The Indian startup ecosystem continues to expand, and so does woman’s participation in business. An increasing number of women are pursuing the entrepreneurial dream and succeeding in their businesses. As a result, many other Indian women who are still bound to the homemaker role are being empowered to think for themselves. We here have a list of notable female entrepreneurs who have made their mark on India’s startup ecosystem.
With the new normal bringing new market challenges, women entrepreneurs from retail-tech, agri-tech, alco-Bev, eCommerce, and communications have stepped up to design new businesses and products with the goal of impacting the ecosystem and making consumers’ lives easier. 2021 has been a difficult period for everyone. It has seen economies struggle and businesses suffer due to the pandemic-induced lockdown restrictions. In the midst of these difficult times, we witnessed entrepreneurs rising above challenges and innovating in real-time to cater to their audiences in a never-before-seen ecosystem.
Building a business is hard. However, every entrepreneur must start somewhere. There is no magic shortcut to building a good business. However, there is no bias in business either. It doesn’t matter when you start or where you start your journey. These Women Entrepreneurs in India prove just that
The List of Notable Women Entrepreneurs
1. Aditi Gupta, co-founder of Menstrupedia
Aditi Gupta, the co-founder of the comic Menstrupedia and author, is an Indian social entrepreneur who aims to raise awareness about menstrual hygiene. For her efforts to break taboos, she was named to Forbes India’s 30 Under 30 list in 2014. Menstrupedia is now used in over 6,000 schools worldwide, benefiting over 110,000 female students in 14 languages.
Tired of the myths and misinformation that surrounded Menstruation she took it upon herself to make a change. She and her husband co-founded the comic in 2012. Today, Menstrupedia has been used in more than 6,000 schools and has benefited more than 10,00,000 girls in over 14 languages.
Aditi Gupta was born in Garhwa in Jharkhand, India. She is an engineering graduate and a New Media Design post-graduate from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. She started menstruating at the age of 12, but only learned about menstruation when she was taught about it in class 9 at the age of 15.
Menstrupedia is a fast-growing startup that offers high social impact educational materials in the form of comic books, workshops, and animated videos.
2. Tripti Shinghal Somani, CEO & Founder of KGS Advisors
Womennovator and a Successful Coach by Passion for MSMEs were honored by renowned Bollywood actor & philanthropist Sonu Sood at a recent spectacular awards ceremony in Gurugram for her inclusion in the Times 40under40 Leaders list.
Times 40under40 is a unique platform developed by Optimal Media Solutions under the purview of Times Group that finds, supports, and recognizes the top 40 most talented young entrepreneurs, leaders, achievers, and innovators who are under the age of 40 who have truly changed the game.
Tripti is a powerful woman who has always adhered to the tenet that “Success knows no shortcuts” and encourages budding entrepreneurs to follow her advice. She empowers entrepreneurs with a solid ecosystem integrated with finance, strategy, governance, and market validation, and even helps with fundraising thanks to her coaching and passion for the development of MSMEs and women-run firms.
“If you take care of your community, the cosmos will take care of you,” Tripti remarked during her speech. Gain empowerment by empowering others.
3. KHUSHBOO SHINAGARE Director, Tropicool Car Gadgets
Vehicle owners all across the world are increasingly seeking a better driving experience and Pune-based Tropicool Car Gadgets Pvt Ltd is leaving no stone unturned to bridge this gap. Established in 2002, Tropicool offers car gadgets and accessories that aim at enhancing the on-road experience for car owners and making available a home away from home through innovative products. A product development firm, it focuses on automotive electronics and accessories and has developed over 200 product offerings for automobiles.
Tropicool has pioneered in introducing innovative products such as portable car refrigerators, reverse camera systems, in-seat mobile charging, parking sensors, and infotainment & entertainment systems to India. Tropicool has also ventured into smart mobility solutions for commercial vehicles after a decade of expertise in the automobile accessories market (bus, truck, tractors, LCV & defense vehicles). Tropicool serves customers through four business channels: OEM, aftermarket distribution, online (B2C), and cold chain business. In an exclusive interaction with Women Entrepreneur Magazine, Khushboo Shinagare, Director, Tropicool Car Gadgets Pvt Ltd walks us through her personal and professional traits along with her unique play at the company.
“I believe one should constantly pursue their dreams. Women, in particular, must push themselves harder to stay the course and rise to leadership positions”
4. Malvika Hegde, CEO, CCD
The emergence of Cafe Coffee Day is regarded as one of India’s finest home-grown success stories. Entrepreneur VG Siddhartha’s venture, which he founded and launched, revolutionized the country’s coffee culture and quick hangout spots. However, the company went deeply into debt, which resulted in Siddhartha dying by suicide. According to sources, the corporation had a debt of Rs 7200 crore. When his wife Malavika Hegde took over as CEO of CCD, the company was practically written off the commercial map. She worked relentlessly to ensure the success of the business that her late husband had established.
Malavika, the daughter of former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna, worked for the company for many years as a non-board member and quickly learned the business model.
Malavika promised to decrease the debt to a reasonable level in a letter to the company’s 25,000 employees. Despite the company’s rising debt, Malavika never raised the price of the coffees that were sold. She removed hundreds of coffee vending machines that had been put at various IT parks and firms, in addition to shuttering many locations that were not profitable. She was also effective in acquiring new investors, which allowed her to increase the company’s capital. The debt was reduced to Rs 3100 crore by the end of March 2020, and then to Rs 1731 crore by the end of March 2021. Even during the pandemic, she was praised for her efficiency in running the shops. Café Coffee Day now includes over 572 locations across the United States. Her 20,000-acre coffee farm produces high-quality coffee beans that are in high demand around the world. In addition, there are around 36,000 coffee vending machines located in various organizations and businesses.
“It’s my ambition to turn CCD into a multibillion-dollar corporation free of debt and expand coffee shops to every corner of the country, following in the footsteps of my husband”.
Despite the fact that many feared the company would never recover, Malavika rose from the ashes like a phoenix.
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