Wonder women in the startup world

According to a report by IT industry NASSCOM and Zinnov Consulting, India is the world’s third-largest startup hub where three-four new firms are born every day. We can't agree more with them. Startups are blooming everywhere and entrepreneurs are carving a niche for themselves in every field.

But for a country which still believes in gender stereotyping and likes to keep women indoors, the following report might come as a surprise. According to a report by Sixth Economic Census by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), 14 percent of business establishments in India are being run by female entrepreneurs. Moreover, between 2009 and 2014, the percentage of funded startups with at least one female founder increased from 9 percent to 18 percent, as per CrunchBase report.

Though, we are not saying it's an outstanding number, we are surely improving. This number includes some strong women who believe in breaking gender stereotypes and the norms related to it.

On this International Women's Day, CIOL celebrates the women power with women entrepreneurs who have created their niche in the startup industry.

Jagriti Shringi- Co-Founder & Technology Head, Voylla:

Voylla is an Indian e-commerce platform headquartered in Jaipur, India, catering fashion jewellery. Founded in May 2012 by husband-wife duo Jagrati Shringi and Vishwas Shringi, Voylla retails through its website Voylla.com, app and via marketplaces like Flipkart, Amazon and Myntra and offline at select Central stores.

Jagrati Shringi is a NIT - Bhopal alumnus, who has graduated from the University of Pittsburg and has 13 years of tech experience, eight of which are in the fiercely competitive US market. Fighting the gender stereotypes, Jagrati challenges the gender stereotypes and heads the Tech Team and takes decisions based on the analytics and makes the decisions like a true entrepreneur.

Neeti Macker: Founder and Managing Director Kits for Homes:

A Bachelor of Business Studies in Marketing, Neeti Macker founded Kits for homes with almost two decades of experience in the modular kitchens. Kits for homes is an online portal which gives the option to handpick top of the line European and American brands like Kessebohmer, Hettich, Hafele, Kitchen Aid, Liebherr, Panasonic, etc. They also provide a 3D prototype for the final design.

Now they have a specialised showroom in the heart of Delhi with eight kitchens on display.

Gitika Srivastava: Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Navya Network:

With over fourteen years of experience as an entrepreneur and investor in early-stage high-tech and health care companies, Geetika Srivastava founded Navya Network to bring expertise advice and treatment options to every cancer patient in the country. This startup uses technology and machine learning to improve access to cancer care in India. An online service based on the Navya system has enabled expert opinions for cancer patients from 20 developing countries in Asia and Africa.

National Cancer Grid, which is a consortium of 89 cancer centres has joined Navya to provide online expert opinions. Tata Trusts is supporting this initiative to improve the reach of this service.

Gitika, who was the CEO of Skyris Networks, holds patents in distributed networking, databases, and search technologies, and decision-making. She is also a pre-career tutor for undergraduates at Harvard and an advisor to many start-up companies and young entrepreneurs.

Isha Kedia: Founder, DoorstepForex:

Isha Kedia, the founder of DoorstepForex.com, is a leading expert in the Fintech space with expertise in marketing, finance and operations.

Founded in 2015, DoorstepForex.com is a Foreign Exchange marketplace. With a reach across over 60 cities in India and an average of over 40,000 visitors a month, DoorstepForex.com offers services to all segments of international travellers which include leisure travellers, business travellers, emigrants and patients travelling overseas for medical treatment, and more.

Shikha Uberoi, Co-founder, Indi.com:

Indi.com is a social video sharing platform which was co-founded by Shikha Uberoi, a former top 100 WTA tennis player. The platform is backed by leading actor and entrepreneur Anil Kapoor.

Shikha Uberoi is an Asian Games Silver Medallist, India number 1, Fed Cup India leader (#1 and 2 in India), and Zee Astitva Athlete of the Year 2007.

Shikha is a seasoned athlete and is currently trying her hand at being an entrepreneur in the stereotypical male-dominated tech industry. Today, she is a social entrepreneur using the mediums of sport/fitness and TV to incite change. She was the first Indian woman to qualify and reach the second round of the US Open in 2004.

Shikha launched her media and lifestyle company, SDU Seva, Inc. in 2013 and is currently creating and producing international social issue television shows.