Women entrepreneurs are on the rise and there’s no stopping this long-awaited revolution.
When it comes to starting and managing a business, women form a paltry percentage of this club. More often than not, renowned entrepreneurs are usually males. In fact, the top ten richest entrepreneurs in the world are all males. Given the patriarchal history of the world and more specifically India, it is not surprising that women entrepreneurs are so rare to find. According to National Survey, only 14 percent of the businesses in India are controlled by women. From birth, women are imposed upon by societal restrictions which in turn hamper their development as self-sufficient human beings contributing economically to the country’s development.
However, in recent times these redundant ideals have regressed, and women have started taking a stand in this predominantly “man’s world”. The number of female entrepreneurs in the world has been steadily growing, with several new examples coming up everyday. No longer are woman held back by the deprivation of education and progressive ideals. India itself has seen the rise of powerful and impactful female entrepreneurs. In this blog, we’ll be looking at the top ten female entrepreneurs in India and their significant contributions.
- Kiran Mazumdar Shaw: She is perhaps best known as the founder of Biocon Ltd. It is a pharmaceutical and biotechnology company based in Bangalore, India. She founded it in 1978 and was the CEO for forty-one years before retiring in 2019. This company manufactures generic active pharmaceutical ingredients that are sold in over 120 countries across the globe, including the United States and Europe. In the fiscal year of 2020, Biocon amassed a revenue of 652 million. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is a legend and a role model for women all across the world.
- Falguni Nayar: She came into the spotlight very recently when she became one of the only two female Indian billionaires with an estimated wealth of 6.5 billion, and entered the list of top 20 richest people in India. Nayar founded Nykaa in 2012 at the age of 50. On 10th November, 2021, Nykaa was listed at 13 billion dollars making Nayar India’s richest self made woman.
Read More – Nykaa Startup
- Vandana Luthra: Vandana Luthra is an inspirational Indian entrepreneur who is the founder of VLCC Health Care limited. VLCC is one of the most famous wellness conglomerates in Eurasia and Africa. Vandana started VLCC in 1989 as a beauty and wellness centre in New Delhi. From those humble beginnings, we’ve only seen her brand grow and expand across continents. Currently VLCC stores operate in 326 locations in 153 cities and 13 countries. Luthra has truly created an Empire, of which she is a deserving queen.
- Nisaba Godrej: The daughter of Adi Godrej, Nisaba oversees the corporate strategy and human capital functions for Godrej Industries. A Harvard Business school alumnus, she is a leader, industrialist, business executive and philanthropist with a focus on innovation, strategy and human resources.
- Upasana Taku: The co-founder and CEO of MobiKwik, Upasana holds the higher ranks in terms of being one of the most successful Indian female entrepreneurs. Mobikwik is an Indian digital payment company founded in 2009 started in Gurgaon, India. Upasana credits her desire to work for her country and contribute to the native ecosystem as fuel for her dream to build MobiKwik- for which she drew inspiration from PayPal.
- Gazal Kalra: She co-founded Rivigo, a logistic company which revolutionized tracking technology and aims to make the entire process faster, safer and cost-effective. Perhaps Rivigo’s biggest contribution to the society was how it created an efficient tracking system for the truck drivers of the country. In the fiscal year of 2019, Rivigo’s valuation reached 1.05 billion dollars, and it entered the prestigious unicorn club.
- Neeru Sharma: Creating the first Indian eCommerce site that went public, Neeru Sharma is one of the most impactful female entrepreneurs in our country. Headquartered in Ahmedabad, Infibeam started off as an online marketplace but later ventured into software enabling services. Sharma quit her job in the United States, that too at Amazon, and decided to come back to the country during the IT boom.
- Anisha Singh: Anisha Singh founded MyDala, an e-commerce platform, in 2009. MyDala is India’s largest online coupon and discount platform. Currently she is the Founding Partner at She Capital, which is focused on investing in start-ups with either women as sole founders or co founders. Singh is an inspiration to all inspiring future female entrepreneurs. Moreover, it promotes the idea of women supporting other women.
- Malika Sadani: Founder and CEO of The Moms Co., India’s leading toxin free company catering to pregnant and new mums, seeking natural chemical free products for their daily personal care regimen. From skin care products to baby care products, everything from The Moms Co. is a 100% natural. Coming from a banking background, Sadani worked extremely hard and finally, launched her passion project in 2017. She is yet another example of the potential Indian female entrepreneurs have to turn around the current face of this country’s economy.
Credit To – Prashansa Parwal
