Top 30 Women Entrepreneurs in India
Women Entrepreneurs are amazing people with a constant will to succeed despite coming from various backgrounds and professions. They are reinventing the very definition of entrepreneurship through ground-breaking technological advancements and leadership in a sustainable fashion.
This blog is a loving homage to these avant-garde individuals who have defied prejudice. They’re not just taking the well-traveled route; they’re also blazing brand-new ones. They serve as a reminder that women are not only engaging in entrepreneurship but also leading it, defining trends, and realizing their aspirations.
Women Entrepreneurs | Business | |
1. | Aditi Gupta | |
2 | Chitra Gurnani Daga | |
3 | Falguni Nayar | |
4 | Farah Nathani Menzies | |
5 | Dr Florida Tilton | |
6 | Ghazal Alagh | |
7 | Hemalatha Annamalai | |
8 | Indra Nooyi | |
9 | Kanika Tekriwal | |
10 | Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw | |
11 | Khushboo Jain | |
12 | Meghna Agarwal | |
13 | Mehak Sagar | |
14 | Naiyya Saggi | |
15 | Namita Thapar | |
16 | Neha Motwani | |
17 | Ritu Kumar | |
18 | Richa Kar | |
19 | Radhika Aggarwal | |
20 | Sairee Chahal | |
21 | Shubhra Chadda | |
22 | Sneha Chaudhary | |
23 | Suchi Mukherjee | |
24 | Suchita Salwan | |
25 | Swati Bhargave | |
26 | Tanvi Malik | |
27 | Upasana Taku | |
28 | Vani Kola | |
29 | Vandana Luthra | |
30 | Vineeta Singh |
1. Aditi Gupta - The Co-founder of Menstrupedia
Aditi Gupta, a pioneer in menstrual education, launched Menstrupedia, a comic guide in 16 languages. Awards, grants, and a Whisper India partnership followed, earning her a spot on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list. Recently, they secured ₹50 lakh in funding with 20% equity on Shark Tank India, backed by Namita Thapar, Emcure Pharmaceuticals CEO.
2. Chitra Gurnani Daga - The Founder of Thrillophilia
Chitra earned an MBA in Strategy and Leadership from the Indian School of Business in 2011, leveraging her degree to launch Thrillophilia.com, a leading travel experience platform in India. With an estimated annual revenue of US$74 million, her contributions to the travel industry, particularly in promoting lesser-known experiences in India and Asia, earned recognition from the Ministry of External Affairs in India.
3. Falguni Nayar - The Founder of Nykaa
India’s beauty sector has been revolutionized by Falguni Nayar, the founder and visionary of Nykaa. The unique beauty e-commerce site Nykaa, which she launched in 2012, paved the way for Nykaa Beauty and Nykaa Fashion, turning it into a holistic lifestyle brand. Her journey exemplifies enthusiasm, creativity, and a keen awareness of customer demands.
4. Farah Nathani Menzies - The Co-Founder of The Mumum Co.
Farah Nathani Menzies co-founded The Mumum Co. with Shreya Lamba, a woman-led startup focused on nutrition and healthier living. The company, which was developed as a result of the founder’s effort to provide wholesome snacks for her kids in India, won recognition as a Coca-Cola Golden Spoon Most Admired Start-Up in 2020, igniting discussions about how women manage careers and families.
5. Dr Florida Tilton - The Founder of Biozone Research Technologies
Dr. Florida Tilton, honored with the 2018 All India Women Entrepreneur Award, holds postgraduate honors in Plant Biology and a Masters of Philosophy in Plant Genetics from the University of Madras Her scientific background led her to entrepreneurship, notably after students sought her guidance after her Hindustan College tenure. She stands as one of India’s most accomplished women in her field.
6. Ghazal Alagh - The Founder of MamaEarth
Ghazal Alagh became an entrepreneur when she couldn’t find toxin-free baby products for her son. A mother’s desperation combined with a clear white space in the domestic babycare market prompted her (and her husband Varun Alagh) to start Mamaearth. Today, Mamaearth serves over 5 million customers in 500 odd cities. Last year, it became a unicorn and also turned a profit (Rs 14 crore) for the first time.
7. Hemalatha Annamalai - The Founder and CEO of Ampere Electric
In 2007, a call from her husband in Japan sparked Hemalatha’s journey to establish Ampere Electric. Recognizing India’s need for an electric mobility revolution, the company, valued at $16.28 million in 2018, manufactures electric cycles, scooters, and three-wheelers. Hemalatha, a groundbreaker among women entrepreneurs, not only enhances clean mobility in rural India but also empowers women through Ampere Electric’s women-centric Trisul three-wheel vehicle tailored for Tamil Nadu’s mill workers.
8. Indra Nooyi - The Founder & CEO, PepsiCo
Indra Nooyi, a stalwart in business, consistently ranks among the world’s 100 most powerful women. Notably, she played a pivotal role in Pepsico’s growth and served as its CEO and chairman. Today, she sits on the boards of Amazon and the International Cricket Council (ICC), exemplifying her enduring influence.
9. Kanika Tekriwal - The Founder and CEO of JetSetGo
Kanika, India’s youngest self-made entrepreneur, founded JetSetGo at 22. Despite battling cancer during its launch, her MBA in finance from Coventry University and unwavering determination led to a $50 million net worth. Kanika now inspires as one of Asia’s top women entrepreneurs on Forbes 30 Under 30.
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10. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw - The Chairperson & Managing Director of Biocon Lmt
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is a billionaire woman entrepreneur in India. She is the chairperson and managing director of Biocon Limited. Started in 1978 with just Rs 10,000 in hand. Today, Biocon has become India’s largest biotechnology company. They focus on delivering affordable innovation and reducing the costs of treating diseases.
11. Khushboo Jain - The Co-Founder and COO, ImpactGuru.com
Khushboo Jain co-founded Impact Guru with a mission to revolutionize India’s crowdfunding startup landscape. As COO, she oversees marketing, communications, and design. Impact Guru has raised ₹150 crores (US$21 million) for global NGOs and social enterprises with funding from Singapore’s RB Investments and Southeast Asia’s Fundnel securing ₹3.3 crores (US$460,000).
12. Meghna Agarwal - The Co-Founder of IndiQube
Meghna, co-founder of IndiQube, boasts 14+ years’ experience spanning HR, consulting, real estate, and manufacturing, alongside an MBA in Finance from IMT and a company secretary degree. Her eureka moment came when entrepreneurs subleasing space desired the perks, like gym, food, transport, and IT, prompting IndiQube’s flexible coworking spaces. In 2018, they secured $15 million in funding from WestBridge Capital.
13. Mehak Sagar - The Co-Founder of Wed Me Good
Mehak Sagar co-founded Wed Me Good in 2014 with her husband, Anand Shahani. Today, the portal has become a go-to platform for Indian brides and grooms. The platform has everything from Mehandi artists to candid photographers with reviews and ratings. This helps a family find the best fit for them. They have secured funding of Rs 2.7 crore in their seed funding round.
14. Naiyya Saggi - The Founder of BabyChakra and Co-Founder of The Good Glamm Group
Naiyya Saggi, a Harvard MBA graduate with a Fulbright Scholarship, transitioned from McKinsey to entrepreneurship. In 2015, she founded BabyChakra, an online community for mothers, followed by The Good Glamm Group in 2021. The latter became India’s first beauty commerce unicorn, valued at US$1.2 billion, while BabyChakra thrived as a parenting advice hub.
15. Namita Thapar - The Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals
Namita Thapar leads the ₹61 billion-dollar Pune-based company known for manufacturing drugs for various diseases. She joined in 2007, and under her leadership, Emcure’s India operations doubled revenue to ₹25 billion in 2021. Thapar also hosts “Unconditional Yourself With Namita Thapar,” a YouTube show focusing on women’s health. She served as a judge on the first and second seasons of Shark Tank India.
16. Neha Motwani - The Co-Founder & CEO of Fitternity
Fitternity was founded in 2013 as a result of Neha’s own issues with exercise. These days, this online booking service has 10 million customers and an estimated US$16 million in yearly revenue. One of India’s biggest fitness search engines, it makes fitness discovery simple, enabling people to start their fitness adventures without any difficulty.
17. Ritu Kumar - The Fashion designer
Ritu Kumar, a renowned fashion designer, operates her boutique ‘Ri’ and oversees the ‘Ritu Kumar’ label managed by her son. A Padma Shri awardee, she’s a trailblazer in Indian fashion, honored with accolades like the L’Oréal Paris Femina Women’s Achievement Award and the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award.
18. Richa Kar - The Founder of Zivame
Hebrew for “radiant me,” Zivame was introduced in 2011 as an online platform to give ladies a relaxing and private shopping experience. With an astounding array of 5,000 patterns, 50 brands, and 100 sizes, Kar made the decision to grow her company by opening actual storefronts.
19. Radhika Aggarwal - The Co-Founder of Shopclues
Radhika, ShopClues co-founder, revolutionized Indian e-commerce from its infancy in 2011, daring to compete against male-dominated giants like Amazon and Flipkart. With limited capital, she and Sanjay Sethi turned Shopclues into a unicorn worth US$1.1 billion in five years. In 2019, it was acquired by Singapore-based Qoo10. Radhika now serves as the Founder and CEO of Kindlife, a modern beauty and wellness platform hosting 150+ curated brands spanning beauty, nutrition, and home care.
20. Sairee Chahal - The Founder of SHEROES.in
Sairee Chahal, a serial entrepreneur in India, co-founded Fleximoms and Newslink, and founded Sheroes.in. A TED speaker and named the most powerful woman in Indian business in 2012. She’s received multiple awards, including the Devi and Cartier Awards, and leads SHEROES, a platform empowering women.
21. Shubhra Chadda - The Co-founder of Chumbak
Shubhra co-founded Chumbak with Vivek Prabhakar, an online store specializing in vibrant accessories and jewelry infused with an Indian flair. Their idea blossomed from the absence of quirky Indian souvenirs. With an initial seed funding of Rs 40 lakhs, they achieved remarkable 300% year-on-year growth in 2015 and expanded to brick-and-mortar stores, starting in Bangalore.
22. Sneha Chaudhary - The Co-Founder of Zolo
Sneha Choudhry, co-founder and Head of HR at Zolo, empowers students with accommodation and food through Zolo Stay. With 600+ employees in five cities, Zolo Stays recently secured $56 million in Series C funding from investors including Investcorp and Nexus Venture Partners.
23. Suchi Mukherjee - The Founder and CEO of Limeroad
During her pregnancy, Suchi Mukherjee conceived the idea for Limeroad, a social fashion retail platform. With $5 million in initial capital, she launched it in 2012, now valued at $51.9 million. Limeroad boasts a thriving community of 50,000+ women who create unique mix-and-match designs from the platform’s catalog, showcasing her innovation during a challenging time.
24. Suchita Salwan - The Founder and CEO of Little Black Book
Suchita Salwan founded Little Black Book (LBB) to combat Delhi’s “boring” label. Beginning on Tumblr, it’s evolved into an online directory with 1 million+ daily users and 25 million+ users overall, featuring local brands. Inventus India Ventures, Chiratae Ventures, Blume Ventures, IAN, Rajan Anandan, and Sachin Bhatia all contributed to the $7 million Series A fundraising round that LBB received.
25. Swati Bhargave - The Co-Founder of CashKaro
Swati Bhargava, a London School of Economics graduate and math enthusiast, co-founded CashKaro with her husband, Rohan Bhargava. Their platform, offering cashbacks and deals, lured them back to India, tapping into the booming e-commerce market. With a net worth of $2 million, Swati earned recognition in Fortune India’s 40 Under 40 and as one of the Top Young Business Women.
26. Tanvi Malik - The Co-Founder FabAlley and Indya
In 2012, Tanvi Malik left her job to co-found FabAlley and Indya, online marketplaces redefining Indian women’s fashion. FabAlley secured $8.54 million from SAIF Partners, enabling an offline presence. Recognized for her innovation, Tanvi appeared on Entrepreneur India’s 35 Under 35 list in 2019 and Fortune India’s 40 Under 40 list in 2021.
27. Upasana Taku - The Co-Founder of Mobikwik
Upasana Taku, co-founder of Mobikwik alongside her husband Bipin Preet Singh, introduced a versatile virtual wallet linked to a vast network of services. With a fintech background from Stanford University and PayPal, she returned to India driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact on the ecosystem.
28. Vandana Luthra - The founder of VLCC
Vandana Luthra, known as the “queen of wellness,” founded VLCC in 1989, pioneering the beauty and wellness industries in India. Starting from a rented house with a small bank loan, she has grown VLCC into a Rs 1200 crore business with a 20% CAGR, earning her recognition in Fortune India’s Next 500 list.
29. Vani Kola - The Founder of Kalaari Capital
Vani Kola, a Silicon Valley veteran and founder of RightWorks and Certus Software, transitioned into venture capitalism upon her return to India. As the founder of Kalaari Capital, she’s known for her e-commerce sector support and early investments in Flipkart and Myntra, while also serving on successful startup boards like Dream11, Snapdeal, and Urban Ladder.
30. Vineeta Singh - The Founder and CEO of Sugar Cosmetics
Vineeta Singh, armed with diverse experiences from ITC and Deutsche Bank internships and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, launched Sugar Cosmetics in 2015. Her beauty empire, valued at $36 million, thrives, and she serves as a Shark Tank India investor, motivating aspiring women entrepreneurs.
Final Thoughts
In the vast landscape of female entrepreneurship in India, these remarkable women represent just a glimpse of the indomitable spirit and boundless potential that exist. Their journeys inspire us to shatter the glass ceiling, defy limits, and forge our own paths to success.
Whether it’s Vandana Luthra, who founded VLCC in 1989, or Indra Nooyi, who scaled the corporate ladder, their stories underscore that our aspirations should know no bounds. They exemplify the transformative power of women to shape diverse sectors and the future of our nation.
