Startup 101: 4 Indian Women Entrepreneurs to be inspired by
Far are we from the days of a binary status quo, where a woman could only be defined by domesticity or nothing. In the last century, world events such as the World Wars and the liberal attitudes of the following decades loosened up the strings that controlled what women could and couldn’t do.
Women entrepreneurs first made their mark on the global economy in the early 1920s, where fashion giants such as Coco Chanel, CJ Walker Elizabeth Arden established their dominions bravely amidst a sea of patriarchy.
India joined the women entrepreneurs club in the 1970s, with Kiran Mazumdar Shaw having founded her biopharmaceutical company, Biocon. In the following decade, Vandana Luthra launched VLCC, currently one of the most prominent players in the wellness industry.
Currently, India boasts of being the world’s 3rd largest startup ecosystem- yet women entrepreneurs make up for a very small percentage of this community. In the last few years, however, the sands of society have been shifting and women have been constantly redefining expectations and taking the startup community by storm.
Let’s have a look at some of these women:
1. Divya Gokulnath - CoFounder, BYJU’S
Who is she?
Hailing from a middle-class family in Bengaluru, Divya Gokulnath likes to define herself as a teacher first and then as the co-founder of the world’s most valuable ed-tech startup.
An only child, Divya grew up with working parents, with her father as a doctor in the Indian Air Force and her mother, a programming executive with Doordarshan. Her family environment encouraged Gokulnath to carve a career to take charge of her independence and finances.
Divya’s passion for education made her a teacher at the young age of 21. She found herself starting as a teacher during Byju’s early days when it was still yet another offline coaching class. Yet, her flexibility to learn and adapt to a tech-first environment got her to succeed with co-founding Byju’s.
About her company:
Founded in 2011, BYJU’s is the world’s most valuable ed-tech startup, backed up by several prominent investors.
It offers digital learning for competitive exams like JEE, CAT, NEET, IAS, and all students in classes 1–12. It launched its flagship product, the BYJU’S — The Learning App, for classes 4–12 in 2015.
Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath have together a total net worth of $3.05 billion (approximately Rs 22.3 thousand crores) as of 2020.
What she believes in:
“I believe that education is one of the most powerful tools that shapes and molds the way our youth think.”
2. Aditi Gupta - CoFounder, Menstrupedia
Who is she?
A social entrepreneur from Jharkhand, Aditi Gupta is an author and the co-founder of the comic Menstrupedia. Tired of the myths and misinformation surrounding menstruation, Aditi took it upon herself to make a change. She and her husband co-founded the comic in 2012.
A Ted Talk speaker featured in The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNBC, and BBC, Aditi was listed on the Forbes India 30 under 30 list for her work towards breaking the taboo. Today, Menstrupedia has been used in more than 6,000 schools and has benefited more than 10,00,000 girls in over 14 languages.
About her company:
Backed by prominent investor Morpheus, Menstrupedia is a complete guide about periods taught in more than 30 schools across India. They also have several free resources available to help break the taboo.
Menstrupedia works with four state governments and is in talks with more. They have also developed free downloadable tools such as a 20-minute video animation in multiple languages by Anganwadi workers to educate girls and women at grassroots levels.
What she believes in:
“Every story, each poem that a person shares, each voice that speaks against menstrual taboo, inspires me.”
3. Radhika Ghai - CoFounder, Shopclues.com
Who is she?
The first Indian woman to join the Unicorn club, Radhika Ghai, started Shopclues in 2011 with her co-founders, Sanjay Sethi and Sandeep Aggarwal, in Silicon Valley. Ghai possessed almost a decade of experience in retail, eCommerce, fashion & lifestyle, advertising, and public relations.
This tech-driven entrepreneur with an MBA from Washington University worked with giants like Nordstrom on strategy planning and Goldman Sachs in its Wealth Management group in New York and Menlo Park respectively, US.
About her company:
Backed by investors CluesNetwork, Unilazer Ventures, Matrix Partners India, Nexus Venture Partners, InnoVen Capital, Shopclues.com is India’s first and largest fully managed marketplace with more than 7 million visitors every month. Shopclues.com is currently in nine thousand cities, towns, and villages in India and provides utility items for the kitchen, home, fashion, and electronics.
What she believes in:
“Anybody who comes to work needs to do it with heart.”
4. Vani Kola - Founder, Kalaari Capital
Who is she?
Venture capitalist Vani Kola spent 2+ decades in Silicon Valley and founded two companies before returning to India to start Kalaari Capital in September 2012 with a 150 million dollar fund.
Listed as one of the most powerful women in Indian Business by Fortune India, Vani’s venture capital provided the early funding support needed by now mainstream startups like Flipkart and Myntra. Currently, she is also on the board of Snapdeal, Urban Ladder, and Dream11.
About her company:
Kalaari Capital is a venture company investing in technology-related companies in India. Kalaari is a $160 million venture capital fund. A strong advisory team in Bangalore backs Kalaari Capital in its investments in early-stage, technology-oriented companies in India. Kalaari Capital helps businesses by nurturing them through every aspect of growth.
What she believes in:
“Having great work culture is not an option; it is a necessity.”
Wrapping up…
To see more and more women take up the mantle of leadership, especially in these trying times is a positive sign. Its unsurprising and encouraging to see women leaders step up to the challenges of the corporate world and pass with flying colors.
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