My name is Yasmin Hussain. My husband has been running a business since 2000, without the help of any fund despite applying several times for the same, but each request was dismissed. In 2011, we shifted to a place called Guindy and registered our company under the name ‘COTTAGE INDUSTRY-Homemade products.’ We then started creating labels and stickers for our Kocchi food products. As we settled down in 2011, we started hitting one road-block after another and were unable to get help through funds. We could not figure out ways to make our products successful and broke up in 2015. In (2017) I adopt the business. Since then, I have been registered (FSSAI certificate) and used platforms like Facebook and YouTube to promote my products. In 2019, I registered in UDYOG ADHAAR (MSME) and attended the entrepreneur grp (EDII). In (2020) I joined MSME where I went for training and attend several meetings. They supported my business endeavors and helped me lead a successful life. I thank Krishnaveni ma’am, Farveen fazul ma’am for giving me the opportunity of using this wonderful platform for widening my horizons. Womannovator connected me with some brilliant mentors who taught skills like me about better planning and team building. "

Benchmark “I vs. me” --Be your own cheerleader! --Meera Haridas I belong to the modern Urban Indian tribe, studying and working in many parts of India with little roots of my native State where I only visited most of my life. Born in a family of professionals, a premium was placed on education irrespective of my gender. While we were encouraged to have independent thinking there were also typical boundaries placed on how wide one could spread their wings so that one strikes the right balance between professional and personal life as a married woman. In that space, while I was put through great schools and college, I got married during my 2nd year at a BCom. course. As my spouse was a public sector officer, transfers, and relocations were unavoidable. Options to choose a career were a bit tricky. But being ones’ own cheerleader helps to get others to support you. Hence, after finishing my graduation while I tucked away the IIM dream, I looked for other opportunities. Writing the typical competitive exams, I got in as an Officer of the UTI Mutual Fund at age 22 and worked in various capacities for more than 14 years and followed with a sabbatical. The sabbatical was an opportunity to complete my MBA, experiment with entrepreneurship, and spend time with my 2 daughters. But going back to Corporate was a deep desire which helped me move to Bank of Baroda and join as a Marketing specialist in Senior Management and led the Bank’s Marcom department. Later I got an opportunity to lead a major NBFC brand in Kerala, my native state. For the first time, I experienced a National Brand that essayed its story from a small village. As a marketer, my duties took me around India, and the lessons I took away from each region shaped my visions and perspectives. The journey brought many awards and accolades for myself and for the companies I worked for. I also kept hobbies viz. writing and teaching alive most of these times. Of course, struggles are inevitable. But when we benchmark “I vs. me”, it helps to bring out the best. Hence the 25 + years journey through public /private sector organization with postings in villages, Tier 1 / 2 cities, or Mumbai I have enjoyed every part of my journey. In the past year, I have forayed into entrepreneurship and enjoy mentoring and motivating others, especially women who share similar dreams. Early in a new business, my main driving force was my passion. Womannovator helped me give my passion power and through better practical and theoretical knowledge of entrepreneurship that I gained from the great mentors at the womannovator platform. I look forward to opportunities of being part of Boards where I could contribute meaningfully to enable organizations for greater growth. "

We, JPNME Pvt. Ltd. are an EdTech Startup based in Kerala supplying an AI-assisted digital assessment platform named SkEdu meant for the holistic improvement of school students and teachers. Started in March 2018, we have been making innovative solutions to bring the most effective, time relevant, and comprehensive assessment platform boosting the performance of every single child. Our biggest achievement is the successful inclusion of a psychological analysis along with our academic and creative assessment modules. We follow continuous and comprehensive evaluation for assessing and evaluating the performance of K-12 students. Our unique assessment module created by psychologists, academicians, and health experts identifies the complete skillset (academic and non-academic) of the students. The automated feedback system involving teachers and parents are used to validate the data generated by the students. Our unique AI module helps in analyzing in-depth, the behavior of the students, including their strengths, weaknesses and generating action plan for both teachers and parents to holistically improve students’ performances, and finally recommending the careers. The performance of the teachers can also be evaluated class wise which helps the school authorities in accessing the prediction as well as performance improvement models of the entire school community. We are currently registered under KSUM and selected among the top 7 Edutech Startups being accelerated by The GAIN Startup to ScaleUp Cohort 1 Program. Womannovator supported my project and helped me grow on many scales by helping me consult professionals through their WE incubation program. "

I am a finance professional working in coal India limited. I have been working here for 8.5 years now and will be joining NeGD under MEITY as GM(Fin) from November onward. In CIL, I have been entrusted with several profiles and one of them is the allocation of CSR funds. I was also awarded the young achiever award by Shri Piyush Goyal, MOR. I noticed that my organization’s main focus area was just to achieve the CSR expenditure target but whether the same was helping the target beneficiaries was a matter of concern to me. So, I produced this concept of ISR, individual social responsibility, and discussed the same with my core team member. We led several campaigns like GAO Jodo Abhiyan, sabka swasth, swacch jal khel tarang, etc. The ten weeks that I spent with womannovator was a great learning experience for me. All the mentors were insightful, and it helped me look at my business and my work with new clarity and sparked creativity in me. I am looking forward to coming up with various new initiatives which will increase our company’s goodwill and will benefit society at large. "

"Mom| Cancer Crusader | TEDx speaker | Impact Entrepreneur | An ordinary person with some extraordinary experiences. My journey with the CRAB (Cancer) as a constant companion since 2010, has galvanized us. We have been tempered, stretched, twisted by various situations life has thrown at us. By God’s grace, the love and support of our family, friends, doctors, well-wishers and, a little bit of luck, we have managed. My zest for life and resilience continues to help us to live with gratitude & happiness, in-spite of 5 relapses, 2 major surgeries and 90+ sessions of chemotherapy. Apart from being a hands on mum, doing my part as a homemaker especially in the pandemic and working on the business, we spend time counselling cancer patients, caregivers in coping up. Pro bono. As we are not researchers who develop new medicines and miracle cures, we have setup a venture on the lines of the Sustainable Development Goal of Healthcare for All – Pureza Solutions. We plan to invest a major portion of our share of profits to make the Crusade against Cancer, self-sustaining. By sharing our experiences we hope to help people see the bright side even in the face of overwhelming odds and to strengthen their sense of calmness, grit and determination." "

Dr. Dolly Gupta is a well-known Celebrity Dermatologist, Hair Transplant & Cosmetic Surgeon in Kolkata. She is the Director of D’CosMedics Clinic; a one-stop destination for all Skin, Hair, Antiaging, and Laser treatment with the latest and most advanced technologies. Born in a business family in Guwahati, Assam from where she did her schooling and MBBS degree qualifying through Govt. Medical Entrance. After completing MD in Dermatology in 2010 from GMCH, she has been trained under the best of Cosmetic and Hair Transplant Surgeons in India for 2.5 years and further did advanced training in Aesthetics and Hair Transplantation from Singapore and the USA. She had received FIRST PRIZE Awards 7 times in Award Paper Presentations including for Best Paper in National Conference DERMACON 2011. She has been conferred with Women Achiever Awards like Naari Shakti Samman (2019), SHE Power (2019), SreeNandini (2018), Maitreyi (2017), and several other academic and Entrepreneur awards. She was a part of China Delegation Team 2019 as “Women Change Makers of Kolkata “. Her clients include well-known Actors and people from the film industry, Singers, Models, Sports personalities, Politicians, Bureaucrats, etc. Recently selected as the most preferred Skin and Aesthetic Physician for the Actors and Celebrities in East by the most popular magazine in Bengali Anandalok by ABP group (she was the only Dermatologist to be included from Eastern India). She is often invited for lectures in Conferences, various Corporates, and as a judge and skin specialist in beauty pageants. Her goal is to open multiple world-class aesthetic and wellness clinics in Bengal and Eastern India. As a medical entrepreneur, Dr. Dolly did not pay much heed to aspects like business strategies and planning but the incubation program by Womannovator helped change that. The 10 weeks with Womannovator helped Dr. Dolly to grow as an entrepreneur. "

I am a Marwari by birth but a total Bengali at heart. My childhood was spent amidst the lush tea gardens of Assam, where my father worked as a tea planter. I worked with him in the family business for a while but then decided to carve my path. My early childhood plays a particularly vital role in structuring my visions today. My early life taught me that even if you are born with a silver spoon, you must work towards creating your niche to mark that individuality. My mother was a perfectionist, that is why I was drawn to my present career as a life skills trainer. Sonali's Cubo was born to impart knowledge and confidence to women, corporates, and children so that they can build their future beyond academic lines. To be labeled as a social entrepreneur is very overwhelming and I would like to thank my dad for the same who never said no to anyone in need. As I embarked upon a journey, I faced several hurdles but I kept a comprehensive attitude of being porous to knowledge and believed that to learn the best, you have to let go of the better. Where and what you are is just not your identity but your responsibility. It is better to jump than live at the edge! Today, married for 23 years and mother of two wonderful children, I retain a child-like curiosity to acquire and inspire, to grow and know, to learn and unlearn. Womannovator provided me with a cohort that investigates the metric and analytics of strategizing our business. In these 10 weeks, I had the pleasure of interacting with professionals from several backgrounds that facilitated my growth as an entrepreneur. "

Recipe Dabba was founded in 2017 with a vision to empower young kids with healthy food choices. Standing tall on the long-term vision, it is currently run by Rakshita Dwivedi who is the Ideation and Execution Champ, and Abhishek Dwivedi who helps to scale up different concepts through his ace technical knowledge. Pre Covid-Era we had both online and offline programs but now everything we do is Online. CookWithRD: which works on a no-fire cooking workshop model to educate kids between 3 to 15 years about healthy food and differentiate it from junk food. RD Challenge a 21-day program to engage kids and their parents through tasks and challenges and educate, encourage, and motivate them to adopt healthy eating. Kitchen Challenge, again a 21-day gamified program aimed to help kids explore cooking as a life skill from the comfort of his/her home. Cookbook: Over 1000 plus free recipes that are available online for parents to try and imbibe healthy eating as family practice. Online Community helps us to reach out and engage with like-minded people and mutually learn to evolve towards healthier eating patterns. Recipe Dabba is in a constant ideation phase and these programs help us work towards the goal of encouraging and facilitating kids and families making mindful food choices. The womannovator program has been very enriching. This platform helped me form a new perspective on my business. The mentors have been incredible and provided me with several tricks of the trade which I will be implementing in my business endeavor. "

Social Activist, Mom of 2 handsome sons, I completed my Master’s in Social Work (MSW) after 20 years of marriage and then turned to fulfill my passion, that is Social Work as a job, which gave me an incredibly unique identity. Founder of Ashay Social Group, NGO, Registered in Oct 2015. Working on two major environmental projects. #Avoid Plastic Carry bags and Use Cloth bags #Awareness and Promotion of Hygienical, Healthy Sustainable Menstruations option like Menstrual Cup and Cloth pads. Designer of RUTU Menstrual cup. #My Work Details Today I'm here to share about my journey which transformed my life as I encourage a different menstrual hygiene product that would also prove to impact the lives of more than 5000+ women. I started spreading awareness about menstrual cups and soon got the opportunity to design a cup and gave it a name as RUTU menstrual cup!! In the last 3.9 years of my awareness campaign, I connected with different schools, colleges, maids, Anganwadi sevikas, government and corporate offices, mahila mandals, street women, sportspersons, visually challenged, physically challenged, and even doctors. I try my best to guide them wherever needed and have encouraged many thousands of women's till today. I can proudly share here that the RUTU cup is supported with 2025+ users till now. I also came across diverse types of women from different classes; young girls, married women, housewives, anganvadi sevikas, teachers, women from government offices, corporate sector, maids, street women, visually challenged, runners, swimmers, and even doctors; all were comfortably using the menstrual cup. Adding to this, I support the concept called MAKE OUR OWN CLOTH PADS, for users who cannot afford costly products. I help them with the material they have. Many schools, colleges, NGO groups, helped me in conducting such workshops. I am based in Mumbai, but I try to travel or request volunteers to come to my place to learn about alternative menstrual hygiene products and spread this awareness forward. This is just a Giving Back to society in a small manner. The incubation program initiated by womannovator has helped me in my enterprise growth and given me the confidence to open up my shop. This program has helped me, along with other women present there, with boosting our businesses. In the year 2018, I was honored as BaiManoos for Facebook Live by Lokmat on the occasion of International Women's Day. Honored by Lokmat as Social Entrepreneur Awards 2018 for my social work. On 11th Dec 2018, I was honored by the BahinaBai award, for working for Women's Health, by Gurunath Foundation, Muktainagar, in Guidance of Shri Eknathrao Khadse Sir and RakshaTai Khasde in Bhusawal. Tarunai award from Jantaraja Pratishthan, Pune. Honored by REA Foundation, Panvel. TedxKharghar and TedxTaraBaiPark Speaker. Dhasu Womania, from India Top 30 Awardee, from 1000 nominations. Best 5 from Maharastra, selected by Fandry Foundation. "

I am Dr. Aabha Pimprikar, a dentist, and a homemaker. I started making my spices, with the help of a few of my friends who encouraged me to take this up as a business, but the lockdown was announced while I was filling out the paperwork and other formalities. In unlock phase 1, everything started falling in place gradually, l resumed the paperwork, underwent few online pieces of training, and now here I am, with my company Subhojyam, and my brand N3M (Nashik Misal Magic Masala)! I started with only one masala and gradually added a couple more. I am still experimenting with my products with the help of a few others! Subhojyam spices suit every palate - kids and adults. Most of my products have already found themselves some users. If possible, l give custom-made masalas as well like Jain / with or without red chili powder / no cardamom, etc. I have been delivering Subhojyam products in and out of Maharashtra. I want to grow my business with the help of microfinance groups (बचत गट). As my business is in its initial stages I was perplexed about many aspects of an entrepreneurial venture, like finances, prospects, team building, etc. I was also looking for a mentor in the food industry. This is where womannovator helped me a lot by connecting me with mentors and experts who guided me and helped in the growth of my business. Ultimately, it's all about food & flavors. "

‘Healthy mind stays in a healthy body,’ I strongly believe in this phrase and we at Shreeyash Foods are working towards Healthy foods made from "Ragi" (Nachani), under the brand name Fit n fun. The brand name itself suggests these products are made for health in a tasty way. With tag line swad se sehat tak, Namstay, this is "Yojana Varkhede", we are manufacturing Ragi products such Ragi Rava, Ragi Daliya, Multigrain pulav, Ragi soup, Ragi idli mix, Dosa mix, etc. The uniqueness of these products is that they are completely organic and gluten free. Ragi is a rich source of iron, calcium, and protein with 84 types of minerals that are necessary for the body. I have been delivering these products in Mumbai, Pune, and the rest of Maharashtra but want to grow Nationally and Internationally with the help of womannovator. In my business venture, I faced issues with marketing and developing connections with other big businesses. This incubation program helped me with exactly that. I also learned a lot about government schemes, brand building, and other important topics that will help me grow my business. "

Hi, I am Gargi Gaur, a sustainable fashion designer and founder of Gargi Gaur Label. As a kid, I was always a big lover of fashion and that ended up with me working with the biggest designers in India. My journey began when I started analyzing how fashion industries worked via exploiting unpaid labor, unethical practices, and generating a huge quantity of waste only to be sent into landfills. All these aspects made me question the worth of fashion. I quit my dream job and started learning about sustainable fashion, to my surprise it was an alien concept in India and only a few were preaching it. I also started educating myself about climate change, zero waste living, and how waste generation was harming the environment drastically. So, I decided to start with a clothing brand that could put all the scraps and waste fabrics and raw materials into use. I source fabrics from export houses, manufacturing houses, garment stores, etc, and only pick what's waste for them. I received so much love and acceptance for my first collection of sarees which were made from rejected denim. I have always been transparent about the brand, how we function, and following zero waste and no plastic policies. I have also conducted campaigns where we upcycle clothes directly from clients’ wardrobes and take workshops regarding sustainable lifestyle. Before attending the incubation program conducted by womannovator, I was not sure how to take my products to the international market. Experts at this program helped me with better business strategies, told me about several government schemes, and empowered me with enhanced knowledge of the business. One of the most intriguing things about these sessions was their conversational format. I learned a lot through the experts and now am better equipped to grow my business. I aim to provide every home with a sustainable wardrobe at every home so that needs of humans, as well as the environment, are met at the same time. "

The journey of Gems in Jewels began with the thought process of beauty and safety. Being in a nuclear family with kids and a full-time staff, with both me and my husband working, keeping real jewelry at home was a big no-no. Having them kept in lockers at the time of occasions, I found myself at a loss for good jewelry. This got me thinking and that is how I started “Gems in Jewels,” a luxurious designer costume jewelry brand. Our USP is giving our elite clientele a joyful experience of wearing beautiful jewelry that does complete justice to their style. Every piece is either created or curated by me. My forte is designing creative jewelry for my client’s every jewelry need……. Lariats, kaleeras, intricate belts, hair accessories, earrings for non-pierced ear lobes, stunning sets, fresh flower jewelry, gota jewelry, rings, hathphools, bracelets, jeweled latkans for lehengas and blouses, bangles, neckpieces for women and men - kalgis, sehras , neckpieces, broaches, talwar-hangings, and body chains. Being a solopreneur, I am handling sourcing, designing, production, advertising, marketing, sales, networking, and the brand’s social media platforms. Now, with an increase in my brand’s reach, I find myself mostly firefighting. I need to take a few people on board for various roles! I am working on a couple of innovative ideas that require a lot of research and development. This is where the incubation program of womannovator helped me a lot. My best learning experience at this program has been creating clarity in the plan of action of my business. I am keen to build a legacy of a brand that is synonymous with innovation. "