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<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=%E2%80%8BPaytm&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Paytm</a>’s <keyword id="2324069" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Payments-Bank">Payments bank</keyword> VP <keyword id="2068227" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Vikas-Purohit">Vikas Purohit</keyword>, who recently quit mobile wallet and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=e-commerce&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">e-commerce</a> firm <keyword id="6357120" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="PayTM">Paytm</keyword> after a seven months stint will soon launch his own venture. 
 
In an exclusive interview with Business Insider, Purohit said this won’t have been possible if not for his boss. “Vijay has been a mentor from Day 1. Rarely do you find a boss who acts like a pillar of strength and motivation to achieve your goal”, he gushes. 
 
According to a <a href="http://techcircle.vccircle.com/2016/06/08/exclusive-paytms-payments-bank-vp-vikas-purohit-quits/">report</a>, Purohit’s last day at the company is this week. This comes at a time when the mobile wallet and <keyword id="35621" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="e-commerce">e-commerce</keyword> firm is on full throttle to launch its own payments bank. 
 
“We’re working on the product and the investor side. It’s based on machine and digital learning to enhance the digital customer experience”, he says. 
 When asked about Sharma’s role in his <keyword id="107737" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Entrepreneurship">entrepreneurship</keyword> plans, Purohit says, “This was just an idea. I remember it was late in the night, and Vijay was leaving for home. I told him I wanted to have a chat. A three hours marathon session later, I was convinced I should start something of my own. Today, even as I’ve moved out, I know he’s there. I’ll come back once every month for feedback.” 
 
Purohit claims he’ll launch his product/service by the end of the year. 
 
This isn’t the first time <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Vijay+Shekhar+Sharma&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Vijay Shekhar Sharma</a> has nurtured entrepreneurship spirit among peers. Under his tutelage, brands like SHEROES and Edukart have emerged. Vijay encouraged founders <keyword id="1772553" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sairee-Chahal">Sairee Chahal</keyword> and Ishan Gupta. SHEROES.in, founded by Sairee, curates work from home jobs in India, building a community of working women, helping them find mentors and resources. EduKart on the other hand is India’s leading education marketplace, offering education seekers a platform to choose and enrol from 2000+ courses in degree, diploma, certificate, entrance coaching and K12 categories. 
 
Paytm refused to comment.

Exclusive: When Paytm Founder-CEO
Vijay Shekhar Sharma played mentor to Vikas Purohit

<ul><li> Eight-year old <keyword id="2589674" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sheroes" source="Orion">Sheroes</keyword> started lending, only to women, via its digital bank called <keyword id="12806215" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mahila-money" source="Orion">Mahila Money</keyword> six months ago.</li><li>Chahal wants to scale this venture to 10 million more women by 2022.</li><li>Chahal recounts the challenges and how she plans to overcome them in an exclusive interview with Business Insider.</li><li>Check out our <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/bi-newsletter">weekly explainers</a> on the hottest topics and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/newsletters_signup.cms">sign up</a> if you like them.</li></ul>Delhi-based women-only social network Sheroes is now expecting to go big in the lending space by providing small business loans to female micro-entrepreneurs in India. The eight-year-old company set up a new neobank, named Mahila Money, six months ago to offer loans as well as financial services to women. It is a separate entity, with a separate team, to scale it faster with sharp focus. The company currently offers small loans at an average ticket size of ₹50,000 and it goes up to ₹500,000 to yoga coaches, tuition teachers, social commerce sellers, beauty parlour owners, and boutiques owners. Simply put, Neobanks are digital only banks, without any physical branches. You can read more about it <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neobank-threat-against-incumbent-banks-growing-2021-9">here</a>. While founder Sairee Chahal started out with some ambitious goals, Mahila Money has managed to lend to 200 women in the last quarter. She noted that the people borrowing on Sheroes' Mahila Money have never borrowed capital from the formal market before and that is majorly due to lack of options available for female entrepreneurs. One of the biggest hurdles in the segment has been the lack of trust. “Trust is a major, major thing. No woman, no one wants somebody landing up on their doorstep or somebody calling their family or relatives to get loan recovery” Chahal said in an interview. The whole space for small loans has been stained by the unregulated players, many of whom act unethically to recover their loans. An issue that even the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/rbi-warns-people-against-unauthorized-digital-lending-apps-that-promise-quick-loans/articleshow/79919474.cms">worried about</a>. Even those who need loans have been scarred and many a time wary of even the legitimate players like Sheroes. But trust can get you a foot in the door. There are many other challenges along the way. The traditional lending system leaves out a major chunk of the Indian population who do not have a credit score. Women were at the deep end of this pool since they neither had any asset or credit score to borrow capital on. Women have to rely on other male members of the family to finish up the loan process since they don’t own any assets under their name and it is quite discouraging for them, Chalal explained. To beat this challenge, and to identify women who can likely repay loans, Mahila Money looks at 100 new data points including their understanding of the business, behavioral data, social data, transaction data, and social capital among others, Chahal added. <div type="image" title="After six months of lending, Sheroes realizes how big of a task it is" msid="88476585" hostid="261"></div> It is still a tough task. So, Chahal has partnered with organisations that work closely with these women. In order to build that trust Mahila Money has partnered with 60 women-focused organizations — Empower Foundation, Udyam Foundation, Seva Foundation, beauty parlour associations —, which have close to 1 million members. These organizations redirect their members to Mahila Money at the time of need and help in the underwriting process as well. The company aims to connect with 3000-4000 such organisations, with close to 10 million members, by the end of 2021. This is in addition to the 22 million women that are registered on the Sheroes app for employment, entrepreneurship or simply to engage in a community. This is still a huge opportunity. According to a <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/uploads/2021/02/20/file_upload-417397.pdf">report</a> by International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank, India ranks third-highest in entrepreneurship gender gap across the world and the lack of capital is a major reason behind it. Another report<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/gender-equality/the-power-of-parity-advancing-womens-equality-in-india-2018"> published</a> by Mckinsey Global Institute in 2018 added that India can increase its gross domestic product (GDP) upto 60% by 2025 through equal participation of women in the labor force. This would need an additional $700 million to $7.9 trillion. Chahal wants to scale this venture to 10 million more women by 2022, from the current customer base of 200. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/shares-of-data-patterns-list-at-864-while-the-shares-were-allotted-at-585per-share/articleshow/88467078.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Data Patterns beats GMP and lists at 40% premium</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/data-patterns-lampt-finance-indigo-spicejet-and-other-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-december-24/slidelist/88465282.cms">Data Patterns, L&amp;T Finance, IndiGo, SpiceJet and other stocks to watch out for on December 24</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/ipo-bound-xiaomi-phone-maker-in-india-faces-tough-challenge-from-a-prowling-samsung/articleshow/88450732.cms">IPO-bound Xiaomi phone maker in India faces tough challenge from a prowling Samsung</a>

INTERVIEW: After six months of lending, Sheroes founder explains how tough it is

<ul><li><keyword id="103425" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="MapmyIndia">MapMyIndia</keyword> CEO Rohan Verma took to Twitter with an urgent plea for Google – to get his app back on the play store. </li><li>Seven hours later, the app was once again back on play store, but the tweet was noticed by many. </li><li>He wrote that his app is a localised offering of <keyword id="97416" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-maps">Google Maps</keyword> and that doesn’t mean the giant should mess with them periodically.</li></ul>MapMyIndia CEO Rohan Verma took to Twitter on April 6 afternoon with an urgent plea to Google – to get his app back on the play store. He wrote that his app is a localised offering of Google Maps and that doesn’t mean the internet giant should mess with them periodically. <div type="twitter" handle="_rohanverma" handlename="Rohan Verma" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1223652199529533445/leYuIcsB_normal.jpg" favoritecount="307" retweetcount="153" status="Urgently asking @GooglePlay @GoogleIndia to put @MapmyIndiaMove app BACK ON GOOGLE PLAY - it is used by citizens &amp;… https://t.co/AUjpB5bvgr" createdat="1586163350000" id="1247085595467198464"></div> Seven hours later, the app was back on play store. But the tweet has over 150 retweets with many even offering legal help in the issue. Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma also retweeted it. Sairee Chahal, the founder of Sheroes, wrote, “Founders who got their apps taken down by Google this year. I can tell you this is a long list.” MapMyIndia offers Maps, Navigation, and Safety, while also sharing live traffic updates. With the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> pandemic, the app has created a resource pool whereby a user can locate the nearest Covid-19 testing centres, hospitals and more. Users can then add their own reviews about the centre. It has created a dashboard which is in sync with the statistics from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website. The dashboard has layers from where people can locate state wise coronavirus cases, treatment centres, testing labs, sample collection centres, relief camps for migrant workers and more. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/coronavirus-cases-in-india-news-data-and-updates-april-7-2020/articleshow/75021455.cms">India’s Covid-19 cases rise to 4861 and Maharashtra is the worst hit with 748 active cases</a>

MapMyIndia CEO says their app went missing from play store as it’s a competition to Google Maps

<ul><li><keyword id="11534552" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="10club">10club</keyword> has closed its seed funding round at $40 million, which is one of the largest seed financing rounds in the South Asian market. </li><li>India currently has only 285 startups led or co-led by women entrepreneurs, according to an industry report. </li><li>Before founding 10club, <keyword id="3286032" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bhavna-Suresh">Bhavna Suresh</keyword> built brands like Lamudi Philippines and women’s wear on-demand rental service StyleBank.</li></ul>Even as India has climbed up to be the <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/what-economic-survey-2020-21-says-about-indias-startup-ecosystem/articleshow/80586774.cms#:~:text=India%20currently%20houses%20the%20world's,by%20the%20Covid%2D19%20pandemic.">third-largest startup ecosystem</a> in the world, the contribution of female entrepreneurs does not make the headlines so often. There are many reasons behind it, ranging from lack of opportunities, investor apprehension and more. But on Tuesday (June 29), a woman serial entrepreneur Bhavna <keyword id="9999" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Suresh">Suresh</keyword> closed India’s largest seed round for her nine-month-old startup 10club. 10club has closed its seed funding round at $40 million, which is one of the largest seed financing round in the South Asian market. This round was co-led by consumer brands-focused Fireside Ventures and an undisclosed international investor. San Francisco-based marketplace accelerator Heyday, PDS international, Class 5 Global, Secocha Ventures led by Sanket Parekh, and boAt founders Aman Gupta and Sameer Mehta also participated in this seed funding round. Suresh founded 10club last year, along with Joel Ayala and Deepak Nair. It is an e-commerce player that will acquire small merchants and brands listed on <keyword id="18635" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> marketplace. After the acquisition of Amazon seller’s businesses, the brand will scale them up. The biggest player in the segment is New York-based Thras.io, with a presence in the US, and has acquired more than 100 third party sellers or fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) businesses. The 10club workforce is a 20-people team, with people from several enterprises and digital businesses like Amazon, <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword>, Udaan, Reliance, Coca Cola and others. According to a State of Women in Tech Entrepreneurship in India 2020 <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/women-founded-tech-startups-india-see-24-decline-funding-h1-2020-136503">report</a>, there has been a 11 times increase in the number of women entrepreneurs in the last decade (2010-2020). Yet, the number of female-founded and co-founded tech startups in the country stands at 285, as of last year. Between 1990 and 2010, only 26 startups had at least one female founder. About 75 startups added at least one woman founder by 2014 and 180 jumped by 2019. In an ecosystem with such a scarcity of women entrepreneurs, the recent milestone hit by the nine-month-old startup 10club is is a milestone for the women-led startups in the country. Even from this small pool of female entrepreneurs, many have overcome several challenges to be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/meet-the-women-behind-some-of-indias-very-successful-startups/articleshow/74532871.cms">role models in tech</a>. This includes Nykaa’s Falguni Nayar, <keyword id="143842" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mobikwik">Mobikwik</keyword>’s Upasana Taku, Sheroes’ Sairee Chahal, Zivame’s Ruchi Kar, Yatra.com’s Sabina Chopra and others. Before founding 10club, Suresh has built brands like Lamudi Philippines (2016) and women’s wear on-demand rental service StyleBank (2014). She completed her education masters in business administration (MBA) in management strategies in HEC Paris in 2015-2016. Lamudi Philippines is a real estate startup that enables its customers to buy, sell and rent property in the Philippines. The company had raised $56 million from Asia Pacific Internet Group, Axel Springers and others. It was <a href="https://kr-asia.com/bayut-and-zameen-parent-empg-acquires-lamudi-global-to-expand-into-the-philippines-indonesia-and-mexico">acquired</a> by digital classifieds groups Emerging Markets Property Group (EMPG) last year. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepak-nair-9586b21/?originalSubdomain=in">Nair </a>has had quite an extensive entrepreneurial journey as well. He had previously founded digital marketing agency 22feet Tribal Worldwide in 2019 and an independent advertising network White Canvas Communications in 2006. Notably, Suresh had worked as a business development manager at 22feet Tribal Worldwide between 2012 and 2014. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-ayala-375b3269/">Ayala</a>, on the other hand, has been a serial investor and has founded venture fund Class 5 Global in 2018. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apple-is-spearheading-the-revival-in-personal-computers/articleshow/83943818.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">OPINION: Apple is spearheading the revival in personal computers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/zomato-reportedly-invests-120-million-in-grofers/articleshow/83951631.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Grofers becomes a unicorn after Zomato reportedly invests $120 million</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-nord-2-renders-specs-launch-date/articleshow/83946158.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">OnePlus Nord 2 renders give us the best look yet at the upcoming affordable smartphone</a>

Meet Bhavna Suresh ⁠— a serial entrepreneur who just raised $40 million in seed funding for her startup 10club

<ul><li>The influencers include dignitaries such as <keyword id="6354361" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kiran-Bedi">Kiran Bedi</keyword> and Ravi Shankar Prasad and many prominent women leaders. </li><li>The list comprises influencers from diverse industries such as financial services, startups, HR, social impact, and IT Services. </li><li>Indian contributors are three times more likely to respond to comments on posts and received over ten times more engagement in the past year.</li></ul>Social media platform <keyword id="28120" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Linkedin">LinkedIn</keyword> has put out its third annual list of 25 most-influential voices for India that has featured Indian dignitaries like Kiran Bedi, Ravi Shankar Prasad and several other prominent women leaders like Debjani Ghosh, Pooja Kapur, Ester Martinez, and Sairee Chahal. The list features contributors who have shaped industry opinion, analysed key trends, and used the platform in innovative ways inspiring other professionals to join conversations and share opinions. The influencers hail from diverse industries such as financial services, startups, HR, social impact, and IT Services who are industry leaders writing about a range of topics from HR policies and work culture to data privacy, women issues, entrepreneurship, and technology. Influencers who made to the list for the first time include <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiran-bedi-15154b57/">Kiran Bedi</a>, Lt. Governor of Puducherry and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankarprasad/">Ravi Shankar Prasad</a>, Minister for Law &amp; Justice &amp; Electronics &amp; IT of India, who have regularly shared updates on the progress they are making regarding government campaigns such as <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6465414101538566144">Digital India</a> campaign and have been vocal about the growing security concerns with the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-building-india-team-to-curb-fake-news-but-government-is-not-satisfied/articleshow/65292048.cms">spread of fake news</a> via social platforms. The contributors have shared opinions on trending topics such as <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/orbits-ankur-warikoo/">entrepreneurship</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/womens-way-leading-sairee-chahal/">women in leadership roles</a>,<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6440158559043973120">developments in technology</a>, and the <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6405420129366179840">startup ecosystem</a> that have kickstarted engaging industry discussions. The posts that performed exceptionally well and earned the highest social signals and public engagement include <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidpai/">Siddharth Pai’s</a> article on ‘<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/limbic-thought-artificial-intelligence-siddharth-sid-pai/">Limbic thought and artificial intelligence</a>’ and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/vartika-kashyap-30653245/">Vartika Kashyap's</a> article on ‘<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/morning-habits-keep-my-productivity-levels-sky-high-vartika-kashyap/">Morning Habits That Keep My Productivity Levels Sky High</a>’. Also, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/warikoo/?originalSubdomain=in">Ankur Warikoo’s</a> video series <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/content/?keywords=%23WarikooWednesdays&amp;origin=GLOBAL_SEARCH_HEADER">#WarikooWednesdays</a> has drawn more than 44,000 video views and more than 1,000 social signals. Here’s the full list: <ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/swatyaggrawal/">Swati Agarwal</a>, General Manager, Social Venture Partners</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamal-bandyopadhyay-818b2b9/">Tamal Bandyopadhyay</a>, Consulting Editor, Business Standard</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiran-bedi-15154b57/">Kiran Bedi</a>, Lt Governor, Puducherry, Government of Puducherry</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sairee/">Sairee Chahal</a>, Founder, CEO Sheroes</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/schandra100/">Subhash Chandra</a>, Founder, CrowdWisdom360</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/annesha-dutta/">Annesha Dutta</a>, Consultant &amp; Corporate Trainer- Communications &amp; Branding</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/debjani-ghosh-48298b1/">Debjani Ghosh</a>, President, <keyword id="6372077" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="nasscom">NASSCOM</keyword></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jraja/">Raja Jamalamadaka</a>, Leadership coach, Advisor to startups</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojakap/">Pooja Kapur</a>, Ambassador of India to Bulgaria and Macedonia</li><li><a href="https://in.linkedin.com/in/vartika-kashyap-30653245">Vartika Kashyap</a>, Marketing Manager, ProofHub</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/estermartinez/">Ester Martinez</a>, CEO &amp; Editor-in-Chief at People Matters</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansimehrotra/">Hansi Mehrotra</a>, Founder, The Money Hans</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonpurnima/">Purnima Menon</a>, CMO, Microland Limited</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/procyon/">Procyon Mukherjee</a>, Chief Procurement Officer, LafargeHolcim</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidpai/">Siddharth Pai</a>, Founder and General Partner, Siana Capital</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayashreepatnaik/">Jayashree Patnaik</a>, Chief Strategy Officer, CFA Technologies</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankarprasad/">Ravi Shankar Prasad</a>, Minister for Law &amp; Justice &amp; Electronics &amp; IT of India</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/pooja-sareen-23874151/">Pooja Sareen</a>, Editor in Chief &amp; Co-founder at Inc 42</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/limasehgal/">Lima Sehgal</a>, Senior HR Advisor &amp; job market specialist</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kunalshah1/">Kunal Shah</a>, Advisor to the Board, Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd.</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/riteshbusinesseconomist/">Ritesh Kumar Singh</a>, Founder and Chief Economist, Indonomics Consulting</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tapansinghel/">Tapan Singhel</a>, Managing Director and CEO, <keyword id="113665" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bajaj-Allianz-General-Insurance">Bajaj Allianz General Insurance</keyword> Co. Ltd. </li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesomani/">Amit Somani</a>, Managing Partner, Prime Venture Partners</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/harimrinal23577532/?originalSubdomain=in">Hari T. N</a>, Head HR, <keyword id="964794" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BigBasket">BigBasket</keyword></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/warikoo/">Ankur Warikoo</a>, Cofounder &amp; CEO, <a href="http://nearbuy.com/">nearbuy.com</a></li></ul>

Here are the 25 most influential people on LinkedIn in India

<keyword id="6357120" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="PayTM">Paytm</keyword> has had quite the year and to celebrate its successes, the startup is marking its annual day today with a grand party. 
 Having rented out the lawn behind a <keyword id="18858" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Noida">Noida</keyword> mall, the staff and their families will be treated to musical performances by <keyword id="12350" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Indian-Ocean">Indian Ocean</keyword> and Euphoria. Besides staff, the function will also be attended by Paytm's partners and the companies it has invested and acquired, apart from those <keyword id="6362513" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Startups">startups</keyword> that have been renting out its office premises. 
 Big boss <keyword id="198636" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Vijay-Shekhar-Sharma">Vijay Shekhar Sharma</keyword> was on a business trip in China till Tuesday to attend Alibaba's huge family day event. But he's rushed back to let his hair down at Paytm's fourth anniversary party today. Guests expected at the bash include Archit Gupta from ClearTax as well as Sairee Chahal from Fleximom, and business heads from Google and McCann. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Here's how Paytm is celebrating Christmas and its anniversary

<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

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)

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