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Indian women are no longer behind Indian men any longer. Both the sexes achieving the same milestones that people their age are achieving across the world, and that too well ahead of their time. 
 
The latest evidence to that is the fact that 45 Indian-origin change makers made it to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=forbes">Forbes’ </a>annual list of<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=forbes+30+under+30"> 30-under-30 </a>which consists of a variety of “bright entrepreneurs, breakout talents and change agents” across various sectors like Media, Games, Sports, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=venture+capital">Venture Capital</a>, Art and Style etc. 
 
But, while we’re celebrating the Indian presence in the list- mostly male, it’d be a crime to forget that as many as nine Indian women also found themselves a cushy mention on the list. 
 
If that’s not a blinking green signal for women empowerment, what is, really? 
 Keeping that in mind, we at Business Insider familiarize you with the nine Indian women who made it huge before they reached 30 and got <keyword id="6373044" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Forbes">Forbes</keyword>’ to acknowledge the same. 
 
Take a bow, girls! 
 
Image credit: Buzzfeed

Meet the 9 Indian women who made it to the
Forbes Under-30 Achiever’s List

We all talk about the boom of e-commerce and start-ups. Sadly, we failed to notice the gender disparity in the same. 
 “There isn’t much of a support system for us,” said <keyword id="103110" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Anisha-Singh">Anisha Singh</keyword>, CEO of <keyword id="736994" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="mydala">mydala</keyword>, who is also among the very few who are ruling the space. 
 
Anisha acknowledges that there was as time when she was the only one. Scenario is changing now, she is glad, and more female players are entering the field. 
 
With female entrepreneurs coming forward to create a difference, what is that one big thing that will make them the winner? 
 
1. Believe- Women often lack the confidence that they can lead, thanks to the Indian society. All one needs is to believe in oneself and her visions. 
 
2. Logic- Don’t be blind on by your visions. We need to make logical decision on what we are going to build and come up with a product or an idea. And we are good to go. 
 
3. Don’t overthink- This is something women tend to do always, doubt. Women like to make sure that everybody is happy with her decisions and she will manage everything. This is never the case. We need to learn to let things go and accept everything is not our fault. 
 
4. Your idea better be serving some need- One needs to have a vision that solves a puzzle that no one else is doing or do something better. E-commerce is already done. We need to do make it better. 
 
“As long as you have something you are solving, just go after it.” 
 
5. Becoming a mother- Women often leave work after becoming pregnant. One can juggle pregnancy and work and that too successfully, says Anisha who was eight months pregnant when she co-founded mydalad. And now she successfully manages work and her two daughters, five years and one year old. She says that after becoming a mother a women should be working with much greater determination for, if she can give birth, nothing is impossible in the world. 
 
6. Create a support system- If men are not giving us that, we have to create it for ourselves. 
 
7. Competition-Women tend to see other women as a competition. Now that there are very few in the space, instead of seeing each other as a competition, all needs to unite to build a comfortable space for them. 
 
(Image credits: wikipedia)

7 qualities that would make every female entrepreneur a
winner! Hear it from a winner herself

The coveted <keyword id="624" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Women">Women</keyword>’s Day is just two days away and chances are you are rolling out a new list of resolutions that will make life more meaningful throughout the year. On our part, we are back with another unique entrepreneurial <keyword id="6374782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="journey">journey</keyword>, but this time she is a Delhi girl who bhangra-stepped her way through a checkered academic career in Delhi and <keyword id="32755" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Washington-DC">Washington DC</keyword>, studying Art, Political Communication, Management and Information Systems Marketing before moving on to e-learning, and eventually setting up her <keyword id="2105187" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="First-company">first company</keyword>. In the second part of our Power Women series, <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword> India chats with <keyword id="103110" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Anisha-Singh">Anisha Singh</keyword>, founder and <keyword id="5645" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="CEO">CEO</keyword> of <keyword id="276936" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mydala-com">MyDala.com</keyword>, India’s first and largest platform that offers the best discount deals on lifestyle products, <keyword id="4578" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="entertainment">entertainment</keyword>, travel, gadgets, fine dining and more. The company has a merchant base of 100,000-plus and offers its services in more than 145 cities in India. 
 But unlike many full-time businesswomen, Anisha has a ‘sporty’ side and loves to nurture it. She likes adventure <keyword id="6356028" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sports">sports</keyword> and sometimes acts as a yoga instructor. What has life in the US and India unfolded before Anisha, and what are her takeaways from the business she is running? Find out from this freewheeling interaction. 
 
I had no plans to start a business; I got inspired… by watching others Although I come from a business family, I had sworn to myself long ago that I would never become an <keyword id="6359301" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Entrepreneur">entrepreneur</keyword>. But while I was at the <keyword id="159048" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="American-university">American University</keyword> in Washington DC, I got the opportunity to work with the <keyword id="196118" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Clinton-administration">Clinton administration</keyword> on an initiative called Springboard. There, we would help <keyword id="74945" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Women-Entrepreneurs">women entrepreneurs</keyword> raise <keyword id="6357455" type="EVENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Funding">funding</keyword> after shortlisting the best candidates. That’s where I read about these phenomenal women and something just changed within me. 
 Along with the <keyword id="175721" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="business-plans">business plans</keyword> (most of which were amazing), those women entrepreneurs had to submit their background stories as well. And those real-life stories of women who were successfully running grocery chains or operating software companies or were involved in similar businesses while being a single mom or managing 4 kids were just so inspirational. I think the entrepreneurial bug bit me sometime around then. So I packed up my bags, came to India and put my thoughts into action to start <keyword id="736994" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="mydala">MyDala</keyword>. Even now, I strongly believe that the world, and especially India, needs more <keyword id="2105199" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Women-role-models">women role models</keyword> whether they are women entrepreneurs or <keyword id="6464433" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Women-professionals">women professionals</keyword> across different fields. 
 
Think out of the box to survive Just like all other things, starting your own company will see loads of ups and downs, positives and negatives. But the bigger the business grows, the challenges and the positives will morph into different things. I think it also depends on how you look at a situation. For instance, we didn’t get any funding for MyDala upfront because of a couple of missteps and we could have let that get us down. But in hindsight, it got us to think creatively to survive and make MyDala grow into what it is today – via innovative marketing and alliances. We’re now one of the few companies that work with all major <keyword id="6383126" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Telcos">telcos</keyword> and <keyword id="163194" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="OEMs">OEMs</keyword> – giving us the means to reach out to hundreds of millions of prospective users. I don’t think this would ever have happened if we hadn’t learnt to figure out alliances due to the lack of initial funding. We were also fortunate to have some good people guiding us throughout. 
 
Have trust in yourself but seek help when you need it This one is for the wannapreneurs, especially if you are women. People will only believe in you when you believe in yourself – so don’t doubt yourself. If you have set your <keyword id="24479" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="heart">heart</keyword> on doing something, go do it. The worst that can happen is failure, but it’s not all that bad. 
 
Finally, don’t overthink. It’s good to think things through but women always think of every possible reason that can deter them from starting a business. When you start a business, no one can predict how it will go. Of course, initially, it won’t be a bed of roses. But trust me, it all works out fine. Just remember how you juggle your household, kids and family… your work, too, will fall into place in the same way. Have faith in yourself and ask for help when required. We women tend to hesitate more than men about asking for just about anything. The day we get past that, India will see a surge of women entrepreneurs and role models that we desperately need for our younger generations to look up to. 
 
Watch this space tomorrow – <keyword id="122850" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="power-women">Power Women</keyword> will be back with their intriguing success stories.

Power Women:
Roadblocks Lead To Creative Solutions That Will Help You Survive

New Delhi, Jan 23 () Venture capital firm She Capital on Thursday said it expects a corpus of Rs 200 crore in the next 18 months and has made 50 per cent of the total committed investment operational to support women-led and women-focussed businesses.
 The company claims to have received commitment of Rs 100 crore from partners to invest in women-focussed ventures.
 "There is big unmet need. Almost half of our population is women who have spending power. There are women leading in snack segment. We have unexplored area of ayurveda where women are doing a lot. Our fund will support them," She Capital founding partner Anisha Singh told .
 She Capital will only facilitate pre-series and series A fund in the range of Rs 15 to 60 crore to women-led or women-focussed business ventures.
 "For every dollar raised, women-run start-ups generated 78 cents in revenue, compared to 31 cents for men. By that measure, if investors had put the same amount of capital into women-run companies as they did into the ones run by guys, they would have helped generate an additional USD 85 million in revenue," Singh said.
 Singh, who is also co-founder and former CEO of e-commerce firm MyDala, said the company will even fund ventures that are led by men but focus on products for women.
 "We will also provide mentorship to the ventures," Singh said. PRS HRS

She Capital targets Rs 200 cr fund corpus in 18 months

By Yoshita Singh New York, May 8 () An Indian-American father and daughter, both doctors in New Jersey, have died due to the COVID-19, with Governor Phil Murphy describing their demise as "particularly tough" and hailed them for dedicating their lives for others.Satyender Dev Khanna, 78, was a surgeon who served both on staff and as the head of the surgical departments for multiple hospitals across New Jersey for decades.Priya Khanna, 43, was a double board certified in both internal medicine and nephrology. She was Chief of Residents at Union Hospital, now part of RWJ Barnabas Health."Dr. Satyender Dev Khanna and Dr. Priya Khanna were father and daughter. They both dedicated their lives to helping others. This is a family dedicated to health and medicine. Our words cannot amply express our condolences," New Jersey Governor Murphy tweeted on Thursday. "Both dedicated their lives to helping others and we lost both of them to COVID-19," Murphy said during a press conference on Thursday, saying their demise is a "particularly tough one."Satyender passed away at the Clara Maass Medical Center where he had worked for more than 35 years.Murphy described him as a "pioneering doctor" who was one of the first surgeons to perform laparoscopic surgery in the state. He is being remembered by colleagues as a "gentle and caring physician.""And for a doctor, I'm not one, but I would bet, I don't think there could be a more fitting way to be remembered, or a nurse or a healthcare worker of any kind," Murphy said, adding that the doctor had a passion for bicycling, and he often found peace from the hustle of the hospital in biking along the Jersey Shore.Priya did all of her medical training in New Jersey and then did her fellowship in nephrology in South Jersey with the Cooper Health System.Like her father, she too worked at Clara Maass, where she died.She was also Medical Director at two dialysis centers in Essex County and "took pride" in teaching the next generation of doctors, Murphy said, adding that the ICU physician who cared for Priya Khanna was trained and taught by her as well."Priya will be remembered as a caring and selfless person who put others first. And even while in the hospital, fighting her own battle, she continued to check up on her mom and dad and her family," Murphy said."This is a family, by the way, dedicated to health and medicine," he said.The governor spoke with Satyender's wife Komlish Khanna, who is a pediatrician. The couple has two more daughters - Sugandha Khanna, an emergency medicine physician and Anisha Khanna, a pediatrician."Unbelievable. Our words cannot amply express our condolences nor, I am sure, can they express the pain that the Khanna family is feeling. But I hope that the fact that our entire state mourns with them is some small comfort. And we mourn everyone we have lost. We commit in their memory to saving as many lives as we can," Murphy said. YAS RS AKJ RS

Indian-origin father-daughter doctor duo die of COVID-19 in US

New Delhi, Feb 27 () The wearables market in India recorded an over 168 per cent year-over-year growth in 2019, with shipments touching 14.9 million units, IDC said on Thursday. Accounting for the largest share of shipment volumes, the earwear category grew five-fold, shipping 8.5 million units, while wrist bands and watches segments touched 5.3 million units and 0.9 million units, respectively. In the December quarter, wearables vendors shipped a total of 5.1 million units, making it the seventh consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in shipments, IDC said. It was also the biggest quarter for wrist bands with 1.5 million units shipped in a single quarter, witnessing 30.9 per cent year-on-year growth, it added. "Ear-worn devices have found huge appeal with consumers, who are spoiled for choice with a variety of models at different price points. Affordable neckbands are leading the charge of migration from wired to wireless in this category," IDC India Market Analyst Anisha Dumbre said. At the same time, truly wireless devices with improved battery life and connectivity are attracting users to spend more, Dumbre added. "As more vendors entered this segment with affordable options, the average selling price (ASP) of the category came down to USD 39 in 2019 from USD 63 a year ago, resulting in massive growth in this category," Dumbre said. IDC India's Associate Research Manager (Client Devices) Jaipal Singh said the wearables market is in a state of flux with new form factors and brands entering every few months. "India is still underpenetrated when it comes to the adoption of wearables for health. Growing concerns around lifestyle diseases, have certainly helped wearables to get initial traction for weight control and physical activity monitoring," he said. He added that the market, however, is yet to scale beyond the key cities. "Vendors will need to continue to experiment in this segment to explore scalable opportunities," he said. Xiaomi remained the dominant leader with a 48.9 per cent share in the wrist bands category, while Titan maintained its second position with 14.5 per cent share. A total of 933,000 units of watches were shipped during the year with a 77.5 per cent growth. Smartwatches continued to lead the watch category with 61.1 per cent share in 2019. In the smartwatch category, Fossil was the leading vendor with 30.3 per cent share, followed by Apple (26.6 per cent). Huami led the basic watch category. Homegrown brand BoAt Lifestyle led the earwear segment with 27.3 per cent market share. In the truly wireless segment, Apple continued to lead the segment with its AirPods range, garnering 43.1 per cent market share in 2019. SR ABM

India's wearables market records 14.9 mn units shipment in 2019: IDC

<keyword id="3003094" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Startup-India">Startup India</keyword> hosts the women panel to celebrate stories of innovative women entrepreneurs in the country, a great step for the transforming startup ecosystem. But all the panelists agreed on one point that “Women need to be on panels, not just women entrepreneur panels”. 

	Women are transforming the startup industry but they want o be recognised as an achiever and not as a women achiever. While starting up a new venture and raising funds, the first question that comes to the apprehensive minds is whether the investors will entertain women entrepreneurs.
 “There are investors who don’t judge us being a women,” said Anisha Singh, co-founder of <keyword id="736994" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="mydala">mydala</keyword>. Sairee Chahal, founder of <keyword id="2589674" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sheroes">Sheroes</keyword> said that though India produces the maximum women graduates in the world, they cannot make the right career choices due to the environment created around. 

	Narendra Modi has a lot to live up to. here’s what the women entrepreneurs expect from the government.
 

	1. Make the ecosystem transparent and curated.
 

	2. Create a more immersive ecosystem for women.
 

	3. Create active mentorship for women.
 

	4. Create more jobs for women.
 

	5. Create clarity on the structure. Most of them don’t know where to go for resources, how to get a loan etc. Create a simplified ecosystem.
 

	6. Digital opportunities are gender agnostic at present. Change it.
 

	7. “Make it startup every day from startup day”.
 

	“Do you fight the old or do you build teh new! And I think it is time to build the new!” said Chahal from Sheroes.

	 
	 
	(Image credits: Twitter)

#startupindia: Why women entrepreneurs need to be shoulder-to-shoulder with their male counterparts

Few more hours to the launch of the most anticipated initiative of the booming start-up industry in India, “Startup India, Standup India”. While rumours are ripe that a new roadmap would be launched at the event, start-ups are expecting a lot more than a roadmap. 
 
“It should create a startup environment in the country with the proper structures in place,” said Anisha Singh, cofounder of mydala. 
 <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> has a lot to live up to tomorrow. Starting from legal compliances to changes in academic curriculum to encourage <keyword id="107737" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Entrepreneurship">entrepreneurship</keyword>, start-ups have come up with the most innovative measures which could lead to tremendous growth of the industry. 
 
India is witnessing the rise of varied genres of start-ups, from food start-ups to tech start-ups to ecommerce to health start-ups. Here’s a look at the expectations of each sector before the D-day. 
 
Tech start-ups 
 
Here’s what tech start-up Cube 26’s expectations from the initiative. 
 
1. Lower rate of interest on loans for <keyword id="6362513" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Startups">Startups</keyword> - In order to help startups sustain till the time startups are able to raise investments, the government should set a slightly lower rate of interest to promote and sustain more entrepreneurs. 
 
2. Tax exemptions for entrepreneurs - Government should provide 1-3 years of tax and compliance holiday for startups under the ‘Start Up India’ initiative 
 
3. Involvement of startups in Government projects - Usually the size and turnaround time of government projects is higher as compared to private companies. Also, being in a dynamic environment, it’s difficult for startups to sustain themselves after investing in government projects till the time payment turnaround happens. So, in order to provide them exposure to big projects, government should come out with flexible opportunities for startups to allow them to help with their technology or consultancy expertise in certain use cases. 
 
4. Make in India in hardware - The hardware ecosystem in India is quite weak at the moment owing to higher prices of manufacturing and lack of skills. The government should work in tandem with manufacturers as well as institutes to develop skills on both the fronts. 
 
Education startups 
 
Vedantu, an online tutoring portal expects. 
 “Ed-Tech sector holds huge promise to personalize and democratize education. It would be very encouraging for entrepreneurs in the Ed-Tech and the larger education space to get additional support given that it’s a critical sector for our long-term economic growth, social progress and if India has to reap the demographic dividend. Special <keyword id="6357455" type="EVENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Funding">funding</keyword> provisions within the start-up fund pool created by the government and incentives for entrepreneurs keen to enter this sector would go a long way,” said Vamsi Krishna, CEO &amp; Co-founder, Vedantu. 
 
“Visibility into the roadmap of rolling out of digital initiatives with faster implementation cycles will bring predictability and help Ed-Tech startups plan and scale better. LIVE online Learning on mobile devices would act as the gateway to unlimited knowledge and learning wherein teachers from top cities would be able to deliver LIVE Lectures to students in remote villages and guide them to do better. Access to top quality global content would truly present equal opportunity of learning,” he added. 
 
Some niche startups 
 
Ankita Tandon, Chief Operating Officer, CouponDunia said, “Through the 'Start Up India, Stand Up India' initiative, we expect our government to simplify all these processes and make it easier for the start-up community to not only set up but also scale up their business. Our Government should also encourage micro-entrepreneurship by investing and dedicating an exclusive fund for entrepreneurs apart from the one’s provided by the VCs and angel investors. Furthermore, the government should address the challenges faced by start-up companies and set up proper compliance and redressal forums for addressing these issues. Any start is a good start.” 
 
Styletag founder, Sanjay Shroff wants specialised options for niche start-ups. 
 
 News App startup 
 
Deepit Purkayastha, Co-Founder &amp; Chief Strategy Officer, Inshorts talks about his expectations. 
 
1. Take measures for building a vibrant Students Entrepreneurship ecosystem - Government should work towards building a vibrant startup ecosystem in colleges. This could be done by firstly including Entrepreneurship as a course at School level, secondly designing core and optional curriculums on Entrepreneurship at College level, thirdly by providing Students the liberty to be able to startup in college and complete their degrees later if requested (nothing will make students more employable than having started their own venture) and finally, by enhancing the startup-academia interaction across the board in technical as well as non-technical universities. 
 
2. Include more contemporary and startups relevant skills in the college curriculum - A lot of new skills which Startups need in prospective recruits viz. Product Management, App Development, Content Marketing, UI/UX Management etc are not being imparted in the formal education system. The government should work towards either inclusion of these modules in the current educational curriculum or make it easier for private players to impart these modules as complimentary courses with the existing degrees. If we need India to become a Startup nation, we need resources that are employable and productive for startups right after college. 
 
Tourism startup 
 
RoomsTonite CPO, Karthick highlights some key measures which he would like to see being introduced tomorrow. 
 
1. Government should allocate at least $500mn every six months. 
 
2. Measures should be taken to develop the infrastructure. 
 
3. I would really appreciate it if there’s a Ministry of start-ups. 
 
Personal assistant startup 
 
Suman Howlader, CEO and Founder of Carzippi wants a central unified policy framework across India for budding entrepreneurs. 
 
<keyword id="6354553" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="real-estate">Real Estate</keyword> startup 
 
Zenify cofounder, Sudarshan wants an environment where there are good mentors to mentor. 
 
Fashion startup 
 
Mirraw said as part of the initiative, Government should look into easing the process of starting a business by making the entire process technology based. 
 
Health startup 
 
“We believe that, in order to encourage young blood to join the entrepreneurship bandwagon, all the government needs to do is, take steps to boost the confidence by improving faith in the system. This can be achieved mainly through transparent legal processes in the form of a checklist that an entrepreneur needs to follow in order to setup and start making money. Of course, it is very important that the costs involved for the same should be such that the poor in the country can afford. Even if the government managed to encourage youngsters to start a business, it becomes equally important to support them grow, for which, a "simple to follow" and “affordable" tax regime would make a huge difference,” said Anurav Rane - CEO of PlanMyMedicalTrip.com. 
 
Logistics startup 
 
Brijesh Agrawal, Founder &amp; CEO, Tolexo.com wants the following: 
 
1. The govt. establishes conducive &amp; clear policy frameworks 
 
2. Open up government projects for participation by Startups 
 
3. Build Startup Hubs / Cities - having infrastructure that helps innovate, attract global talent 
 
Will Modi address all these? We will see it tomorrow. 
 
(Image credits: indiatimes)

Dear PM Modi, this is what the Indian startup community expects from ‘Startup India, Standup India’

The spotlight has been on <keyword id="1105689" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Women-entrepreneurs-in-India">women entrepreneurs in India</keyword> recently. Women-led new age startups have been the toast of the town, such as LimeRoad by Suchi Mukherjee, Sheroes by Sairee Chahal, Zivame by Richa Kar, YourStory by Shraddha Sharma, Wedmegood by Mehak Shahani and mydala by Anisha Singh to name a few. Studies have pronounced a 50 per cent growth in women entrepreneurs in just one year, and accolades have been pouring in on women entrepreneurs for their new found successes in the world of business. 
 
Before we get carried away with this polite applause, think again! The phenomenon of women entrepreneurship in India is not new. Look around. You might not see too many in the stratosphere of Kiran Mazumdar Shaw but you will see no dearth of women entrepreneurs in lifestyle businesses like beauty, fashion, gems &amp; jewels, education, food, logistics, social enterprises. They have just been outside the radar of the new-age definition of startup entrepreneurs. 
 
So what’s new? The fact that women in India are ready to play a new game in business: The game of big, scalable startups funded by private investors. 
 
Let me be clear at the outset. I do not differentiate between the different kind of women entrepreneurs. I believe any woman in business faces the same challenges and is driven by the same entrepreneurial spirit. The difference lies in the sport they choose among the vast selection in business – and that decides the rules of the game. Here’s my Hi-5 to women preparing to grow and build in this new arena. 
 
Pick the sport &amp; master the rules 
While local lifestyle businesses can be played as an individual sport – the neighbourhood boutique, the local beauty parlour, the customized jewelry designer – the startup business built on funding from venture capitalists is totally different. This is a competitive team sport. Played on a large playing field. And women in India are ready to break through the old boys’ network to make their mark here. They just need to be clear about the sport they are picking and be the best in it. Understand that this is a game of scale. This is a game where the VC enters only to exit – at a profit. These cannot be played like a lifestyle or family-based business. 
 
According to The emergence of the Millipreneurs a recent <a href="http://www.bnpparibas.com/en/news/bnp-paribas-global-entrepreneurs-report-2016">report</a> by BNP Paribas, worldwide women entrepreneurs are a little more successful today as they are more ambitious than their male counterparts. In India’s bounding startup ecosystem, women entrepreneurs could learn from this and pursue larger than life goals without fear. And to do so successfully, women must reinvent themselves and break out of the typecast accorded to them. 
 
Get off the emotional roller-coaster 
Simply put, a VC-funded business is a game played from the head, not heart. Yes, of course passion is important. But if I was to put a weightage to it, I would say building a successful business in 30% Passion and 70% hardcore numbers. 
 
I have accompanied several women startup founders to their meetings with investors and VCs. Having witnessed the discussion as a silent observer, I truly believe we undersell ourselves, and do not do justice to our potential. My tip to them: Get over the shyness! Don’t trip over your emotional story. Be a consummate professional. It takes just a few simple steps, to achieve a metamorphosis from a timid chrysalis to a self-assured butterfly who can hold her own in the colossal arena of big business. 
 
Project your confidence 
Even the most hardened male entrepreneur admits to nervousness while pitching to investors. It’s only normal. The trick is to project an image of confidence. And this can be done by doing your homework. Just as you practice pitches to win new business, you need to perfect the pitch to investors and VCs. 
 
In a KPMG <a href="http://www.kpmg-institutes.com/institutes/global-enterprise-institute/articles/2015/10/women-entrepreneurs-passion-purpose-and-perseverance.html">report</a> Women Entrepreneurs: Passion, Purpose, Perseverence, a whopping 83 percent of women entrepreneurs ranked self-confidence as a must have trait for successful leadership. Confidence goes hand in hand with risk taking, enabling the bold decisions, deemed necessary in today’s disruptive environment. 
 
Speak the language 
Big business has a certain innate and unchanging dialect. You need to master this language. 
 
No matter what your weakness, be it finance or technology or anything else, get over with it. Get comfortable with “valuation” and “share of wallet”. Lead and participate in a smooth dialogue on cash flows, income projections, budgeting, cost efficiencies, risk analysis, financial modeling and even digital transformation. Take a colleague/advisor along if necessary to these meetings. 
 
A Deloitte <a href="http://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/women-entrepreneurs-report.html">report</a> recently pointed out that despite being more responsible borrowers, women face higher barriers in accessing capital. This disparity is the result of a complex interaction of factors, including the way private equity works, the way financial institutions operate, and the behavior of women themselves. 
 
Yes, the financial system needs to change its bias, but women themselves need to blaze through this bias by mastering the game themselves. So, test yourself, over and over again, take feedback, make the necessary changes. And at that all important meeting, lead the discussion and break the typecast! 
 
Learn to network 
Last but definitely not the least, you need to remember that to be successful at scale, you need to go beyond your own resources. Networking can get you access to knowledge, opportunities, capital, mentorship, even other startups that you can partner with in the ecosystem. Ever wonder why all the IIT and IIM graduates seem to do so well? Is it just the magic of their curriculum or their brains? Not to undermine either, the third big factor is their ready access to a core group – a strong alumni network. 
 
In India, women have traditionally been the window to the extended family or the neighbourhood community. Yet, in business, I have often met women entrepreneurs who confess that they find it difficult to network and think it is a waste of time. My advice to them is, weave that web of influence. Networking does not necessarily imply extending work-hours and neglecting your family. Be smart about it. Leverage your lunch-hour. Take small steps. But do not limit yourself by trying to go it alone. The power of a network can add exponentially to your strength. It is a necessary component of scaling up. 
 
There is heartening support for women entrepreneurs coming in from various directions today. The TiE Special Interest Group for Women Entrepreneurs, TiE Stree Shakti, <a href="http://www.nasscom.in/readying-women-entrepreneurship?fg=880017">Girls in Tech</a> programme by Nasscom, the funding of women ventures promised under <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=134220">Standup India</a>, the special focus on women entrepreneurs at an event like <a href="http://www.lhrunwaytosuccess.in/startupexpo/">The Startup Expo</a>. And the launch of a <a href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/now-a-venture-fund-for-women-entrepreneurs-115091400024_1.html">VC fund</a> focused exclusively on women entrepreneurs. While this is all adding to the momentum, there are miles to go. 
 
The battle of the woman entrepreneur in the Indian startup ecosystem is still herculean as she breaks long held perceptions, cultural biases and typecasts. But it is important that she continues to push past these to chase her dreams. I believe the success factor lies in an important shift in mindset of women themselves: We need to own our destiny. At the end of the day, only we are going to write our future. 
 
(The article is authored by Gita Dang, Founder &amp; Director, Talent Advisory &amp; TiE Delhi-NCR Board Member) 
 
(Image: Thinkstock)

Key success factors of women entrepreneurs in Indian startups

Sumit Chhazed, Co-Founder, CredR 
 
"The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/StartupIndiaStartups-and-investors-are-smiling-their-way-out-of-Vigyan-Bhawan/articleshow/50606389.cms">startup plan</a> is quite a promising one and we are happy with few initiatives proposed by the government such as tax exemption for 3 years, no inspection for compliance under labour law and starting start- up in 1 day via mobile app. Also the government acknowledges failures to be part of building great start - ups and promises 90 days exit plan, which is well received by the start - up community. Efforts to seed entrepreneurial culture and supporting it through incubation set ups in universities should really propel product innovation. 
 
Government is looking to accentuate the Make in India and Make for India efforts. Plans to create 1000cr fund over next 4 yrs with incentive for tax capital gains to investors would really boost start - up risk appetite in the whole ecosystem. This is indeed a wonderful move from the government and we hope to see these initiatives executed in the near timeframe." 
 
Samar Singla, CEO and founder, Jugnoo 
 
Immense potential for entrepreneurship in India can be forseen with this campaign. By making the taxation and compliance norms easier, the government has taken some very positive steps in this direction. 
 
Raghav Chandra, Co founder, Urbanclap, 
 
This initiative of PM Modi is the right step in making the environment friendlier for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/StartupIndia-Standup-India-Softbanks-Masayoshi-Son-ishaving-a-roaring-love-affair-in-India-and-hes-in-no-hurry-to-move-on/articleshow/50601754.cms">entrepreneurs</a> and thus encouraging them to start up. We will wait for the fine print to understand exactly what the next steps will be. However, I can only say that outcome will be in the positive direction and we are very excited! 
 
Krispian Lawrence, Co-Founder &amp; CEO, Ducere Technologies – Makers of the world’s first haptic footwear Lechal 
 
The government's initiative to fast track start-ups patent applications is a very beneficial move to encourage start-ups. In addition, 80% rebate on patent filing and prosecution deals will allow start-ups to file and create intellectual properties which in the long run will end up being additional sources of revenue. This will spur product innovations in the country and allow Indian product companies to compete globally. Other encouraging aspects of the plan include self certification on labour and environment for all Start-Ups to be up in three years. 
 
Start-ups face a lot of challenges when setting up a business and if the government can ease smaller issues; it will help us to focus on scaling up the business. 
 
Shailesh Jain Co-founder, Mirraw.com 
 
It is delightful to know that our Prime Minister has taken into account small and medium size Start-ups that are not funded by huge investments. Specially, the tax benefits policy and ease on patent fee will extensively support a bootstrapped company like us where single money counts. India is a breeding ground for innovation and this intiative will give <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Startup-IndiaOla-Cabs-Bhavish-Aggarwal-is-conscious-thatsecurity-is-a-concern-more-measures-need-to-be-taken/articleshow/50602554.cms">opportunitie</a>s to many young minds to explore unique ideas. 
 
Anupam Tulsyan co-founder and managing director, Peachmode.com 
 
"We are going to witness a revolution in Start-up culture, with our country's PM validating the governing rules. Elimination of regulatory burden, faster certification and easy exit policy will encourage many youngsters to join the wagon. Tax redemption for 3 years is an important move by our Government that will help the new entrants to scale their business without VC's money. These tax redemptions will allow a bootstrapped company like us to be self-reliant and make profitable in the long run We have high hopes with Startup Indiamovement and sincerely believe that it will lead to many job creation in future. " 
 
Shaifali Agarwal Holani, founder and CEO, EasyFix 
 
What an initiative and a great day for India. Most populated India has sharpest brains of all times and this initiative will give a platform to many enthusiastic but under confident talents to come out of their ordeal. Encouraging privatisation will speed the pace at which India is developing and we will become a developed country soon. 
 
For us, EasyFix is a labour development &amp; construction focussed company, PM Modi said "he is trying to foster innovation and incubation" and our startup is looking forward to collaborating with Modi Govt for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Exclusive-Practo-Foundersays-Modi-govt-should-do-away-with-regulatory-hurdles-in-the-healthcare-sector/articleshow/50604175.cms">skill development</a> and labour development initiatives. We want to be able to contribute to the society &amp; transform the unorganised labour market by doing things right, and that is by better execution of skill development programs. 
 
Swati Gupta, CEO and Founder, Industrybuying.com 
 
Patent fee reduction of 80% will be huge for IP based startups who can not only protect their intellectual property , but patents once registered add to tangible valuation increase" 
 
"No inspections for 3 years will very much reduce the regulatory burden related to VAT set up in new states, warehouse procedures , new factory set ups and much more physical infrastructure related start ups. 
 
Puja Bansal, Founder &amp; Director, Myheera.com 
 
Listening to action plan today I m most exited about the tax exemptions which will release the maximum burden on a startup like us. Self certification compliance in which for three years you are not disturbed from the govt end and you are at ease of doing your best to perform and more focused on the idea and its implementation. Today a start up can register themselves in one day which truly will show more minds and ideas coming quickly and getting jumpstarted. The fund of 10,000 cr which has been created to boost the startups will bring so much confidence as this is coming from our own country. 
 
Incubation centers getting promoted along with pre incubation centers will surely again prevent many failures in startups. Now when we see the entire ecosystem is contributing to 'Make in India' the sentiments of manystartups will change with much more deliverables and may more opening and changing the world. India is full of talents and now when our govt has finally joined hands we will see it as a big game changer with entrepreneurs emerging from every corner of the country. Faster exits were again a breather for many startup who again feel morally down with their failures. It will not be late when india will become world’s largest start up hub. 
 
Manish Kumar, co-founder and CEO of GREX 
 
“The Prime Minister’s announcement of the Startup Policy had quite a few important and measurable benefits that the startups can gain from. Most importantly, the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister outlined a change in the principle approach of the government towards the economy – that the government wants to stay away from deciding and directing on what needs to be done. Instead, the Government looks at a policy of arm’s length enablement. This stand is a bold new change in the government policy and disruptive in its own right. 
 
Venture debt was miserably missing in the ecosystem. Startups have only been used to equity as a mode of capital. GREX is completely poised to launch venture debt in a few weeks’ time. This will help our partner Banks and NBFCs walk the road along with us more aggressively as credits become guaranteed. 
 
Another big thing that was anticipated but not announced is the addressal of concerns around notional valuation gains to investors over and above the fair market value. The incidence of such tax deductions today lie at startups’ end. The ecosystem will expect more details on this front. However, the Prime Minister’s assurance on this is welcome. Some other welcome steps in favor of companies and therefore their investors are retention of profits by the company for three years.” 
 
Kulpreet Kaur, Co-founder, Shop Pirate Coupons

	“The Indian government has kick-started ambitious Start-Up India mission that envisages technology business incubators and research parks. This was for the first time a government in India has launched an exclusive program for startups and the expectations were really high. The vision to set up 75 such startup support hubs in the National Institutes of Technology (NITs), the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) and National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIEPRs) will help India to develop local brands that can create global footprints. In the past India has been a market for technological innovation created overseas. The time has come now that the Indians create technological products at home that can be marketed globally. 
	We have the skills and need a platform. 
	Start-Up India is going to go a long way in filling up this void. I would say today is the day, that will take new and young entrepreneurs to a next level as the issue from incorporation to talent to infrastructure, all have been discussed. Its appreciable that the major concern of B2B business which is 10% TDS and 14.5 % ST, have been noticed and government saying they will rationalize the same. <o:p></o:p>

	Also as rightly said by Anisha Singh, it’s important that women entrepreneurs should be looked upon as entrepreneurs, not just women entrepreneurs. It’s our work that should get noticed not our gender. However the change is need of time and to give this equality government has to encourage women entrepreneur. It’s good to see that certain provisions are made where there are funds allocations for women entrepreneur. Ecosystem is getting changed and allowing more women to work, which is a highlight of Start-Up India Initiative. Apart from this startup sector becoming unregulated will be better for the sector. Instead of looking at Singapore, we will now have our ecosystem in India. Hoping the budget session will further revolutionize the startups in India. Now the only concern will be 'Sell it India" that is a challenge that needs to be addressed next.<o:p></o:p>

	Amit Ramani, founder and CEO, Awfis Space Solutions Pvt Ltd
Honourable PM Modi's action plan demonstrates a startup like thought process. It provides simple yet innovative policies that can catalyse a revolution to transform India as the most innovative country and major player in global GDP, a feat India enjoyed around 300 years back.

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