarily male-dominated. To ensure, they listen to a woman has been a task, but being in the Industry for almost 7+ years, I have acquired the skills to talk and reach out to everyone and get the job done. On the other hand, we have a secret weapon, for a woman it is simple to solve complex situations – we just get angry and everyone listens to us!
Nishtha Gupta, Co-founder at Rein Games
Nishtha Gupta, Co-founder at Rein Games
In India, challenges are at multiple levels, and very similar to what a woman employee will face. Some challenges can be solved with time while others are deep-rooted and part of the culture.
Short-term challenges are getting more flexibility – Women often have to manage both office and home. They also want to reach home at safe hours so they expect flexible work environments. At Rein Games, we offer flexible work conditions for all our employees. We also want employees to openly talk about their personal lives and not keep their personal lives personal. The office environment should act as a cushion and the more comfortable they are discussing their personal matters more we can help our people. We see that being kind and understanding drives higher ownership and responsibility in our people.
A few of the long-term challenges as women entrepreneurs are being taken seriously by investors and getting equal respect as our male counterparts. As a woman entrepreneur, I believe if I keep taking stands and being more vocal about these issues, things will gradually change. Finally, we have to nurture more women entrepreneurs, one of my all-time favorite quotes is Strong Women – May We Know Them, Be Them, Raise/Nurture them.
Devangi Dalal, Audiologist and Speech Therapist, Co-Founder at JOSH Foundation
Devangi Dalal, Audiologist and Speech Therapist, Co-Founder at JOSH Foundation
When I started out in back in the early 1990s, very few people were aware of what I do. Being an audiologist and speech therapist, I had to work with normal people having difficulties and disabilities. Every individual has potential and we just need to enhance it. There are a lot of myths and misconceptions, particularly in dealing with hearing-impaired children and disabilities and I consistently work towards changing the false perception of people by getting results because unless you don’t prove it, people will not believe it. Over the years technology has advanced so much that people want their phones and laptops to have the latest technology but when it comes to adapting technology for the hearing-impaired, people are always reluctant. I had to work really hard to make people realize how technology can make a difference in the lives of these children. That was the major task. With social work also there is a misconception that social work has to be quantitative but my profession has made me realize that social work is all about qualitative work because that will create an impact and change the lives of people. Taking an example of Swacch India and Swasth India, I believe that one thought process should be swacch(clean) and to make yourself self-dependent (swasth). Every individual, whether normal or disabled, has to be channelized to be self-dependent.
Neelam Gupta, Founder President & CEO at AROH Foundation
Neelam Gupta, Founder President & CEO at AROH Foundation
Entrepreneurship is a difficult life, but social entrepreneurship can be more difficult. Working in the social sector has been rewarding for me, as it fulfills my long-cherished dream of helping society. However, there have been daunting challenges. It was a huge challenge to work in the remote, unreached villages, particularly Naxalite-affected areas. AROH took the bold decision to venture into the Red Corridor villages of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha. The field staff and functionaries have gone through the threats of Naxalites. I was personally challenged and threatened by the Naxalites. But we have bravely carried on the work in areas where most needed and come out with great impact. The social sector also suffers a dearth of good manpower. It is difficult to find competent human resources to work in distant, remote, and backward villages which lack basic amenities. It is also a challenge to work in villages where means of transportation do not exist. In many areas, one has to walk miles to reach the village. Regular flow of funds was another major challenge as it is difficult to sustain the good work when funds dry up.
Vedaxari Joshi, Founder at All ’bout Communication
Vedaxari Joshi, Founder at All ’bout Communication
Well, the challenges I faced were not because I was a woman but because I was very young. I started my journey at 24 and as PR is the most important aspect of a brand, to be taken seriously by brands was important. Fortunately, most of my clients knew me from my previous roles and liked my work. As a woman, on the other hand, one of the things we all face is what the movie Bombshell showcases. When you are at a junior level, men do try to use their designations to draw sexual favours and as a young girl, it can get confusing and stressful. It also does affect your personal life and mental health.
Rishu Gandhi, Founder & Head Brand Strategist at Mother Sparsh
Rishu Gandhi, Founder & Head Brand Strategist at Mother Sparsh
The road to entrepreneurship is always a tough one, more so when you are a woman. Some of the initial challenges I faced were ensuring adequate funding, exploring the scope of mobility, and gaining practical experience. Also, balancing the business and family life posed a major challenge in my journey. But thanks to the determination and support of my family members, I was able to overcome the challenges and channel my efforts in the right direction.
Charmi Sheth, Senior interior Designer at Livspace
Charmi Sheth, Senior interior Designer at Livspace
As women, the bar is set much higher for us as compared to our male counterparts. We face various societal and familial challenges we need to overcome, apart from pressures at the workspace. These factors play a role in determining the confidence that women have. As a female entrepreneur, I have faced challenges pertaining to my self-confidence and asserting myself. These issues have stemmed from the constant reassurance from third parties that I would be taken care of- whether by my colleagues at my company, my family, and others. Once I began the journey of being an entrepreneur, I deliberately worked to negate these thoughts and work on my self-confidence. Initially, it was daunting to face these challenges, however, the confidence I received from working on projects from end to end by myself helped me tackle this.
Akriti Khatri, Founder at Venus Detective Agency
Akriti Khatri, Founder at Venus Detective Agency
When I began my career in the detective field it was a male-dominant space, I had to face a lot of troubles on a daily basis in order to move up the ladder and I understood that after some time this would not be possible for me to continue working in such an environment, so I left and began working from grass root level with ‘Venus Detective’… though it was not easy at the start yes I feel accomplished to be at the position that I am in today and there is a long way forward. There are different challenges we face as 0-woman entrepreneurs. Firstly, the financial issues, in the beginning, there were many ups and downs, but it never led me to drop my idea and move with the rush. I had to do something, which would be difficult for others. At last, my family raised funds for me and helped me to begin the startup. The second is time management, as a woman, we have to make sure we reach on time at home. Thirdly, it is the support of family and society that is the most important to have respect for your profession from others. Many times, we are at a place, which is not good and safe for us, so we have to take many precautions against it.
Srishti Baweja, Director at E2E Networks
Srishti Baweja, Director at E2E Networks
Balancing responsibilities is a major challenge. As a spouse, mother, and entrepreneur, at one point, it seemed impossible to do well in each role. Seeking help from other people/family members and learning to delegate tasks and building a support system has helped me to overcome these challenges gradually. Through these tough times, women who have achieved success, like Indra Nooyi, inspired me and have been guiding light to keep myself on the right path of progress and improvement.
Vishakha Chawla, founder at Vishakha Chawla Interiors
Vishakha Chawla, founder at Vishakha Chawla Interiors
In the field of Interior Design, challenges are thrown at you last minute. In the start, it was difficult for people to take orders from women, follow my instructions, and get the work done. Since it requires a team of people, from supervisors to workers to get the work done. I did find it difficult at the start, but with time and dedication I came out as a stronger professional. With time I was able to find like-minded people, and form a team for work association.
Malika Sadani, Founder & CEO at The Moms Co
Malika Sadani, Founder & CEO at The Moms Co
When we started, it was difficult for me to get people to align with our vision. We wanted to create Natural, Toxin-Free products that adhered to the toughest global safety standards, and convincing partners on the same was often tough. I remember being questioned on if I was going to run the company alone or how would I find the time to do this with young kids. Over the last 3 years, we have come a long way. People have now started believing in my vision of creating high-quality products that don’t compromise on the safety of any ingredient or product we make.
The world is full of men trying to build businesses around women’s needs. Women understand other women’s needs better, it’s time they create businesses for the same.
Nirupama Subramanian, CoFounder at GLOW
Nirupama Subramanian, CoFounder at GLOW
One challenge is to stay motivated in the face of failures and uncertainty. It is not always easy to manage family commitments and work commitments, especially if you don’t have a system to support you or a boss to whom you can delegate upwards. Another challenge is to keep stepping out of your comfort zone by yourself. I create my own work and set my own pace so I do have to push myself on some days. Sometimes, there is self-doubt and anxiety about the outcomes. One of the ways I manage this is by connecting to purpose. My purpose of enabling leaders, especially women, and creating inclusive cultures keeps me motivated. Another way I manage the challenges is by constantly reflecting and calibrating my progress. A simple thing I do is to create a daily list of Must Do activities along with long-term goals. Meeting other women entrepreneurs also helps to get inspiration and energy.
Meghna Kishore, Co-founder Greendigo
Meghna Kishore, Co-founder Greendigo
We never view ourselves as women in an industry dominated by men. We are passionate about making organic clothing the new normal and strive hard to have a voice in the industry.
We believe that building something worthwhile involves a lot of knocking on doors. One needs to persevere and be determined while constantly gaining knowledge so that “challenges” can actually be seen as “opportunities”. Having said so, the first and the biggest hurdle that we encountered was to set up a clean, sustainable, tight loop, and reliable supply chain. Manufacturers often do not entertain start-ups since they fail to meet the MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity). Also, given that organic clothing for kids is still a relatively nascent category in India, there are only a handful of manufacturers whose supply chain is end-to-end compliant with the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Our first big setback actually was encountering a manufacturer who believed in greenwashing and tried coaxing us to follow suit. Since his ideology was not in line with our belief in building an authentic, sustainable and organic brand, we took a business call to delay our go-to-market date rather than do what was not in line with our ethics and principles.
San Banerjee, CEO & Founder at ADDA
San Banerjee, CEO & Founder at ADDA
If I went to meet someone along with a male colleague, they would usually assume the male colleague is senior to me. They would continually address him almost ignoring me until they got my visiting card. More of an amusement than a challenge.
Bhawana Bhatnagar, Founder at Casa Exotique
Bhawana Bhatnagar, Founder at Casa Exotique
Being a woman entrepreneur isn’t easy, and it’s far from the deep-rooted belief that women crave stability and a secure environment, but you don’t do it because it’s easy, you do it because it’s your passion. Women usually have to deal with family pressure, but I have been very lucky in this regard as my parents were very supportive throughout the process and allowed me to chase my dreams. Even choosing to leave my corporate job to become an entrepreneur was a big decision, but they stood with me like a rock.
The notion that Indian society is gender-biased isn’t without a modicum of truth, but in my experience, it exists only if you let it. If you keep working hard with dedication, you’ll eventually gain the respect that you deserve. It would have been much tougher to be a woman entrepreneur a couple of decades ago, but society is evolving and more and more women are finding their way to leadership positions. It will hopefully make things much easier for the new seed of women entrepreneurs.
Aditi Olemann, Co-founder at Myelin Foundry
Aditi Olemann, Co-founder at Myelin Foundry
The biggest challenge for a woman entrepreneur is to get her voice heard and her capabilities taken seriously. If you look at the startup ecosystem today, the number of funded startups with women founders is still very low. This may be a vicious cycle where the lack of confidence of the industry in women founders makes them hesitant to ask for big investments. It is important to break the cycle and a few strong examples in the industry would help remove the inherent bias, and increase the confidence levels women have to take big entrepreneurial risks.
Dr. Prerna Taneja, Director at Clinic Eximus
Dr. Prerna Taneja, Director at Clinic Eximus
When you take up your life as a women entrepreneurs definitely there are a lot of challenges that we have to face from the very first step. Firstly, because of the mindset of the people. A lot of people don’t like to be bossed around by women and they feel that they get intimidated a lot. They have a perception that women can not do anything alone or a woman doesn’t have much knowledge to lead a company or these are things women are naturally not possessed with! This is the toughest and also the most challenging thing that we need to fight even before stating our idea or concept of business. As a mother and entrepreneur, I have to stretch myself extra thin to work out the pressure to support and also fulfill the demands of both. I think believing in yourself, managing time, and prioritizing your work will help you to go long way. So, keep faith in yourself and move in your life to get what you desire, and don’t give up on your dream as it is not the solution to any of your problems.
Madhura Moulik, Co-Founder at Skilfinity
Madhura Moulik, Co-Founder at Skilfinity
There are more internal challenges than external ones. Most of the external challenges are not really gender-related but some obstacles every entrepreneur might have faced. Coming from a patriarchal society the biggest challenge for me was decision making. Most Indian women are not really the final decision-makers in their household, and that sometimes hinders us to make prompt and crucial decisions that are expected from the head of the business.
Early failure of the decisions is important. While you learn to overcome those failures, you gain the confidence to stand by your future decisions. The key is to overcome this mental barrier and start trusting your instincts.
Yogita Tulsiani, CEO at iXceed Solutions
Yogita Tulsiani, CEO at iXceed Solutions
Challenges:
Managing remote globally located teams
Balancing family/kids with work. They are informative years and need extra help with school work/emotional support etc
Acceptance of myself as an entrepreneur within the community
Cultural and societal barriers to woman entrepreneurs
How did I solve them:
Explored mentorship and networking opportunities
Time management is the key
Working on weekends to cope up.
Adopt a set of best practices that will benefit female business owners
A central repository to coordinate resources and efforts
Prashanti Malisetti, CEO and Founder at Pixel Pictures
Prashanti Malisetti, CEO and Founder at Pixel Pictures
The image of a producer is often clichéd for one imagines them to be a man dressed in a suit, wearing a couple of gold chains with a briefcase full of cash. This is because most entertainment companies are dominated by men. There are people to judge you on the basis of the clothes you wear, the way you look.
I didn’t do anything and that’s what I did. I have kept a low profile. There were times when people didn’t know I was a producer till the finale for they would see me dressed up fancily and doing all kinds of work on set. I made sure that they believe it’s the worldview and work ethic that defines people and the respect they earn through hard work and not by the way they look or what they wear.
Dr Malini Saba, Founder & Chairman, Saba Group & Anannke Foundations
Malini Saba – Founder & Chairman, Saba Group & Anannke Foundations
In the last 30 years, working in a male-dominated industry, there have been instances of not being taken seriously, being deemed “high-risk” by potential funders, being denied access to networks, education, social expectations, and mentors, and the list goes on.
The biggest hurdle was getting others to believe me and help raise funds or debt. They felt I didn’t understand the commodities market, so they would give me lip service, consider my proposal, but politely decline and say come back when you have sales. I decided to take a loan and used my credit cards to build it out. Essentially, I used all of my life savings to purchase the first few concessions for gold and iron ore and move head.
The third knock from the universe was the worst; the funds we were expecting never showed up and that put us in such a bad place. It was followed by the markets tanking and price volatility. It was a nightmare, but I believed in myself, my dream, and the vision. My savings came into play once more. But now when I look back, it was all worth it.
Amarpreet Rai, Co-Founder & Director of Operations and Development, Sanrai International
Amarpreet Rai – Co-Founder & Director of Operations and Development, Sanrai International
All entrepreneurs face their own set of challenges. Sanrai is in the medical industry, which is historically a male dominated industry. Because of that, it is difficult to be taken seriously in high-level meetings or discussions. You can always tell when someone has written you off before you even start talking. When this happens, I think it’s best to build trust by explaining who you are and why you’ve been successful in a friendly but firm manner. To be taken seriously, women need to consider how to share information without coming across as too aggressive or boastful. Sometimes it works and other times, people just simply don’t want to work with you. In these cases, we pivot and try something else. Luckily, I’ve found a team and partners who don’t have these biases, which is a trend the world is moving towards more and more.
Priyanka Madnani, Founder & CEO, Easy to Pitch
Thanks to patriarchy nothing has ever been easy for us women. Women-owned businesses are still in the minority not only in India but across the globe, and the difficulties faced by women who have embraced entrepreneurship are vast and often very different from those experienced by their male counterparts. We are seen as house makers hence when we run a business it is believed that we don’t have the potential. We face a major problem in funding, and we are judged for every move that we make. We need society to trust, we can do whatever we dream of with the support of society.
Disha Singh, Founder & CEO, Zouk
At Zouk, the biggest challenge, in the beginning, was to convince artisans to work with me as a woman founder. They were so conditioned to work with male leaders that it was strange for them. But when they saw the passion which I shared for the products we made together, it became fine. That really helped both sides grow, in terms of quality and quantity of products made over the years.
Somali Singh, Co-Founder, Teknofeet
The problem starts with calling us ‘women entrepreneurs’ every entrepreneur should be referred equally and that’s how the journey from being an women entrepreneur to entrepreneur could be bridged! I feel like the representation of women in entrepreneurship needs to be encouraged by just not providing financial assistance but a strong peer to peer connect and creating a strong network of women irrespective of the quantum of their business.
Devidutta Dash, Founder, Lemme Be
As a woman entrepreneur, we always have to walk one step ahead to stand equal to the other counterparts in business. I aspire to bring about a period revolution, not just in India, but also globally and as a result I am building Lemme Be, young India’s period care brand. My struggles include people being hesitant about having a period conversation. For years, we’ve been preaching that periods are natural but still we’re awkward talking about it. Having open conversations, even with our stakeholders, was a challenge at one point. I have always been a fierce career-oriented person, never looked back since the day I started my entrepreneurial journey. Negative comments and discouragements followed, but my ambitions were stronger than that.
Anchal Kadam and Arpan Mahtani – Co-founders, Carat Crush
Though women are the ones who wear & enjoy jewellery, the jewellery business in India has always been very male centric. Entering this space as two young women entrepreneurs hasn’t been easy. Every step of the way we have had to prove ourselves.
As women we strive to excel as homemakers and professional entrepreneurs, both being full time jobs, juggling them everyday can be a challenge. Throwing into the mix being a young mom, you can sometimes feel guilty for leaving your little one at home whilst you’re trying to fulfill your professional dreams. Hopefully one day, when they grow up they will be proud of who their mom is and what she has achieved, both at home and at work.
Radhika Lavu, Founder & MD, Ellanar Films
Women of today are shaping the bright future of tomorrow. They are revolutionizing various verticals of businesses and working assiduously to fulfill the multiple roles they play. Entrepreneurship is a fulfilling but arduous job. Women entrepreneurs face the challenge of running a business while continuing to excel in their various other responsibilities. Without time management, multitasking can become very strenuous. But the fierce women of today are accepting every challenge head-on and breaking every barrier within the world of entrepreneurship. The female population of this generation has been pioneering the concept of entrepreneurship by raising the bar of it and leading by example. Not only that, but they are breaking the stereotypes and introducing groundbreaking opportunities and results. They are challenging the concepts of women leadership and the preconceived reservations about women in workforces. They are ferociously entering all sectors and succeeding through their trailblazing performances. While wearing different hats, and balancing the different responsibilities at home and work, they are evolving our businesses and society simultaneously. These are the women of today. Their resilience in challenging the stereotypes and proving that they are just as talented and skilled, if not more, is paving a smoother path for the future generation of female entrepreneurs and leaders. They are inspiring the women of tomorrow and leading by example that women are capable, strong, and efficient in all that they do. These women are the ones who are the backbone of our businesses and our communities. We applaud these women.
Anamika Pandey, Founder, Naario
Physical, Emotional, Monetary, Social, you name it. As an entrepreneur the biggest risk you take is betting on yourself. The challenges one faces are a fallout of this risk.
When you are a female entreprenuer, the risk sort of doubles because you are not just betting on yourself but also going against prevalent societal norms of a woman relying on her better half to venture out and make money or a woman sticking to traditional career options like that of a teacher or HR. When a woman decides she wants to start her entrepreneurial journey, she is not starting from ground zero. She’s starting from the negative end of this scale. She has to convince herself and her family that she is going to do something that a very very few other women have done and she’s going to be okay. She has to ensure that she doesn’t run out of working capital given very very few women entrepreneurs secure any funding or monetary support. She has to toughen herself up against everything she’ll be judged on. Be it talking to vendors or doing client meetings in a cafe. She has to show up everyday despite all these challenges and more.
Sylvia Hii, Founder & CEO, DAP Group of Companies
The number of female entrepreneurs is increasing. Regardless of the outcomes, women are fighting to succeed in business due to the multiple challenges they face from all angle throughout the journey. As of 2017, more than 11 million U.S. businesses were owned by women, employing nearly 9 million people and generating $1.7 trillion in sales, according to the National Association of Women Business Owners. Not all business owners are fortunate enough to have an investor or financier for their new venture. Women’s enterprises are among the most prominent endeavours that do not receive financial backing. Women are frequently fail to secure any loans due to gender and cultural biases—many institutions prefer to support male-owned firms. Many women have kids, marriages, and other roles in addition to being entrepreneurs or professionals. Demands from personal and professional responsibilities might put a woman under pressure to give up her business or her family. The family expects her to be a mother and wife, while the business wants her to be a leader and demonstrate devotion. It gets more challenging for people who do not have social support since they must bear the full weight on their own. Some women are able to manage these two aspects of their lives, while others are completely overwhelmed.
Meenakshi Dubey, Co-Founder, Yes!poho
Women are often regarded as goddesses in our country and have been put up high on a pedestal as per our culture; however, people tend to forget that when working in a professional sphere. Women are put in gender-based moulds and fall victim to stereotypes, especially when it comes to running a business. We are constantly asked if we are sure of our decision or the calls we make, and then our decisions are put on a sceptical sword, dissecting and judging every action of ours. From vendors to our competitors in the market undermine our endeavours due to a “gender”. Being in a business that is not only supportive of the art of apparels and weaving but also transforming our legacy to business – has made us more prone to being subjected to stereotypes. But that has also inspired us to hold our ground and roar fiercely as we slay it in the markets, profitability and growth in general.
Pragati Agarwala, Partner, Three Fourth Solutions
When we women set out to start something of our own, we’re often faced with a mountain of hurdles that our male counterparts don’t, a few of those being –
Lack of Access to professional networks: A strong network and a well structured team are crucial for the success of an entrepreneur, but due to the longstanding norm of women traditionally being home, their social bubbles stay limited. Even today, nearly 48% of female businesswomen have reported not having confidants or a guide through their journeys.
Lack of Work-life balance: Women across the world, are expected to play a larger part in managing household and taking care of their family. Running a business means long hours and thus, for women work-life balance can become a problem.ponses –
Defying social expectations: In our society, most women who set out to make their own path (including me) face this – with most industries and sectors being male dominated, the path to the top, or even to be considered taken seriously is rocky. At the beginning of my journey as well, there was a lot of backlash that I had to deal with because I was leaving behind a cushy job and try running a PR firm in a city where its understanding was barely present, without any backup plan.
Ms.Ankita Dabas, Global CMO & Chief India Business Officer, LaunchMyCareer
Women in India face challenges in both the environments, i.e., in the family and external/ workplace biases. India has not been the leader in gender equality, this needs to change at a quick pace. Many of the families in India are not very comfortable with letting the women of their family work. Most of the women are expected to multitask, manage their families, and work-life simultaneously. This has always been one of the biggest roadblocks in the entrepreneurial journey of women. Women are expected to do more and have a work-life balance. In most cases, a woman requires a nod from their family members to explore a career for themselves. Apart from these internal biases, biases at the workplace are no surprises. A woman leader has to prove her creditability at more junctions, women leaders in many places or sectors are not taken seriously. Restricting the unconscious biases is the first step forward towards achieving a gender-equal society.
Naina Ruhail, Founder, Vanity Wagon
Despite our efforts to constantly make it big, somewhere or the other, we are always judged for what we do. Starting off with the first and very basic challenge that most women face is on the fundamental level. Lack of support from the immediate family members, peers or environment. The absence of a proper support system might shake their confidence and their ability to move forward. Women are often expected and pressured to stick to traditional gender roles. Leading an entrepreneurial life and balancing familial responsibilities is one of the most common challenges businesswomen face. If we look at it from the financial aspect, it is an ugly truth that the funding scene also has massive gender biases. But stronger women are coming forward and breaking the bias, one at a time.
Ms. Sharmilee Agrawal Kapur, Co-Founder, Atmantan Wellness Centre
Today due to the pandemic, most entrepreneurs have faced insurmountable challenges and we have all been set back by a year or two. The government reliefs did make sure that many like us could keep our doors open, and the spirit of entrepreneurship in us Indians stayed alive.
While every day now seems to be better than the last two years, for us entrepreneurs, the challenges still never end. Some challenges propel us forward and some create a permanent dent in our spirit; this is when we must all go back to the ‘why’ of what we do, and gain strength and passion to carry forward.
For us it was always about providing transformative wellness, and wellness has never been more seeked or relevant than in these current times. Challenges came in form of creating a safety bubble for people at Atmantan, restricting team strength to those staying in-house, restricting team & guest movement for safety, staying open through the ongoing waves etc. Our team and we tried our best to stay focused on the bigger picture… We had people coming to us who wanted to get better, who believed in our integrated wellness approach and were receptive to wellness!
Their miraculous transformations give us the strength to continue every day! The fact is that my team & I are always grateful that our job is to help and support others get well.
Women have always faced challenges, especially in the business world. Even though things are changing gradually, the general male dominated mindset remains. Most people don’t take women entrepreneurs as seriously as they should, and the opinion usually is that a woman’s career should be treated as a hobby and not a full-fledged career. Being taken seriously in a male dominated business world is always a struggle.
The other challenge faced very often is that most women don’t have property on their names to use as collateral, so funding from conventional sources like banks is always a problem, making it difficult for women entrepreneurs to raise funds for their business. Women entrepreneurs have a long way to go before their roles are fully recognised in society.
In spite of the fact that women are extremely successful in the boardroom, women owned businesses are still in the minority because of the hurdles faced whilst raising capital to start or expand businesses.
Hopefully, in the times to come, women entrepreneurs will come together as a community and start supporting one another, so less women give up on their entrepreneurial dreams.
Shreya Sharma, C.E.O and Founder, Rest The Case
People usually have a hard time placing trust in a women and difficulty seeing them as an authority figure. I have personally faced instances where a male employee has questioned my directions but has readily accepted the exact same suggestions from another man in my team.
Ankita Thadani, Co founder, Secret Alchemist
What could be a bigger challenge than adding the word “women” in front of entrepreneurs?
Why is entrepreneur such a male dominated club that we must specify in articles about “women entrepreneurship “.
Women entrepreneurs, face as many challenges as their male counterparts after climbing the mountain of defying the social norms and expectations. The pressure of work life balance somehow takes a deeper toll on women’s health. Lack of access to funding, gender stereotyping, inadequate support system, may deter some women on taking up this challenge of entrepreneurship, which is a humongous task for all sexes.
Entrepreneurship has become a very lucrative career option for talented people in India and many people including women are opting for it in different sectors. But, despite the government’s efforts and appropriate measures to promote gender equality, the entrepreneurship space is being dominated by men. This can be attributed to the challenges women have to face if they choose entrepreneurship. There are fewer sectors that are women-friendly. The majority of the big sectors like manufacturing and construction are being dominated by men. Women also find it difficult to get proper guidance from reputed mentors. This happens because the industry veterans don’t believe in women’s capabilities. Apart from that, there are poor funding prospects for women as investors are reluctant to invest in women-led businesses while banks consider women less credit-worthy. Still today, women are expected to stick to traditional gender roles like domestic chores. Women have limited mobility options, or there are restrictions. They can’t travel alone and stay in a hotel due to safety reasons. These are some of the major challenges that badly affect the growth of women in India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Neha Bagaria, Founder & CEO, JobsForHer
Neha-Bagaria – Founder, JobsForHer
Each role that I have played, especially since starting JobsForHer seven years ago, has a symbiotic relationship with the other with lessons from being a mother helping my entrepreneurial journey, and vice versa.
I was also a young mother who had a desire to get back to work but when I saw that hundreds of women in the country were also going through the same challenges, starting a venture like JobsForHer was the best thing that has happened to me as a mother, as an entrepreneur and as a woman!
As a woman entrepreneur, the biggest challenge is to understand and address unique problems faced by women and curate specific solutions to address them. To ensure that as a platform, JobsForHer leverages technology to offer solutions to each and every woman no matter what her struggles are, and to make sure that we’re offering them the best in career opportunities, mentorship and reskilling, we’ve scaled up the venture significantly since its inception in 2015.
Conclusion
Women as entrepreneurs are seen as a myth and that’s because of the many obstacles they have to face in their careers, but these women have faced the odds and come out stronger on the other side! Hope this inspires you to really look into entrepreneurship as a viable career option!
What are the major challenges faced by the women entrepreneurs?
The key challenges faced by entrepreneurs are financial arrangement, raw material shortages, stiff competition, restricted mobility, family relations, education shortages, male-dominated society, and low-risk capacity, among others.
Why are there fewer female entrepreneurs?
The primary reasons for low female entrepreneurship rates are unconscious discrimination and insufficient trust in business skills, difficult access to finances and networks, a lack of family support and child care opportunities, and inadequate workplace and public space protection.
Why is female entrepreneurship important?
Female entrepreneurship is essential for any country’s economic growth as more and more women join the workforce. It narrows the prevalent gender gap and makes the office environment more passive, trickling down the effect of social change.
Shubham Kumar
Sakshi Jadhav
