Know about the top 10 women entrepreneurs in India

Entrepreneurship In India wasn't always a popular trend among women. The tide is changing now. The country's female population is turning to entrepreneurship for a career, despite the limited opportunities available. The courage shown by Indian women to take the hard road to entrepreneurship over the past few years is truly admirable. This entrepreneurial growth among Indian signoras comes not only from big cities, but also from small towns or remote villages. Let's take a look at the inspirational women entrepreneurs from India who made their dreams a reality despite difficult circumstances.

Women entrepreneurs in India own more than 20% of the MSMEs . These MSMEs house more than 23% India's labour 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	Shahnaz Husain Group
4.	Vandana Lothra	VLCC
5.	Aditi Gopta	Menstrupedia
6.	Vanikola	Kalaari Capital
7.	Radhika Ghai Aggarwal	ShopClues
8.	Sheila Kochouseph Chittilapally	V-Star Creations
9.	Khushboo Jain	ImpactGuru
10.	Tage Rita	Naara-Aaba

It's now time to learn about these Indian women entrepreneurs who have made significant contributions in India's business community.

1. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is a prominent member of the Indian club for female entrepreneurs. (Image credit: businessworld)

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw was probably India's first female entrepreneur. In the 1980s, when India was still a small country with few prominent businesspeople, she took up entrepreneurship. Biocon Limited, a biopharmaceutical firm based in Bangalore, was founded by her in 1978. The businesswoman was born 23 March 1953. She has served as chairperson of Indian Institute of Technology Bangalore. Numerous awards and honors have been given to her, including the Othmer Gold medal (2014), Padma Bhushan (2005) and Ernst & Young Entrepreneurship of the Year Award (2002). She is married to John Shaw and has been named by Forbes and Financial Times as one of the most powerful women worldwide.

2. Falguni Nayar

Falguni Nayar, a self-made billionaire who is also one of India's most prominent names in business, is known as Falguni Nayar. (Image credit: Reddit)

Many people find inspiration in Falguni Nayar's story. She is an Indian billionaire who has been one of India's most successful female entrepreneurs. Falguni Nayar is a household name in India. She was born to a Gujarati family in Mumbai and raised there. After 19 years of service in Kotak Mahindra Group, she started Nykaa, an e-commerce company. Falguni became one of India's richest businesswomen after the company was a success in the Indian market. Nykaa is a service provider in nearly all of the country, following an inventory-based model.

3. Shahnaz Husain

Shahnaz Husain, a female entrepreneur from India, is also well-known. (Image credit: kalingatv)

Shahnaz Husain, the founder chairwoman of The Shahnaz Husain Group, an Indian skincare brand. Her herbal beauty campaign has made Ayurveda's Indian heritage known. Shahnaz Husain was among the first Muslim women entrepreneurs to set up shop in India more than four decades ago. In 1996, Success Magazine awarded her the title of "World's Greatest Woman Entrepreneur". She was also presented with Padma Shri in 2006 by the Government of India. Shahnaz Husain, a beauty icon worldwide, is today considered the "Queen of Herbal Beauty care" and "Queen of Beauty Care".

 

4. Vandana Luthra

Vandana Luthra is a successful businesswoman in India (Image credit: outlookbusiness)

Vandana Luthra, the founder of VLCC (a beauty and wellness conglomerate), is a name to be reckoned with in India's business world. Her mother was an Ayurvedic physician and she inspired her. Vandana Luthra, who started her company in 1989, went on to become a pioneer in the country's health and wellness sector with VLCC's incredible success. She is one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in India and has received numerous awards and accolades, including Padma Shri (2013) from the Government of India, Women Entrepreneur of the year Award (2010) by The Enterprise Asia, and many others.

5. Aditi Gupta

Aditi Gupta, a woman entrepreneur in India, is among the few who have chosen to educate the public about menstruation. (Image credit: scoopearth)

Aditi Gupta, a National Institute of Design alumnus, is the author and co-founder of Menstrupedia Comic. This comic aims to educate and inform people about menstruation and the puberty process in girls and boys. Aditi was just eighteen when she began to notice the stigma surrounding women's issues like menstruation. She was disturbed by the society's attitudes and decided to educate others. She is an entrepreneur and a leader in her field as one of India's young female entrepreneurs. She was named in the Forbes India 30 Under 30 2014 List.

 

6. Vani Kola

Vani Kola is a well-known name in India's venture capital industry. Image credit: thenewsminute

Vani Kola, founder and managing director at Kalaari Capital is one of India's most successful female entrepreneurs. Her father is a Hyderabadi venture capitalist who founded Certus Software GmbH. She is now completely absent from that venture. She returned to India after spending more than two decades in Silicon Valley. In 2012, she founded Kalaari Capital in India, which is one of the most well-known early-stage venture capital companies. Vani Kola supported numerous Indian venture capital firms to grow, including Myntra, Urban Ladder and Snapdeal. She practices Yoga and Meditation every day.

7. Radhika Ghai Aggarwal

Radhika Ghai is a successful Indian female entrepreneur. Image credit: hellopost

Radhika Ghai Aggarwal has been a prominent figure in the Indian entrepreneurial scene. She is the first Indian woman to join the Unicorn club. She co-founded ShopClues.com with Sanjay Sethi, Sandeep Aggarwal and in July 2011. Radhika holds a MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and has previously worked for global giants like Nordstrom and Goldman Sachs. In 2016, she was awarded the Entrepreneur India Awards Woman Entrepreneur of the year award and the CEO of the year Award at CEO India Awards.

8. Sheila Kochouseph Chittilapally

Sheila Kochouseph Chittilapally is one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in India. Image credit: ritzmagazine

Sheila Kochouseph Chittilapally, a woman entrepreneur from India's southern state of Kerala is an inspiration. V-Star Creations was established in Thrikkakara in Kochi as an innerwear company in 1995. V-Star was further divided into Valero and Vanessa brands for women and men. Sheila is a top businesswoman in India and has helped to spread her brand's popularity throughout the country as well as in the Middle East. Sheila employs about 200 people within her company and also supplies the raw material for women's products to rural and remote Kerala women.

 

9. Khushboo Jain

Khushboo Jain, the Impact Guru, is one of India's most prominent women entrepreneurs.

Khushboo Jain, a young Indian woman entrepreneur and co-founder of ImpactGuru is also a dashing woman entrepreneur. The company was founded by Khushboo Jain to provide global crowdfunding solutions for individuals, social enterprises, startups, and NGOs. Khushboo, a Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research MBA in Marketing, has been a key driver behind Impact Guru's success. She is responsible for the company's design, marketing, and communication departments.

10. Tage Rita

Tage Rita is a top-ranked female entrepreneur in northeast India. (Image credit: 30stades)

It is often difficult to start a business from remote areas. However, for Tage Rita, the challenges are what make a journey worthwhile. She is one of India's most successful women entrepreneurs. She was born in Ziro Valley in northeastern Arunachal Pradesh. She launched Naara-Aaba, India's first organic wine brand made from kiwis in 2017, and took the entrepreneurial route. The wine is made in her village winery. In addition to reviving local farmers, the agricultural engineer-turned-entrepreneur also creates jobs for them. Tage Rita was awarded the Women Transforming India Awards by the United Nations (NITI Aayog) for her outstanding efforts.

While we still have much to do to become a business-friendly society in India, the stories of these Indian women entrepreneurs and their courage are a great inspiration for all girls who want to fly. We should celebrate their achievements and work towards restoring India's glory days.