This article covers the list of the 10 most successful women entrepreneurs in India. These Indian businesswomen are inspirations to all those eyes who have dreams, all those girls who aspire. Know about women entrepreneurs in India.
Entrepreneurship in India was not always a popular trend, especially among women. However, the tide is turning now. With whatever little opportunity is available, the female population of the country is choosing entrepreneurship as a profession. In the last few years, the way Indian women have shown the courage to walk on the difficult road to entrepreneurship is really commendable. The beauty of this entrepreneurial growth among Indian signoras is that the initiative comes from not just big cities but also from small towns and remote villages. Let’s look at some of the inspiring women entrepreneurs in India who have turned their dreams into professions under challenging circumstances.
More than 20% of MSMEs are owned by women entrepreneurs in India. These MSMEs also accommodate over 23% of India’s labor force.
– According to Forbes iNDIA
10 Most Popular Women Entrepreneurs in India
| 1. | Kiran Mazumdar Shaw | Biocon Limited |
| 2. | Falguni Nayar | Nykaa |
| 3. | Shahnaz Husain | The Shahnaz Husain Group |
| 4. | Vandana Luthra | VLCC |
| 5. | Aditi Gupta | Menstrupedia |
| 6. | Vani Kola | Kalaari Capital |
| 7. | Radhika Ghai Aggarwal | ShopClues |
| 8. | Sheila Kochouseph Chittilapally | V-Star Creations |
| 9. | Khushboo Jain | ImpactGuru |
| 10. | Tage Rita | Naara-Aaba |
Now, it’s time to know about these famous women entrepreneurs in India who have made significant contributions to the country’s business ecosystem.
1. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is probably the first woman entrepreneur in India. She took up the road to entrepreneurship in the 80s when there were hardly any prominent businesspeople in the country. In 1978, she founded Biocon Limited — a biopharmaceutical company based in Bangalore. Born on 23 March 1953, the businesswoman has also served as the chairperson of the Indian Institute of Technology Bangalore. She is the recipient of several awards and accolades including the Othmer Gold Medal (2014), Padma Bhushan (2005), Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2002), etc. Married to John Shaw, she has been listed among the most powerful women in the world by various organizations such as Forbes and Financial Times.
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2. Falguni Nayar
The story of Falguni Nayar is an inspiration to many. Being a self-made Indian billionaire, she has become one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in India. A household name in the country, Falguni Nayar was born in a Gujarati family and brought up in Mumbai. After working in Kotak Mahindra Group for 19 years, she founded the e-commerce brand Nykaa aged 50. The company went on to become a hit in the market, making Falguni one of the richest businesswomen in India. Following the inventory-based model, Nykaa serves in almost all parts of the country.
3. Shahnaz Husain
Shahnaz Husain is the founding chairwoman of The Shahnaz Husain Group- an Indian skincare brand. She is known for taking the Indian herbal heritage of Ayurveda global through her herbal beauty care campaign. Shahnaz Husain is among the first Muslim women entrepreneurs in India, having started her journey more than 4 decades ago. She was awarded the “World’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur” by Success Magazine in 1996 and given Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2006. Today, Shahnaz Husain is considered the ‘Queen of Herbal Beauty Care’ and a beauty icon internationally.
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4. Vandana Luthra
The founder of VLCC, a beauty & wellness conglomerate, Vandana Luthra is a name to reckon with in India’s business sphere. She got inspiration from her mother, who was an Ayurvedic doctor. Having started her brand in 1989, Vandana Luthra went on to define the country’s wellness industry with VLCC’s tremendous success. One of the top women entrepreneurs in India, she is a recipient of several awards and accolades such as Padma Shri (2013) by the Government of India, Women Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2010) by The Enterprise Asia, etc.
5. Aditi Gupta
An alumnus of the National Institute of Design, Aditi Gupta is an author and co-founder of Menstrupedia Comic, which aims to educate and aware people of menstruation and the process of puberty in boys and girls. The story begins when Aditi attained puberty, she noticed the taboo around women’s issues such as menstruation in society. Disturbed by society’s attitude, she wished to educate the masses. As one of India’s young women entrepreneurs, she is a prominent face in her field. In 2014, she was included in the Forbes India 30 Under 30 2014 list.
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6. Vani Kola
The founder and managing director of Kalaari Capital, Vani Kola is one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in India. The Hyderabad-born venture capitalist had previously founded Certus Software GmbH, with which she is completely uninvolved now. After spending over two decades in Silicon Valley, she returned to India in 2006. She founded Kalaari Capital, one of India’s most popular early-stage venture capital firms, in 2012. Vani Kola has supported many Indian companies to grow as her venture capital strive, such as Dream11, Urban Ladder, Snapdeal, and Myntra. She is fond of Yoga and Meditation, which she practices every day.
7. Radhika Ghai Aggarwal
Radhika Ghai Aggarwal is a prominent name in the Indian entrepreneurial environment. She is the first woman from India to enter the Unicorn club. Along with Sanjay Sethi and Sandeep Aggarwal, she founded the online marketplace, ShopClues.com in July 2011. An MBA from Washington University in St. Louis, Radhika has previously worked in global giants such as Nordstrom and Goldman Sachs. She got the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award at Entrepreneur India Awards and CEO of the Year Award at CEO India Awards, both in 2016.
8. Sheila Kochouseph Chittilapally
Hailing from the southern state of Kerala, Sheila Kochouseph Chittilapally is an inspiring Indian woman entrepreneur. She founded V-Star Creations as an innerwear brand in Thrikkakara, Kochi in the year 1995. V-Star was further bifurcated into two brands for men and women: Vanessa and Valero. One of the top businesswomen in India, Sheila has spread her brand popularity across the country and in the Middle East. Along with giving employment to about 200 people in her organization, she also employs women from remote and rural Kerala by supplying them with the material to manufacture women’s products.
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9. Khushboo Jain
The co-founder of ImpactGuru, Khushboo Jain is a young and dashing woman entrepreneur of India. She founded the company as a platform to help global crowdfunding solutions for NGOs, social enterprises, startups, and individuals. An MBA in Marketing from Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research, Khushboo has been a driving force behind the success of Impact Guru. She handles the company’s marketing, communication, and design departments.
10. Tage Rita
Taking the road to entrepreneurship from a remote area is always challenging. For Tage Rita, however, challenges add fragrance to a journey. One of the strongest women entrepreneurs in India, she was born in Ziro Valley, a small town in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. In 2017, she took the entrepreneurial route by launching India’s first organic kiwi wine brand — Naara-Aaba. She produces the wine in her village winery. The agricultural engineer-turned entrepreneur, along with reviving the local farming community, generates employment for farmers in the region. For her splendid effort, Tage Rita was honored with the Women Transforming India Awards, organized by the United Nations and NITI Aayog.
Although we have a long way to go in becoming an ideal business-friendly society, the story of these women entrepreneurs in India and their courage are truly an inspiration to all those girls who dream to fly in the sky with their wings open. It’s time we celebrate their efforts and strive towards bringing India’s days of glory back.
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