The 10 Most Successful Women Entrepreneurs in India and Their Inspiring Stories
India has over 63 million micro, small, and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs), with about 20% being owned by women and employing between 22 and 27 million people. According to the Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (12), “India came in at number 57 out of 65 nations.” These numbers clearly demonstrate how the Indian entrepreneurial scene is evolving, with an increasing proportion of female entrepreneurs.
There was a time when women used to be considered weak. Today, numerous amazing women from India have broken through glass ceilings, challenged social norms, and excelled in their business dominance. These prominent Indian women entrepreneurs have had a substantial influence in different business domains, including biotechnology, e-commerce, fashion, and education. They have shown tenacity, creativity, and an unyielding dedication to their goals.
In this article, we have listed the top female entrepreneurs in India, celebrating the success journeys of accomplished Indian women entrepreneurs who have changed society and opened doors for upcoming generations. These female leaders are the epitome of fortitude, tenacity, and unwavering pursuit of their goals. Let’s explore their experiences and find some inspiration from their unique stories.
10 Most Successful Women Entrepreneurs in India
01. Falguni Nayar: Founder of Nayaka
Falguni Nayar is a renowned woman entrepreneur and the brain behind India’s biggest business portal, Nayaka. Since making her debut on the Forbes India Rich List 2022 at rank 44, thanks to her fortune of over $4 billion, Falguni Nayar has been the buzz of the town.
Nayar, the IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, established Nykaa, India’s largest e-commerce site for everything beauty, fashion, and wellness-related, in 2012, which brought a new revolution to the Indian beauty retail scene. It works as a one-stop shop, offering professional guidance, individualized recommendations, and beauty items.
Falguni’s entrepreneurial journey embodies resilience, flexibility, and a profound understanding of customer preferences, rendering her a source of inspiration for budding entrepreneurs throughout the nation. Under her direction, Nykaa has grown to be a household name for contemporary Indian women that is always changing.
02. Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCLTech
HCLTech, one of the biggest providers of IT and consulting services in India, is under the dynamic leadership of woman entrepreneurs in India, Roshni Nadar Malhotra. In 2020, Roshni succeeded her father as chairwoman, making history as the first Indian woman entrepreneur to head a publicly traded IT company.
Roshni completed her MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 2008, then went back to her native India to work for her father’s business. She was appointed executive director and CEO of HCL Corporation in less than a year, a position she retained until being promoted to chairman. Roshni ranked 53rd on Forbes’ list of the world’s most powerful people in 2022.
03. Shradha Sharma, Founder of YouStory
Another renowned woman entrepreneur, Shradha Sharma, began her career as a journalist for CNBC TV18. Through her media firm, YourStory, she has become a well-known personality in India’s startup ecosystem. Her Bengaluru-based firm was funded by TV Mohandas Pai, Qualcomm Ventures, Kalaari Capital, Ratan Tata, and the University of California, Berkeley. It was initially founded with barely ₹2 lakh in venture money.
Shradha’s inspirational journey started with the idea to give aspiring business owners a forum to tell their tales and encourage others. Her unwavering perseverance allowed her to build YourStory into a preeminent media and technology enterprise that showcases the experiences of startups and business owners while providing insightful analysis, tools, and connections.
04. Upasana Taku, Co-Founder of MobiKwik
Upasana Taku is one of the first female entrepreneurs in the Indian FinTech segment. She founded MobiKwik in 2009 with Bipin Preet Singh to make financial transactions easier and more digital for millions of Indians. MobiKwik had rapid growth under her direction and developed into a reputable digital payment provider.
Upasana has great experience in product management and software engineering, and she has witnessed how mobile technology may revolutionize how people make payments in India. Because of Upasana’s technological know-how, financial inclusion dedication, and strategic vision, MobiKwik has become one of India’s most popular mobile payment platforms.
The best part about Upasana as an inspiration for female leaders is that she always encourages more women to handle their personal accounts and opens doors for other female entrepreneurs to pursue careers in technology and finance.
05. Richa Kar, Founder of Zivame
Richa Kar began her professional journey as an engineer at BITS Pilani and has since become one of the wealthiest women entrepreneurs in India thanks to her innovative online and offline lingerie business, Zivame.
Ricky started this business in 2011 upon realizing the lack of a platform that provides women with a private and comfortable way to shop for lingerie. Today, her brand is growing with over 30 locations throughout India.
Zivame, the inspiration woman entrepreneur, has effectively changed conventional lingerie buying conventions and empowered women to discover and appreciate their bodies with confidence. Because of her unwavering dedication to innovation and her goal of providing women with an extensive selection of lingerie, Zivame has grown to become an industry leader in e-commerce.
06. Vandana Luthra, Founder of VLCC
One of the first female Indian entrepreneurs, Vandana Luthra, laid the foundation of her entrepreneurial journey in the 1980s when she established the first VLCC center in New Delhi. Over the years, VLCC has evolved into a holistic wellness brand that addresses nutrition, beauty, and exercise because of the dynamic leadership and guidance of the inspiration lady. Presently, the company holds a significant market presence across East Africa, the GCC, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Vandana was recognized as one of Forbes’ 2016 Asia List of 50 Powerful Businesswomen as a result of her company’s mind-blowing performance. In addition to changing how people see beauty, Vandana’s efforts have given those women the confidence to emphasize self-care and adopt healthier lifestyles.
07. Swati Bhargava, Co-founder of CashKaro
Swati Bhargava, considered one of the top women entrepreneurs in India, has set new milestones in India’s e-commerce and payback sectors.
Inspired by the savings they achieved using a cashback website to purchase their honeymoon tickets, Swati and her husband decided to develop a comparable platform specifically for India in 2013. And this is how CashKaro came into existence.
Users can get cashback on a variety of linked retailers’ online purchases using their creative platform. Because it maximizes savings, using CashKaro is one of the finest money-saving tips for both men and women. The portal has benefited millions of users and is now India’s largest cashback and discount website, thanks to Swati’s dynamic guidance.
08. Suchi Mukherjee, Founder of LimeRoad
Suchi Mukherjee is an amazing woman entrepreneur. She began her entrepreneurial journey with her creative vision, LimeRoad.com. It is an online shopping portal that offers a broad range of products, including clothes, shoes, accessories, and more. Suchi Mukherjee got this business idea during her maternity leave. She saw a piece of jewelry in a magazine and immediately wanted to have it.
She was in London at the time, though, and the jewelry would require a lengthy wait from a nearby Mumbai store. Suchi quickly came to the conclusion that consumer technology was necessary to make product revelations simple and enjoyable, akin to perusing a magazine.
09. Vineeta Singh, Founder of Suger Cosmetics
Vineeta Singh is a popular name in the Indian entrepreneurial world. If you have ever seen the Shark Tank India episode, you cannot forget this amazing Indian woman entrepreneur. She is leading Sugar Cosmetics in the key position of CEO and co-founder.
Vineeta is well-known for her bold decisions and unwavering commitment. She made the decision to join the fiercely competitive national cosmetics industry. However, she managed to come out on top in spite of the intense competition; in fact, her net worth has increased to over 300 crore rupees at this point.
10. Ghazal Alagh, Co-founder of Mamaearth
The last name on the list of top female entrepreneurs in India, Ghazal Alagh, is setting new milestones in the business realm. She came into the picture in 2016 when she founded Mamaearth with her life partner, Varun Alagh, who happens to be her husband. In the last seven years, Mamaearth has become one of the most well-known skincare and personal care companies in India.
The ultimate objective behind this business venture was to establish the nation’s first toxin-free infant care line. Yes, that’s exactly what Ghazal wanted to do. She later started a second health, wellness, and fitness company, TheDermaCo. With her unique leadership approach and hard work, Ghazal is successfully leading both brands and has become a leading Indian woman entrepreneur.
Bottom Line
So, these are the 10 most successful women entrepreneurs and their inspiring stories. They are perfectly defining what a woman entrepreneur is by breaking the gender preconceptions and the glass ceilings. Though more work remains to be done before gender equality is achieved, the progress that has been made thus far is reason for celebration.
In order to guarantee that women have an equal opportunity to thrive in business, sustained support and investment are required. This change does not happen on its own. Still, the future seems bright for women entrepreneurs in India.
That’s it for now. Hopefully, you have found this post insightful and inspiring. Let us know if we have missed any significant female entrepreneurs in this list. We would be happy to hear from you.
