70% of Indian Startups got severely hit by COVID-19! Additionally, around 12% had to fully shut their operations due to a lack of resources and opportunities during the pandemic.
Covid19 wreaked havoc on businesses of all sizes. It caused the majority of business owners to worry about their company's future development and growth. However, a few individuals, in this case, let's call them the SHE-SUPERHEROES, demonstrated a tremendous amount of human spirit and perseverance.
When the entire business community was standing on the verge of a mega breakdown, these Female entrepreneurs got busy bootstrapping their
This is going to be a unique blog. I'm not going to discuss India's most well-known startups. But the ones, driven by women that managed to innovate & upscale excellent B2C products amidst covid-19.
Here are the top 5 young but promising B2C firms founded by Indian women during the pandemic:
1. Orahana by Ruchi Pathak
Passion speaks through one’s work. This sits very well with Ruchi Pathak, a graduate of the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad. She is the soul behind Orahana. A startup established in May 2022, renowned for its easy-breezy clothing and home-decor furnishings.
If I had to define their
Soft colors, laid-back style, and a blend of comfort & class define their fashion.
No wonder Ruchi takes her inspiration directly from nature. And with the help of some genius local artisans, she gets "her ideas" etched in colorful patterns on soft and luxurious fabrics!
She doesn’t believe in mass production as she is of the opinion that everyone has their unique style. Her startup is more about personalizing fashion to help one represent him/herself through what they wear.
If you thought ORAHANA was a beautiful name, wait until you hear its meaning. In Hawaiian, the word “Ohana” translates to “Home”. And home is where nature lies!
2. What’s Up Wellness by Sayantani Mandal
Two young professionals with an initial investment of 25 lakhs bootstrapped a Wellness Brand in the thick of covid! It was at a time when numerous businesses were collapsing that Sayantani and her business partner, Vaibhav Makhija, showed the courage to build their own.
While living away from her family, Sayantani faced a strange problem. Something, she quickly realized that many others were experiencing as well. Work had become her top concern while exercise was pushed to the side. Eventually, the stress, lack of nutrition, and junk began to show their impact!
It's then the duo decided to turn the tables around and build a brand that aids wellness in a fun & easy way.
That is how What’s Up Wellness came into being! It is a new-age Wellness Startup built to cater to the needs of today’s “always-on-the-move” generation. Their very 1st offering is the What’s Up Skin and Hair Gummies which is a delicious blend of 13 essential nutrients & multivitamins that are great for your skin, hair, and nail health.
In less than a year, What’s Up Wellness has already found customers across India, with a turnover of Rs 1 crore between August 2021 and March 2022.
3. Colocal by Sheetal Saxena
They say you can achieve anything if you work hard for it. This is the story of Sheetal Saxena, an MBA postgraduate from IMT Nagpur, who took her passion for chocolates to the next level by making a profession out of it.
She wasn't a natural chocolatier, and she didn't have any formal training in the industry. She used to be a banker before moving into this extremely creative sector.
Sheetal surprisingly is a self-taught master chocolatier who perfected her chocolate-making skills through sheer passion and dedication.
She says in one of her interviews with Lonely Planet that she was told repeatedly at the start of her career that chocolate making requires some form of professional training. It would necessitate her attending university and learning from professionals. She was adamant, however, that anything can be learned via observation, practice, and perseverance
Colocal is a bean bar factory and a cafe where they make and serve chocolate in the form of cold
What's even more impressive is that their entire team is women.
4. Patrika by Mansha Kaur
Mansha Kaur is a name that needs no introduction. In 2019, the ISB dropout launched a podcast called
She uses this channel to primarily discuss the taboos surrounding a common man's life. Her words give people the strength to fend for themselves and be happy again. But there came a point in time when she realized that these conversations, while temporarily inspiring, didn't have a long-lasting impact on her listeners' lives.
She recognized that reading a motivational book or listening to an upbeat podcast could have a transient effect on people. However, after a short period of time, say a week, those affirmations are forgotten forever.
She had to find a way for the positivity to stick with the people.
It was then that Mansha decided to co-create Tools with highly experienced psychologists in order to assist individuals to feel better on a daily basis, both emotionally and mentally.
To make it happen, she teamed up with Dr. Trinka Arora to create professional and advanced tools to aid with self-discovery, mood management, habit change, and a variety of other issues using CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and other methods that Dr. Trinika employed in her 20 years long career.
5. Kizo by Payal Khandwala
Looking for a gift for a special someone but don’t know what to give? Kizo makes gifting easy for everyone!
Instead of buying a gift that the receiver may or may not like, you can now give a Kizo gift card. It allows friends and family the luxury to choose their own gifts from India’s Top Brands. Not only does the app allow you to share a gift card but it also lets you personalize your messages with photos and videos and send beautiful physical gift cards.
Imagine waking up on your birthday and finding a gift card on your doorstep. A card that you can spend however you like. Nothing feels better than the freedom to buy your own gifts.
Payal Khandwala is a designer by profession and she launched the Kizo app along with her partner and husband Vikram Ramachandani in the middle of the pandemic.
Kizo isn’t just helping customers choose appropriate gifts, it is also helping young brands showcase their products on the Kizo app and quickly reach a wider audience.
Wrapping up
These women-led startups are significant in laying the path for younger women who are still in their formative years. And are looking for female heroes for inspiration and guidance.
Even the statistics support women leaders. According to a
“Women-run businesses deliver higher revenues, equating to more than twice as much per dollar invested”.
The report by
The pandemic, without a doubt, doubled the difficulties in obtaining raw materials, finding manufacturers or suppliers, shipping, and so forth. As a result, it's even more crucial to commend female leaders for having the bravery to shatter the glass ceiling. And to launch startups in the midst of a life-threatening pandemic.
This article is an attempt to encourage more and more Indian women to move beyond their fears. To hustle hard and create history. Closing this blog with a wonderful quote by Sara Blakely, founder, Spanx-
"Don't be intimidated by what you don't know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else."