Times have indeed changed and only for the better. Today, as a man, and the father of a three-year-old daughter, as I sit back and look at many women who have managed to make a difference in the world, it only assures me to dream of an amazing future for my girl. And it’s all thanks to those amazing ladies who actually made sure to dream big, work towards them, not lose hope, and finally achieve them. As we celebrated Women’s Entrepreneurship Day on 19th November, a collaborative effort between The Good Glamm Group, Ladies Who Lead, Invest India, and Live Mint brought to us a curated list of some amazing women who are actually ‘Changing The Narrative’ in the entrepreneurial world in India.
The very first edition of ‘Changing the Narrative: Meet 100 Women Entrepreneurs Building and Shaping India’, is a curated list, profiling and celebrating women who changed the business game with their strong will, sheer intelligence, and amazing spirit. It features ladies from different sectors who made a difference in building and shaping India.
Here are 10 women who ruled the roost in the world of media and entertainment…
1. Alia Bhatt
We all know what a brilliant actor Alia Bhatt is, her on-screen performance in Gangubai Kathiawadi is certainly a new yardstick. But do you know, there is also a dynamic businesswoman inside Alia. Yes, besides being a producer, Alia also turned into an entrepreneur in 2020 with her self-funded conscious clothing brand Ed-a-Mamma. Combining her love for the planet and kids, the venture is now all set to add a series of books to its existing range of kidswear and maternity wear and is anticipating a Rs 100 crore revenue run rate in the coming year.
2. Priyanka Chopra Jonas
After having a fruitful career in Bollywood, Priyanka Chopra Jonas turned towards making a mark in Hollywood around 2016-2017. Little had we all known that this Desi Girl will become a Global Icon so soon. Well, there has surely been no stopping PeeCee in the last few years and I have only been amazed to see how she has also been acing at the business front. In 2015, Priyanka launched Purple Pebble Pictures and in 2021 she also launched her global haircare brand Anomaly. Anomaly was launched in India as well earlier this month and it uses 100% vegan and cruelty-free ingredients to elevate hair and scalp health.
3. Masaba Gupta
As striking as her personality, Masaba Gupta is not just a dynamic designer but a fabulous actor too. She started her eponymous label House of Masaba in 2009, after graduating from the SNDT Women’s University. She is considered an icon for fashion aspirants of this generation and has also been credited for transforming the face of the fashion industry since her promising debut at Lakme Fashion Week at age 19. Masaba is revered globally as the “Queen of Prints” and her label has made its mark in resort wear and destination wedding with the brand’s signature colours, motifs, and aesthetics finding their way into collaborations across all product categories.
4. Navya Naveli Nanda
She is the Co-founder of the non-profit Aarahealth and Project Naveli. While Aara Health is a women-centric health tech company that is focused on building and providing scientifically backed affordable healthcare products and services to women in India, Project Naveli is working towards destigmatizing women’s healthcare, and providing transparent/judgment-free information on their minds and bodies.
5. Priyanka Gill
Priyanka Gill is the founder and CEO of POPxo, a digital community for women. Producing some interesting content in the digital world, POPxo is the true synonym to pop culture and making the company stronger, in 2021, Darpan Sanghvi, Priyanka Gill, and Naiyya Saggi co-founded The Good Glamm Group, a digital-first house of brands that brings together innovative and fast-growing beauty and personal care companies and is powered by its digital ecosystem of content, community, and creator assets. In November 2021, The Good Glamm Group entered the Unicorn club with a valuation of $1.2 billion by raising $150 million in Series D round co-led by Warburg Pincus LLC and Prosus Ventures.
6. Naiyya Saggi
The founder and CEO of Baby Chakra, Naiyya Saggi has given all things parenting a new boon. She founded Baby Chakra in 2015 as a platform providing information to new parents, slowly and steadily Baby Chakra has become India’s most trusted parenting platform today. In July 2021, it merged with The Good Glamm Group only to become a stronger force to reckon with.
7. Malini Agarwal
She is the woman who brought about a massive change in the face of Indian journalism. Much ahead of its time, when digital media was merely a dream Malini Agarwal worked towards making it a reality. She is well known as India’s first influencer. A former radio jockey on Mumbai’s Radio One (India) and Head of Digital Content for Channel V India, Malini Agarwal founded her blog MissMalini.com in 2008 and covered all things Bollywood and Fashion. In December 2021, the company was acquired by the Good Glamm Group and Malini took over Good Creator Co. as its Co-founder. Living by her mantra #ToTheMoon, it’s always upwards and onwards for Malini.
8. Malika Datt Sadani
An engineer and MBA graduate, Malika Datt Sadani is the Founder and CEO of The Moms Co.- India’s leading company for toxin-free products catering to expectant and new mothers seeking natural, chemical-free products for their daily personal care regimen. The brand serves over 2 million moms across 20,000 pin codes and has had the largest exit by a DTC company in India.
9. Falguni Nayar and Adwaita Nayar
Falguni Nayar & Adwaita Nayar founded Nykaa in 2012 with the vision of building a multi-brand omnichannel beauty-focused retail business with a portfolio of 1500+ brands, including its own private label, available online and across 68 stores in India. Adwaita leads Nykaa Fashion – a fashion-first, style-led curated fashion platform. Their IPO was oversubscribed nearly 82.5 times, making Falguni India’s richest self-made woman billionaire.
10. Ayesha Chenoy
She is the CEO and founder of one of India’s largest independent digital advertising agencies – RepIndia. Winner of the prestigious Adam Smith Prize for Economics, she spearheaded the agency to launch brands like Burger King and Gap on digital and works with P&G, Canon, Suzuki Motorcycles, FabIndia, JSW, Tata Trusts, and Adani Group, among others.
Well, these inspiring stories are just the tip of the iceberg, the list is long and full of admiration. Here’s the list of 100 Women Entrepreneurs from India.