Ever wondered of starting something of your own? Ever failed at something you started? Ever warned by people for not starting because you might not succeed?
If yes, then this list ought to be seen by you. In our #PassionToProfession series, today I’m introducing you a few of the well-known women who changed the Indian startup ecosystem drastically.
With this, they not only opened new roads for aspiring female entrepreneurs but also created an opportunity for hundreds of thousands of people by giving them employment.
So yes, you ought to check this list — every time you feel lost, hopeless or confused — and you need to remind yourself that if they can, you can too!
Anisha Singh, MyDala
Anisha Singh holds a masters degree in political communication and an MBA in information systems from American University. Her startup MyDala is the largest online coupon and discount platforms in India. Founded in 2009, it has grown to handle around 2, 00,000 transactions every day and targeting 400 million consumers in over 200 cities.
Radhika Ghai Aggarwal, ShopClues
Before starting ShopClues, Radhika started a company called FashionClues, which was a content portal for NRI women. But her current e-commerce startup is one of the largest brands in India and sells products, including everything from technology and fashion to footwear and jewellery.
Upasana Taku, MobiKwik
Upasana did B.Tech from NIIT in 2001 and MS in management science & engineering from Stanford University. She is the co-founder of semi-closed mobile wallet and online payment platform MobiKwik and the founder of Zaakpay, another payment gateway.
Sabina Chopra, Yatra
Sabina is the co-founder of Yatra, one of the largest online travel-related websites of India. Before co-founding Yatra, she headed India-based operations of ebookers, an online travel company based in Europe.
Neeru Sharma, Infibeam
Neeru holds an MBA degree from Carnegie Mellon University and an engineering degree in computer science. She is the co-founder of Infibeam, an online retailing, e-commerce, software and internet services company.
Richa Kar, Zivame
Richa is the co-founder of Zivame, one of the biggest online retailer of lingerie in India. It is increasingly getting accepted by women as a comfortable way of shopping innerwear online.
Shradha Sharma, YourStory
Shradha studied at St. Stephens College, New Delhi and MICA, Ahmadabad and founded her own startup in 2008. Despite many people telling her that her venture won’t survive for more than a year or two, she went ahead and started it. YourStory completed twelve years and is now known to be a platform where entrepreneurs share their stories.
Suchi Mukherjee, LimeRoad
Suchi is the mastermind behind LimeRoad, which is an e-commerce platform where one can discover, share and shop. It happens to be India’s first boutique fashion marketplace for women. The startup has also raised a funding of $50 million from investors.
Sairee Chahal, Sheroes
Sairee, a well known TED speaker and a finalist for Cartier’s Women’s Award Initiative for 2012, is the co-founder of Fleximoms, a platform for flexible jobs and returning professionals and the founder of Sheroes, which curates work from home jobs in India and helps women seeking careers while still giving time to their homes. The startup also helps women find relevant resources and mentors.
Niharika Jhunjhunwala, Sugarbox
Niharika studied economics and management from London School of Economics and went on becoming the face behind Sugarbox, a gift subscription service aimed at women which include products in categories such as fashion, beauty, lifestyle and gourmet products.
Falguni Nayar, Nykaa
Falguni founded her startup in 2012 at the age of 50. Her venture, Nykaa, is an online multi-brand retailer which sells beauty and wellness products. It has received a lot of funding from investors and currently sells more than 35,000 products from 650 brands and receives close to 15,000 orders per day.
Vani Kola, Kalaari Capital
Vani is the founder of Kalaari Capital which has now become India’s leading investor in early-stage businesses. She has been a successful entrepreneur in Silicon Valley and worked there for 22 years before founding Kalaari Capital. She is referred to as the “Mother of Venture Capitalism in India” because of her numerous investments and mentorship, which has led to the success of a large number of startups in India.
Rashmi Sinha, SlideShare
Rashmi is the founder of San-Fransisco based company, SlideShare, that allows people to upload and access their presentations online. More than 9 million people had uploaded presentations onto her site. This success led her to also rank as the 8th most powerful women entrepreneur by Fortune, 2012. The same year, LinkedIn acquired the company for an amount of $100 million.
Aditi Avasthi, Embibe
Aditi is the mastermind behind Embibe, an AI-backed online learning platform, which also raised funding of Rs 90 crores by Reliance Industries. This platform was developed with Aditi’s passion for encouraging education in India with the help of AI. At the Economic Times Prime Women Leadership Awards 2019, Aditi was awarded the ‘Accenture Vaahini Innovator of The Year’.
Swati Bhargava, Cashkaro
Swati co-founded CashKaro in 2013. It is an online platform that helps the consumer to buy products and get cashback on e-commerce sites. They earn a commission from e-commerce platforms.
I definitely not added a lot of women but stay tuned to this space and our series #PassionToProfession to read about more such women, their inspiring journey and stories.
Write your story to us and let the world get inspired by your wonderful journey!