The years 2021 and 2022 so far have been about the rise of the unicorn. Ghazal Alagh to Falguni Nayar, 5 women entrepreneurs who have built Rs 7,500 crore or more business empires all due to their mindfulness and determination. Ghazal Alagh, one of the youngest sharks on Shark Tank India and the founder of Mamaearth, officially entered the unicorn club earlier this year. His company became the first unicorn of 2022. Interestingly, according to Inc42, there have already been 9 startups in India to achieve unicorn status this year.
For the uninitiated, the unicorn is the term used to describe startups valued at $1 billion (around Rs 7,500 crore). At present times, Indian women entrepreneurs are taking the lead, building a business empire that inspires millions out there to follow their dream. Let’s take a look at some of the most powerful Indian women entrepreneurs who are leading the business game and breaking the glass ceiling.
1. Ghazal Alagh – Co-founder, Mamaearth
One of the youngest sharks on the Shark Tank Panel, Ghazal Alagh’s company became the first unicorn of 2022. The company raised a funding of $52 million (approx Rs 395 crores) at the valuation of $1.2 billion (approx Rs 9110 crore). Alagh is also the co-founder of another Derma company and recently acquired Adhuna Bhabani’s haircare brand BBLUNT for Rs 135 crore.
2. Falguni Nayar – Founder, Nykaa
With her IPO debut, the Nykaa founder’s company is one of the few profit-making companies right now. For years, Falguni Nayar, the former investment banker made roadway for companies to debut at the stock market. Today, Nykaa is India’s top e-commerce site for beauty products. According to a Business standard report, Nykaa’s revenue from operations for FY 2021 was at Rs 2,440.89 crore, which grew by 38.10% from FY2020.
3. Priyanka Gill – Co-founder, The Good Glamm Group
Last year in November, The Good Glamm Group officially became a unicorn company as it raised $150 million (approx Rs 11,37,79,27,500) in the round of funding led by Warburg Pincus. The brand is co-founded by Priyanka Gill, Naiyya Saggi, and Darpan Sanghvi.
4. Ruchi Kalra – Co-founder and CFO, OfBusiness
The B2B e-commerce platform raised $160 million (Rs 12,13,70,40,000) before turning into a unicorn. It’s founded by Ruchi Kalra, Vasant Sridhar, Asish Mohapatra, Nitin Jain, and Bhuvan Gupta.
5. Divya Gokulnath – Co-founder and Director, Byju’s
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In December 2021, Byju’s become the first domestic start-up to reach a valuation of $21 billion (Rs 15,93,97,03,50,000). Based on the figures by CB Insights, the ed-tech unicorn was ranked as the 13th largest unicorn in the globe. The company is founded by Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath. In 2020, the company went on to acquire another ed-tech company Whitehat Jr for $300 million (approx Rs 22,76,76,00,000).