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New Delhi, After hacking masked credit and debit card data of crores of Juspay users, the same hacker possibly known as '<keyword id="9206309" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="shinyhunters">ShinyHunters</keyword>' is now selling databases belonging to three more Indian companies on <keyword id="1929208" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="dark-web">Dark Web</keyword>, independent cyber security researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia claimed on Wednesday. According to Rajaharia who first broke the JusPay hacking, the three Indian companies are e-marketplace <keyword id="2901238" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Clickindia">ClickIndia</keyword>, <keyword id="2461546" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="FinTech">fintech</keyword> startup for small business owners ChqBook and wedding planning website WedMeGood. "Nearly 80 lakh users of ClickIndia (name, email, mobile and other personal details), 10 lakh users of ChqBook (name, email, mobile, full address and other personal details) and 13 lakh users of WedMeGood (name, email, hashed password, other sensitive personal information)," Rajaharia told. Like JusPay, these three companies have also not allegedly told the users about the data breach, claimed the security researcher. The names of the three Indian companies were first reported by BleepingComputer website, saying that a "data breach broker is selling the allegedly stolen user records for 26 companies on a hacker forum". ChqBook denied the attack while the other two companies were yet to react to the report. According to <keyword id="10553252" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sonit-jain">Sonit Jain</keyword>, CEO of <keyword id="9727813" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="gajshield-infotech">GajShield Infotech</keyword>, such incidents, once confirmed irrespective of data sensitivity, leaves a negative impression over the digital payment platforms. "Simple data like email ID and phone number which may not look sensitive can turn out to be lethal means of financial fraud at personal level, if fallen in wrong hands," Jain told. Bengaluru-based digital payments gateway JusPay said in an earlier statement that the company verified that their Secure Data Store, which hosts the confidential card numbers, was not accessed or compromised. "Thus, all our customers were secure from any kind of risk. Our priority was to inform the merchants and as a measure of abundant precaution, they were issued fresh API keys though it was later verified that even the API keys in use were safe," the company said. According to Rajaharia, the hacker is the same who leaked <keyword id="964794" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BigBasket">BigBasket</keyword> data, previously reported by the cybersecurity firm Cyble. In November last year, one of India's popular online grocery stores BigBasket, found that its data of over 20 million users had been hacked and were on sale on the dark web for over $40,000. "Now, the same hacker group is asking about $10,000 in Bitcoin for the BigBasket database and is also selling the three companies' databases," Rajaharia said. "There is a strong connection between all these recent data leaks, including BigBasket," he added. US-based third-party cyber intelligence firm Cyble claimed in its official blog that though the alleged breach occurred on October 14, it detected it on October 30, validated it on October 31 and informed BigBasket on November 1. The user database was estimated to be about 20 million, with names, email ids, password hashes, pin, contact numbers, addresses, date of birth, location and IP addresses of login. JusPay on Tuesday said that about 3.5 crore records with masked card data and card fingerprint were compromised by the hacker and the claim of 10 crore cardholders' data being affected is "incorrect". SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/boat-raises-over-100-million-from-warburg-pincus-analysts-expect-the-headphone-brand-to-double-its-revenue-to-10-billion-this-financial-year/articleshow/80126200.cms">boAt raises over $100 million from Warburg Pincus — analysts expect the headphone brand to double its revenue to ₹10 billion this financial year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/oneplus-fitness-band-india-launch-date-price-and-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/80129498.cms">OnePlus Band India launch date, price and everything you need to know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-will-stop-working-if-you-do-not-agree-to-its-new-terms-and-privacy-policies/articleshow/80127866.cms">WhatsApp will stop working if you do not agree to its new terms and privacy policies</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/toyota-fortuner-suv-2021-launched-in-india-with-new-price-design-and-features-check-details-here/articleshow/80129932.cms">Toyota Fortuner 2021 launched at a starting price of ₹29.98 lakh — here’s all you need to know from looks to specification and features</a>

After Juspay, ClickIndia, ChqBook and WedMeGood have been reportedly hacked — data of over 10 million users up for sale on the dark web

Scroll down your <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=facebook">Facebook</a> account, and what you see is almost everyone is getting hitched. It’s like there is no marriage season anymore, because there are marriages happening round the year. Precisely why there has been a boom in online wedding planning space in the recent past. More and more entrepreneurs have jumped into the fray. As each player is trying to get the maximum leverage out of this rising demand, a new startup <keyword id="3059916" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="WedMeGood">Wedmegood</keyword> has got some of the tricks going right for them compared to others. Folks here are killing it on social media! 
 
Active on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Instagram+">Instagram </a>for about 18 months now, the firm has crossed 1,00,000 likes. It’s got 10,000 followers on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Pinterest+">Pinterest </a>in the span of 8-9 months and more than 60,000 on <keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword>. The idea of such a portal was incepted out of a personal problem which founders Anand and Mehak faced while planning their cross-cultural wedding. They realised the need for a trustworthy yet fun platform and after a few months of intense planning and strategizing, they launched their own portal in February, 2014. It is now visited by more than 2 lakh unique visitors every month, has growing followers on social media and it recently picked up a round of funding from IAN and marquee angels like Hemant Kanakia, Alok Mittal, Anupam Mittal and Rishi Parti. 
 
After serving to-be-wed couples for over one and a half years, WedMeGood has recently launched its app. Plans galore, what intrigues us the most is their almost explosive growth on social media. Business Insider got chatting with founder Anand Shahani on this and the conversation resulted in some key insights on how to get users and keep them engaged on social platforms. Check it out: 
 
Your social media fan following is rising by the day. What were the ideas for making it big on social, and how did you go about implementing them? 
 Weddings are such a high involvement line that most couples start searching for inspiration a year before their wedding. Given that brides are the ones driving decisions we had to reach them where they are most active- <keyword id="819905" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Instagram">Instagram</keyword>, <keyword id="939877" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pinterest">Pinterest</keyword>, Facebook and then attract them to our website. Chances are, if they love our social media feed, when the time comes to hire their vendors, they will turn to us at the time as well. There is of course the matter of being a startup, we are always strapped for cash when it comes to marketing, so we knew we had to make sure our organic channel did superbly. 
 We took some interesting initiatives to get things going for us on social. Like the <keyword id="6358096" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Snapchat">Snapchat</keyword> ‘Fan Takeover’ Initiative. So, our fans take to our Snapchat account when attending a wedding. They snap live from the wedding- right from the decor to the dulhan and our snapchat followers get the feeling of attending a wedding, get great ideas and inspiration in the comfort of their homes. We now get requests from planners, brides and grooms to attend their wedding just so they can be on Wedmegood snapchat. 
 
Which one is your biggest traffic driver? 
Our Facebook Blog has been the biggest traffic driver. The most successful feature has been our real wedding stories, where we showcase albums of couples who recently tied the knot, and list out the vendors they hired and their experience. Not only does this help in engaging couples hunting for great ideas, but also helps us reach a larger audience as the bride and groom share it on their own social media accounts. Our Real weddings have become so popular that we average 1 wedding submission a day in peak period, though we cannot feature all of them. Over the past year, Pinterest has become one of our strongest platforms as well. Our Pinterest boards are divided in a way, so that you can plan your wedding sitting right there. From Sikh brides to Morning weddings, each image pinned has been described in detail. Pinterest now accounts for almost as much traffic as Facebook. 
 
Okay. It’s rightly said save the best for the last. Your best results are on Instagram. How did that happen? 
On Instagram #wedmegood, we currently have over 1,00,000 organic followers. So, we regularly encouraged crowdsourced content from both users and vendors. We told them to upload inspiring wedding photos on their own Instagram and hashtag #wedmegood . We would then repost our favourite tagged photos on our own Insta handle. So far, more than 28,000 photos have been uploaded by others using #wedmegood. 
 
Why did you think of choosing this route of promoting the brand? 
Once we realised its importance, we decided to actively educate ourselves as we as founders too wanted to be involved in the social media to set the tone. Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest came naturally given Mehak’s strong content background. However Pinterest and now Snapchat have had a learning curve. We have always believed that an organic audience translates into a higher quality audience - who are genuinely engaged with your brand - and this is what we found in our experience as well. The reason WedMeGood works is because the audience on it is genuinely engaged with the brand and trusts it. 
 
Elated over the overwhelming response, Anand’s wife and co-founder Mehak S Shahani said: “We are seeing extremely high engagement levels from both couples and vendors. Our users spend an average of 5 minutes on site and during their planning period visit us multiple times a week. In a short span of time, we have been able to provide a platform which couples can trust for their wedding decisions and with the upcoming app, we are sure to provide an even better experience for couples across India.”

This success story of an Online Wedding Planning Startup explains why Wedding Planners are all over Social Media these days

In yet another data breach, sensitive data of nearly 3.25 lakh users of India-based global <keyword id="6357017" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="cryptocurrency">cryptocurrency</keyword> exchange and wallet, <keyword id="6238055" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="buyucoin">BuyUcoin</keyword>, have been exposed on the Dark Web. The data leaked include names, e-mails, mobile numbers, encrypted passwords, user wallet details, order details, bank details, KYC details (PAN number, passport numbers) and deposit history. According to independent cyber security researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia, the 6GB file on MongoDB database contains three backup files containing BuyUcoin data. "This is a serious hack as key financial, banking and KYC details have been leaked on the Dark Web," Rajaharia told IANS and shared some screenshots of the leaked data. Researchers at cyber security firm Kela Research and Strategy Ltd first discovered the stolen data, linked on the same forum, from Wongnai Media Co Ltd, Tuned Global Pvt Ltd, BuyUcoin, Wappalyzer, Teespring Inc and Bonobos.com, which looks the handiwork of infamous hacking group ShinyHunters. "Over this past summer, ShinyHunters was seen publishing leaked data for free, exposing millions of personal records from all over the world," Victoria Kivilevich, threat intelligence analyst at Kela Research, told SiliconANGLE. "We have seen collaborators of Shiny Hunters selling and leaking other dumps in the recent months." BuyUcoin was yet to react to the report. ShinyHunters has also leaked 1.9 million user records stolen from free online photo editing application Pixlr. According to Rajaharia, the hacker is the same who earlier leaked BigBasket and JusPay data in India. In November last year, one of India's popular online grocery stores BigBasket found that its data of over 20 million users had been hacked and were on sale on the dark web for over $40,000. "Now, the same hacker group is asking about $10,000 in Bitcoin for the BigBasket database and is also selling the three companies' databases," Rajaharia said. "There is a strong connection between all these recent data leaks, including BigBasket," he added. Earlier this month, Bengaluru-based digital payments gateway JusPay said that about 3.5 crore records with masked card data and card fingerprint were compromised by the hacker. Rajaharia also disclosed that three Indian companies -- e-marketplace ClickIndia, fintech startup for small business owners ChqBook and wedding planning website WedMeGood -- were also hacked possibly by the same hacker. "Nearly 80 lakh users of ClickIndia (name, email, mobile and other personal details), 10 lakh users of ChqBook (name, email, mobile, full address and other personal details) and 13 lakh users of WedMeGood (name, email, hashed password, other sensitive personal information)," Rajaharia had revealed.

Cryptocurrency startup BuyUcoin hacked, data of over 3 lakh users leaked

New Delhi, A hacker that goes by the name of <keyword id="9206309" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="shinyhunters">ShinyHunters</keyword> has now leaked data of 2.28 million users of a dating <keyword id="10649183" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="website-meetmindful">website MeetMindful</keyword> that includes real names, Facebook account tokens, email addresses and geo-location information. According to a report in ZDNet, the leaked <keyword id="14345" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Date">date</keyword> in a 1.2GB file has been shared as a free download on a publicly accessible hacking forum. "The content of this file includes a wealth of information that users provided when they set up profiles on the MeetMindful site and mobile apps," said the report citing a cyber security research on Sunday. The leaked data also includes body details, dating preferences, marital status, birth dates, IP addresses and Bcrypt-hashed account passwords. The message on the website reads: "This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks". MeetMindful was founded in 2014. For several MeetMindful users, the leaked data can be used to trace their dating profiles back to their real-world identities. The data is still available for download on the public file-hosting site where it was initially uploaded. Several hackers have been engaged in sextortion where they contact dating site users, threatening to expose their profiles to family unless they pay a ransom. ShinyHunters has been involved in several data breaches recently, including allegedly leaking sensitive data of nearly 3.25 lakh users of Delhi-NCR based global cryptocurrency exchange and wallet, BuyUcoin, on the Dark Web. ShinyHunters has also leaked 1.9 million (19 lakh) user records stolen from free online photo editing application Pixlr. According to cyber security experts, the hacker is the same who earlier leaked BigBasket and JusPay data in <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>. Three other Indian companies -- e-marketplace ClickIndia, <keyword id="2461546" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="FinTech">fintech</keyword> startup for small business owners ChqBook and wedding planning website WedMeGood -- were also breached possibly by the same hacker. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/an-american-electric-car-maker-explains-why-it-took-a-different-route-than-elon-musks-tesla-tata-motors-or-mahindra/articleshow/80442243.cms?upcache=2">An American electric car maker explains why it took a different route than Elon Musk’s Tesla, Tata Motors or Mahindra</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/new-realme-stores-in-india-and-ceo-says-there-is-plan-for-new-devices/articleshow/80443801.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Realme plans to open 500 new stores in 2021⁠— the CEO reveals the company will go beyond smartphones in the 5G era</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/indias-co-working-sector-wants-recognition-under-real-estate-tax-benefits-as-flexible-workspaces-aim-for-a-significant-revival-in-the-post-covid-era/articleshow/80431768.cms">India’s co-working sector wants recognition under real estate, tax benefits as flexible workspaces aim for a significant revival in the post-COVID era</a>

Dating site MeetMindful hacked — data of over 2 million users leaked including Facebook details and geo-location

<ul><li><keyword id="3489555" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="upstox">Upstox</keyword>, the second largest stock broker in India, has suffered a massive data breach.</li><li>This breach has exposed user data like Aadhaar, PAN, bank account numbers and more.</li><li>While Upstox did not comment on the data leak, it said it has upgraded its security systems ‘manifold’ on the recommendations of a global cyber-security firm.</li></ul> Popular discount broker Upstox has suffered a massive data breach that has exposed some important data like Aadhaar, PAN and bank account numbers, apart from other personally identifiable information like mobile numbers and email addresses. Upstox is a Delhi-based discount stock broker that allows its customers to buy and sell shares. It is backed by Tiger Global and has over <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/what-made-upstox-indias-second-largest-stockbroker-after-zerodha/articleshow/78745921.cms">1 million customers</a>. “We have upgraded our security systems manifold recently, on the recommendations of a global cyber-security firm. We brought in the expertise of this globally renowned firm after we received emails claiming unauthorised access into our database,” Upstox <a href="https://upstox.com/announcements/customer-support/security-measures/">said</a> on its website, reacting to reports of the data breach. The company said that despite the data breach, the funds and shares of its customers are safe. This is for two reasons – funds in your Upstox account can only be withdrawn to the linked bank account, and the shares are held with the depositories – either Central Depositories Services India Ltd (CDSL) or National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) – and not with Upstox. With that being said, Upstox users have other things to be worried about. Security researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia, who <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/over-100-million-debit-and-credit-card-users-data-has-been-leaked-online-from-payments-processor-juspay-amazon-and-swiggy/articleshow/80096472.cms">had earlier tipped Business Insider about Juspay</a> and MobiKwik data breaches, told us that the <keyword id="11082460" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Upstox-data-breach">Upstox data breach</keyword> includes Aadhaar, PAN, passport, bank account numbers, mobile numbers and even the photos of signatures. This data could be used by hackers or malicious parties to impersonate users and transact on their behalf without the users’ knowledge. According to Rajaharia, the Upstox data breach was executed due to a compromised Amazon Web Service (AWS) key used by the company. He says that the same AWS key vulnerability was exploited in the MobiKwik data breach as well. Rajaharia shared a data sample with us – the sample revealed user details as reported in the breach. However, we could not verify the authenticity of the sample. The hacking group, ShinyHunter, has taken down the data for now. Upstox is the latest in Indian companies being targeted by hackers The Upstox data breach is the latest in a string of Indian companies being hacked – the most recent ones were MobiKwik, Juspay, ClickIndia, ChqBook, WedMeGood, among others. However, this time around, the Upstox data breach could be a result of its own folly. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/over-100-million-debit-and-credit-card-users-data-has-been-leaked-online-from-payments-processor-juspay-amazon-and-swiggy/articleshow/80096472.cms">The company that processes payments for Amazon and Swiggy has reported a data leak of over 100 million debit and credit cardholders</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/these-were-the-biggest-cyber-attacks-of-2020/slidelist/79941232.cms">From FireEye to Twitter to Covid-19 vaccine research ⁠— these were the biggest cyber attacks of 2020</a>

Discount broker Upstox suffers data breach – Aadhaar, PAN and bank account numbers leaked

<ul><li><keyword id="328347" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Angel-Network">Indian Angel Network</keyword> has closed its fundraising for the <keyword id="6129174" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="IAN-Fund">IAN Fund</keyword> after raising at ₹375 crore.</li><li>The fund over exceeded its target by ₹25 crore. </li><li>It currently has 34 companies in its portfolio, including the recently turned unicorn startup Druva.</li></ul>Seed and early stage investment platform Indian Angel Network closed its capital raising activity for the IAN Fund as it overshot its target by ₹25 crore. The fund raised ₹375 crore in all. “The fact that we have achieved and exceeded our capital target underlines our impressive growth trajectory and highlights the faith that investors have in our vision. Moving ahead, we aim to scale newer heights and play a bigger role in transforming and nurturing India’s entrepreneurial landscape,” said Padmaja Ruparel, founding Partner of the IAN Fund. Some of the fund’s participants include Institutional investors like SIDBI’s Fund of Funds for <keyword id="6362513" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="startups">Startups</keyword>, IIFL, Wadhwani Foundation, Yes Bank, Max Group, Gray Matters Capital, and Hyundai. Individual investors like Kris Gopalakrishnan, Sunil Munjal, Rajan Anandan, Kanwal Rekhi too invested in the fund. IAN fund was founded in 2017 and since then it has been an active angel investor. It has 34 companies in its portfolio, including Druva which recently turned a unicorn. The other startups it funded includes the QSR chain Wow Momo, wedding platform WedMeGood. The sector agnostic fund primarily invest in AI and machine learning, augmented and virtual reality, biotech, cleantech, fintech, agritech and healthtech.

Indian Angel Network closes its fund after raising ₹375 crores

If you have ever planned a <keyword id="6358814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wedding">wedding</keyword>, you will know the pain of managing all the wedding related <keyword id="6354692" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> needs. To your rescue, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> has announced an option that will make things go easier- UberWEDDINGS. 
 
The service will be available in 12 cities across the country and will go live by February 2017. 
 UberWEDDINGS provides an easy way for hosts to ensure that all wedding-related travel in the city is managed through cashless pre-generated promo codes. So whether it is about hopping between markets, finding the perfect outfit, or getting guests to the venue, Uber will make it happen in a pre decided budget, at a push of a button. All our users need to focus on is the wedding,” Mr Prabhjeet Singh, General Manager Delhi &amp; NCR, <keyword id="2502101" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber-India">Uber India</keyword> said. 
 
To provide this service, Uber has partnered with WedMeGood-a wedding planning website. 
 
Prior to the wedding, hosts can buy a specific number of Uber rides of set denominations (promo code based) on a specifically dedicated page on the WedMeGood website. They can then, share them with their guests as an extension to their invitations or give them to their family members to ride for free during preparation. This will enable the host to keep a track of their travel expenses without worrying about coordinating pick-ups and drops, parking, waiting charges. The promo codes can also be customized with host’s name or their wedding hashtag which will be printed by Uber and made available within 3 working days of the purchase request. 
 Uber already offers UberWEDDINGS in <keyword id="32755" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Washington-DC">Washington DC</keyword>, SF, <keyword id="6355838" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-York">New York</keyword>, Boston and LA as well.

Uber is going to help you in running around during the wedding season, welcome UberWEDDINGS

Weddings are surely made in heaven but organising one may or may not be a heavenly process. While planning weddings, families of both bride and groom side have to undergo a lot of thought process. 
 
From deciding on a number of cuisines to what bottle of wine to keep to what should be the colour theme, there are many decisions they have to take as it involves a lot of money and bargain. 
 
The wedding industry in India is flourishing and statistics corroborate the fact. Currently, the industry is over Rs 100,000 crore and is growing at 25-30% annually. The estimated cost of a wedding with no expenses spared could be between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 5 crore, in India. A person, in India, spends one fifth of the wealth accumulated in a lifetime on a wedding ceremony. 
 
As the choices increase, the confusions also creep in as each and every family member has a choice of his/her own. 
 
That settled, the next debate is about wedding attires and colour combinations. Everyone wants a Manish Malhotra or Sabyasachi lehenga. From bindi to footwear, options are galore and this gives birth to bridezilla! 
 
But before your tempers soar, just look at your smartphone, it can solve a lot of problems for you. Nowadays, there are many wedding planners who have created mobile applications to get everything under one roof. 
 
You can choose vendors, flower decorators, make-up artists, even create a guest list and send a wedding invite through them. You just need to download an app that suites your requirement. 
 
Here are few options you can choose from. 
 
1. WhatAshaadi: This app is available on Google Play as well as iOS and offers one-stop solution to all your wedding needs. They have a wide range of vendors, make-up artists, caterers etc and you can analyse what fits your pocket. 
 
2. Shaadisaga: This app brings everyone closer. If you are a tech freak and don’t want to spend much on wedding invites, this app is for you. You can create a guest list on this app and send your wedding invites to them. You can post photos and other information can interact with your near and dear ones. 
 
3. The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner: This app assembles a team of photographers, cake bakers, floral designers etc for you to turn your dream wedding into a reality. You can scan through lot of vendors and zero on one. 
 
4. Wedmegood: You can browse through thousands of photos and vendors. There are many portfolios and can get ideas for your wedding too. 
 
5. Indian Wedding Planner: You can keep an account of your expenses, this app will also tell you about Indian wedding rituals.

5 wedding planning apps that will give you ideas, help you bargain

The new brigade of young women entrepreneurs are the new trendsetters. From fashion, tech, wedding planning, photography to real estate, interior designing, they have got their footsteps in spaces one wouldn’t have thought of. There’s fresh energy flowing in their system, there’s life, passion, conviction and a sense of purpose in their ideas and complete madness to strike the goals they have set out for. 
 
Failure doesn’t have a place here. Breaking all barriers, these girls are out fiercely chasing their dreams. Some of them already have, while a few have set out too early – in their 20s. The belief to do something and be known for it is almost INFECTIOUS! 
 
And so, on a day which has been voicing the plight and achievements of women for more than a century, what better could I serve to you than the strong voice and purpose of four such young women entrepreneurs who have taken the plunge and are encouraging others to not let their dreams die because "now is the time to go after them." 
 Here's what the <keyword id="22923" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="women-leaders">women leaders</keyword> of tomorrow have to say. Read on: 
 
BUILD YOUR IDENTITY 
 
“I have been raised in an environment where it’s important for women to work and lead a balanced life. A women should have her own identity apart from being someone’s mother, daughter, sister or wife. It helps to have a professional goal in life and to be able to balance your lifestyle. Also, the journey becomes easier when you are financially independent. We were taught to be independent by our parents so that we could take ownership of our future ourselves, says <keyword id="2914545" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sana-Chopra">Sana Chopra</keyword>, Executive Director of Carl’s Jr. India, a California based burger chain. 
 
“A lot do with the environment that I have been raised in. One beautiful thing I have seen is my dad encouraging my mother to work. When she got married, shehad finished her college. It was my dad who pushed my mother to work. So, males in the house can contribute some value if they encourage females in their house to work,” she adds. 
 
DO NOT OVERTHINK, JUST TRUST YOUR INSTINCT AND GO FOR IT 
 “The problem is that women overthink. We like to plan everything out before taking a step. Therefore, we are less impulsive compared to men. My advice is sometimes, if there’s a gut feeling, trust your instinct and take the leap,” says <keyword id="3275546" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="mehak-shahani">Mehak Shahani</keyword>, co –founder of WedMeGood, an online wedding portal and app. 
 
Working in the tech space, Mehak feels, it provides a great level playing field for men as well as women. “Nothing here matters as much as your product. If you want to do a startup don’t think too much. You cannot plan as its full of risks and you react as and when they come to you. So just go for it if you believe in yourself,” she says. 
 
CARRY YOUR CONFIDENCE WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO 
 
Anvita of Confidential Couture who started her online portal for buying and selling pre-owned luxury products when she was 23 years old says she’s a chill boss. 
 
“I have a young team who keep throwing ideas at me. I play the friendly person to them. I feel the company is as much to them as it is to me. They are a part of the core decision making processes,” she says. 
 
Ask her what’s her idea of a woman in a leadership role and pat comes the reply: CONFIDENCE. “You need to know where to be and what to be. If I am behaving or dressed in not so apt way for a certain place, my confidence can take off the attention from my clothes. If you go with that attitude, nobody can do anything to you. That’s my advice to every woman starting out early in life. It’s worked so far for me. Carry your attitude up your sleeves and you will be fine,” she says. 
 
CREATE WITH CONVICTION, HARDWORK AND PATIENCE 
 
“Throughout history women have always been the stronger gender. Men and women both have been given equal brain power by nature. It is upto every individual to evolve and be able to use maximum of their capability. Women by large and by default are the ones who are more in touch with their feelings. The combination of this ability with the honed skills of logic makes them more suitable for leadership roles,” says Harsheen Arora, co-founder of The V Renaissance – Bespoke art and luxury. 
 
“I personally never thought of my decision as taking the plunge. My focus has always just been to create. I think it is important to have an inclination towards creating something on your own and following it through. Business stems from a mindset. I think the mantra should be - conviction, hard-work and a lot of patience!” she says.

What these young women leaders say about being a woman in the 21st century

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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