Whenever I complained about “bad luck”, my mom always said that success is about what you make out of a situation, good or bad. Shruti, Founder and CEO of ApnaKlub is a true personification of this. I am so happy to do this episode of Women who Build with her, as I have personally followed her journey and am so proud of how she is impacting the lives of thousands of small businessmen/women through her company. She is also one of the very few founders who practices spirituality in her day-to-day, a trait that I feel builds up resilience like nothing else! Shruti built an entrepreneurial streak early on during her time at IIT Delhi, where she organized initiatives for her hostel, Himadri. Post her under-graduation, she worked at Bain and Omidyar Network India. It was during this time, giving founders advice to do x,y,z things, that she built conviction about starting up herself. She went to Harvard Business School to study business and is now back in India, building for the small businesses here. Apnaklub is a B2B social commerce platform. It digitizes and organizes the FMCG procurement market by connecting buyers and brands through a single platform. Despite a full transition from Sair to Sair Mall to Apnaklub, all during COVID, it has served over 5,000 partners across 6,000 pin codes in India and raised funds from the likes of Sequoia’s Surge, Blume Ventures, and Whiteboard Capital. In this episode, we will learn - Shruti’s journey of pivoting during COVID FMCG distribution and white spaces within WhatsApp as a tool for businesses and building teams to support WhatsApp Importance of generalists in a 0-1 journey Spirituality and entrepreneurship Impact that the words of great leaders can have on you Finally, I want to thank Azeez Gupta, Shruti’s partner, who was generous enough to share Shruti’s journey and growth as an individual and professional. You absolutely helped frame this. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shreya-bakliwal/message

We have seen 2, 3, 4, 5 women investment partners at venture capital firms. Have we seen firms where all three investment partners are women? Not too many! I am so excited about today’s podcast with Enzia Ventures. The team at Enzia has been an early supporter of Women who Build. Enzia is an early-stage investment firm in India that invests in education, health, and the environment.  So let us get to know them - Namita Dalmia - Namita is one of the most empathetic people I know in startups. She is also one of the best edtech investors in the country :) Namita pursued her undergraduate and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay. Always wanting to make an impact in society, she has worked at Pankhudi, an NGO based in Mumbai, where she supported underprivileged children. She learned about technology and planning through her work at Intel and National Knowledge Commission, after which she went to the Stanford GSB to study business. Post business school, wanting to work at the grassroots, she joined Central Square Foundation where she helped establish and grow the Edtech team. Later, she went on to lead education investments at Omidyar and has invested in the likes of WhiteHat Jr, amongst many others. Her love for entrepreneurship and working at early stages led her to join Enzia where she leads education and climate investments. Karuna Jain - Karuna brings deep investing experience, having worked across early-stage impact investing, private equity investing, and large M&A transactions. At Acumen, where she was the Head of India Investments, Karuna led nine investments and managed a portfolio of 25 companies. Prior to that, Karuna was a part of the central leadership program at Aditya Birla Group, where she managed multiple roles in finance and corporate governance. Karuna is a CA and an MBA from ISB, Hyderabad. Jayshree Kanther Patodi - Jayshree brings a unique blend of operating and investing expertise in healthcare. Prior to Enzia, she was the AVP at IHH Berhad in India leading merger integration and operations standardization initiatives. She was also the Vice President, Investments at Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Malaysia. There, she supported large hospital investments such as Apollo Hospitals. She also led key strategic initiatives there. In this episode, we will learn -  Why and how did team Enzia come together? Why their focus is on investing in the most fundamental things in life - education, health, environment.  How they work together for best outcomes.  Learnings launching a new fund. What will define education and climate in the next decade? Many other inspiring stories! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shreya-bakliwal/message

Most of you who know me, know that my niece inspired me to start Women who Build. She is a 14-year-old baker who wants to launch her bakery business and wants to learn how. And now, my listeners encourage me to keep it going (see image). In the first edition of Women who Build, we launched >10 episodes, talked to women worldwide, and were fortunate to have been called the “Best Podcast” by a few. Then, the second wave of COVID hit India and I took what I thought was the scariest decision of my life at the time. I quit my job and took some time off to pause and reflect. I spoke to more and more listeners and understood them better. Interestingly, during our cool-off period, we witnessed a 60% MoM growth in the number of listeners! On a macro level, the face of women's entrepreneurship was changing. In India for example, women entrepreneurs built back better. Only 6% of women did not make shifts to their business models. It is this grit and acumen that we think is important for today’s new-age entrepreneurs. Thus, in this second edition of Women who Build, we will enhance our conversations with 3 things, which will help our listeners improve their decision-making. ONLY 3 things - Intention - Why did you embark on this journey? We want to answer some of these questions for listeners to decide for themselves. Resilience - How do you continue growing, failing, and growing again? We want you to take the long-term lens while keeping yourself sane. Teams - Building the right internal team, choosing the right investors, building for customers. So if you have any interesting women founders, investors, operators, or even customers who would enjoy being a part of the podcast, hit me up and let us together help more and more women enter the startup ecosystem! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shreya-bakliwal/message

I was in middle school when Paula Mariwala gauged the potential of the Indian startup ecosystem and started investing through Seedfund. Paula is the Managing Director of Seedfund Advisors, a venture capital firm, which invests in early-stage companies in India, and the Co-Founder and President of Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs India. Some of her key investments include Unacademy, redBus, and CarWale. She has decades of entrepreneurial and operating experience in the technology sectors of both the US and India.Paula holds an MS in Applied Physics from Stanford University, USA and BSc (Hons) in Physics from St. Xavier’s college, Mumbai, and sits on the alumni boards of both institutions.I could not have been prouder to launch this episode!In this episode, we will learn:- Paula's journey to the world of entrepreneurship and venture.- Evaluating early-stage companies - Founding teams are the most important data points.- How do companies become verbs?- Missed investment in Flipkart.- Opportunities in Climate tech.- Paula's love for mentoring - Two of her mentees are Netflix stars :)Follow on Twitter - Paula @pmariwala and The Women who Build @TheWomenWhoBui1. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shreya-bakliwal/message

I still remember how my sister and I used to play Mario Bros and the Jungle Book as kids. The thing that fascinated us the most about these games was discovering the unknown with every new level we entered. Storytelling was important to us. 20 years later, my nieces seek the same stories. I went a step ahead to figure out how many games in the market actually cater to their needs.I spoke to Salone Sehgal, General Partner, Lumikai Fund. Salone has over a decade of cross-sector experience in advising, operating, and evaluating tech businesses. Salone started her career in the investment banking and private equity spaces at Morgan Stanley and Barclays and later went on to found a gaming company for the female audience called TrulySocial. To fund such games, she joined the world of venture at London Venture Partners, later launching the first fund with a focus on gaming in India. She has been recognized as one of the “Top 30 Women in Mobile” and “Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech”. She is a graduate of IESE Business School.In this episode, we will learn:- Salone’s journey to the world of venture - Growth drivers for the Indian gaming space - Finding space in the consumers’ minds - game mechanics is key- Building and enhancing brand equity - Qualities displayed by gaming companies that have seen exits - having a view on the market and creativity are key- Building games for girls / women - INSPIRATION is important; ‘tend and befriend’ vs ‘fight or flight’ responses- Importance of niche funds - it helps for investors to have deep sector expertise - Building diverse VC teamsFollow on Twitter - Lumikai @Lumikai, Salone @salonesehgal, and The Women who Build @TheWomenWhoBui1.In case of any questions/suggestions, write to me at [email protected]. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shreya-bakliwal/message

I am so excited to launch today’s episode as it speaks to the core of Women who Build, which is to encourage women founders and investors to take that one leap of faith that can make all the difference! I spoke to some of my favorite people from the startup world around ‘Women as an Opportunity’ from their experiences in both India and the US - Jesse Draper, Founding Partner, Halogen VC and Host and Creator of Valley Girl Show Manish Kheterpal, Founding Partner, WaterBridge Ventures Ankur Goyal, Founder and CEO, &Me Hena Mehta, Founder and CEO, Basis and Chapter Head, LeanIn, Bangalore While we all know about the grim situation of women in the startup space, our lovely guests discussed how women ADD VALUE in both investing and operating teams, and WHAT CAN WE DO, together as an ecosystem to ensure that the value-add is smooth. How do women add value? - Having women in the team brings in diversity of thought - but best teams have BOTH genders! - Women team members or communities can inform the trajectory of your product, content ideas - never stick to what YOU think consumers want. - Women make great investors - they go through many data points before making an investment decision, which is okay as long as it doesn’t slow them down. What can we do? - In India, we need organized efforts such as All Raise. To improve the flow, basic issues such as regulations on gender equity or access to education for women need to be solved by the govt. - Both men and women need to step up as role-models. - To find more women founders - look at new / non-traditional places! - More women should step up to invest in women - women should learn to grow their money before giving it away - include yourself in every financial decision, teach your little girls about money from early on! Message for women founders - - If you got no success after talking to 10 investors, increase the topline and change the number to 100 before you get a good fit - get used to NOs! - Take feedback, re-design your pitch to find success. Follow on Twitter - Jesse @JesseDraper, Manish @mkheterpal, Ankur @ankurgoyal2204, Hena @hena1220, The Women who Build @TheWomenWhoBui1. For any questions / suggestions, write to me at [email protected]. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shreya-bakliwal/message

“I think we are all inquisitive, but I just took a step further”. Listen to Shakun Sethi, Founder and CEO of Tickle.Life, which is the world’s first Discovery Platform based out of San Francisco. The platform helps folks in their sexual journey through wellbeing products and professionals. Fun fact: On its first launch, it had 5,000 user sign-ups on the first day! Shakun has over a decade of experience and specialization in Community Management, International Communications, Brand Management, and Digital Media. Inclusivity is paramount for her and that is evident in her work. This is her second start-up after running a crisis communication company successfully for over 8 years called Dizuna Communications. In this episode, you will learn: - Shakun’s journey of starting Tickle.Life - from her visit to a sex toy shop in Netherlands. - Tickle.Life as a marketplace. - Journey from MVP to now: consumers may not know what you are expecting them to, demand and supply sides should feel comfortable with each other’s work. - Tips for building marketplaces: respond when consumers respond, use terms that consumers are familiar with to improve user base, what time do the consumers use the product? - Advertising strategy for sextech products. - Choosing a co-founder: experimentation helps! - Choosing team members: referrals, matching team members’ age with user age. - How can you not compromise on talent quality when recruitment gets hard? - Investor feedback on sextech. - Biggest learning - FOCUS! Follow on Twitter - Tickle.Life @TickleLife and The Women who Build @TheWomenWhoBui1. In case of any questions / suggestions, write to me at [email protected] or drop a message at +91-7702366262. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shreya-bakliwal/message

I had a great time chatting with my friend Tanvi Bikhchandani on the latest episode of the Women who build Podcast! Tanvi is the Co-founder of Tamarind Chutney. Tamarind Chutney is a social enterprise that aims to improve artisan livelihoods and promote textile waste in India. Previously, Tanvi worked at Central Square Foundation (where she was also my colleague), an education philanthropy fund where she was Chief of Staff to the Managing Directors. She holds a BA in Economics & South Asian Studies from Columbia University and an MBA from Stanford University. She enjoys reading, hiking, and doting on her dogs.  In this episode, you will learn about - - Tanvi’s journey to building TC - Choosing mentors - should be grounded, should believe in you, doesn’t necessarily have to be the most senior person at the org. - Choosing Co-founders - Relationship with stakeholders - Artisans! - Identifying customer preference in the world of Fast Fashion - Consumer purchasing decision - case for sustainable clothing - How founder personalities can influence brand ethos - Considerations for selling clothes abroad - UNDERSTAND THE MIDDLEMEN! - Government role in creating scalable enterprises - DATA, DATA, DATA - Tanvi’s advice to young women - Write that Bold email! Follow on Twitter - Tanvi @tanvibikh and The Women who Build @TheWomenWhoBui1. In case of any questions / suggestions, write to me at [email protected] or drop a message at +91-7702366262. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shreya-bakliwal/message

I have met many bold people but nobody compares the energy of Anisha! In my 6th episode of the Women who Build Podcast, meet Anisha Singh, a mother of two and Founding Partner at She Capital where she invests in high growth female-led companies in the pre-series A and Series A stages. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Communication and an MBA in Information Systems from American University. She began her career with the Clinton administration at Capitol Hill, helping women entrepreneurs raise funding. After returning to India, she launched Kinis Software, which provides digital content solutions, and later, co-founded mydala, which is one of India’s largest coupon providers and is present across 209 cities in India. She is a noted expert on entrepreneurship, women equality at the workplace and e-commerce, and has spoken at international conferences like the Mobile World Congress, Wired, Tedx, the Boao Forum and Start-up India. In this episode, you will learn - - Anisha's journey from the Clinton Administration to mydala and now She Capital. - What does She Capital invest in? - How can new funds stand out in the venture space? - VC / Founder relationship - Founder's time is of primary importance! - Innovation trends post COVID - Evolution of femtech, sextech industries. - What do VCs look for in a startup - scalable business model, recurring revenues, repeat customers. - Challenges of starting a new fund - convincing LPs, support from the venture community. - Building grit - PROPENSITY matters! - Opportunity in deal discovery platforms. - How can start-ups scale - don't throw money at stuff (CAC < LTV); TEAM is important! - Importance of 1:1 Mentoring and how to weave that culture into the ecosystem? - Message for founders - THE TIME IS NOW! Follow on Twitter - Anisha @anishamydala and The Women who Build @TheWomenWhoBui1. In case of any questions / suggestions, write to me at [email protected] or drop a message at 7702366262. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shreya-bakliwal/message

Now things have gone West for the Women who Build podcast, and what better way than to start with one of the best female-focused funds, Halogen Ventures? For the 5th episode of The Women who Build Podcast, I spoke to Ashley Ramirez, an investor and Chief of Staff at Halogen, which invests in early-stage consumer tech startups founded by female founders. Started by Jesse Draper, a 4th generation VC and Founding Partner, the fund currently has 62 startups in its portfolio. Ashley has a knack for spotting interesting startups in the consumer tech space, and has been with the fund through the close of 62 investments to date. Prior to joining Halogen, she worked at iHeartMedia and a boutique PR firm. She is a graduate of UCLA and is dedicated to supporting young entrepreneurs and women in Finance. You will learn - - What led Ashley to the world of venture? - How has Ashley’s non-linear path to VC helped her add value to her portfolio? - Core components of Investment Thesis - how can it help with deal flow? - Avenues of scale for consumer brands - role of communities, customer service, influencer marketing. - What do VCs look for? Social Media is IMPORTANT! - How has Jesse been a mentor to Ashley; importance of 1:1 mentoring. - Power of manifestation. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/shreya-bakliwal/message