Wonder Women Entrepreneurs - February 2026
India's business landscape is experiencing a fundamental shift as a diverse wave of entrepreneurs reimagines what commercial success looks like. Women founders across industries from technology startups to manufacturing, from rural social enterprises to urban service companies are building ventures that challenge conventional wisdom about how businesses grow and what they should prioritize.
The most significant impact may lie beyond individual company performance. These founders are actively constructing support infrastructure: mentorship networks that demystify entrepreneurship, investment circles that fund underrepresented founders, industry associations that share hard won operational knowledge. They're creating what didn't exist when they started reducing barriers for those who follow.
Their leadership styles are equally instructive. Some lead through collaboration, others through decisive authority. Some prioritize rapid growth, others emphasize sustainable development. This multiplicity itself carries a message: there's no single template for entrepreneurial success. Young people watching these varied approaches gain permission to build businesses aligned with their own strengths and values rather than conforming to narrow archetypes.
IndusTreeBiz
Founders - Shweta Raka & Sagar Mahat
Category: Business Growth Consulting
IndusTreeBiz is a premier business growth consulting and strategic advisory firm in India, founded by Ms. Shweta Raka and Mr. Sagar Mahat, with 50+ years of cumulative leadership and execution experience across enterprise growth, revenue systems, global expansion, marketing, capacity building, and operations enhancement.
Trusted by large enterprises and high-growth businesses, IndusTreeBiz works with organisations by partnering with founders, family-owned enterprises, MSMEs, exporters, and global-facing brands at various stages of growth.
Known for delivering boardroom-level outcomes-predictable revenue engines, decisive go-to-market strategies, institutional systems, leadership alignment, and reduced founder dependency-IndusTreeBiz operates as a long-term growth partner.
Building Business Empires, the organisation enables credible, scalable, and future-ready brands with lasting global relevance. - www.industreebiz.com
The MentorPark
Founder - Valerie Sinha
Category: Consulting | Corporate Training, Mentoring and Coaching
"CEOs and business leaders aren't looking for more training - they're looking for measurable movement in key performance metrics," says Valerie Sinha, Founder of The MentorPark.
Launched in 2023, The MentorPark is a leadership and talent-development platform focused on translating learning into measurable business performance. Drawing on Valerie's three decades of experience working with C-suite leaders and high-growth organisations, the platform addresses the persistent gap between learning interventions and real workplace application.
The MentorPark delivers structured leadership journeys, AI-enabled capability building, Business Storytelling programs, and focused 90-minute Executive Excellence sessions led by CXO practitioners. To date, it has engaged 200+ CXO mentors and coaches, partnered with 20+ organisations, and supported 2,000+ professionals - measuring impact through on-the-job skill application, behaviour change, faster time-to-productivity, and leadership depth. - www.thementorpark.com
Boti Baati - Authentic Royal Experience
Founder - Heena Qureshi
Category: Restaurant
"Boti Baati,"founded by Heena Qureshi, Boti Baati is a standout name in Pune's culinary scene. Known for its authentic Rajasthani cuisine with a modern twist, the restaurant has built a loyal following. The signature Mutton Baati and Dal Baati Churma Thali showcase Heena's passion for preserving traditional flavors while innovating for today's palate. With ingredients sourced directly from Rajasthan and attention to detail, Boti Baati offers an unforgettable dining experience, upholding the brand's commitment to quality and heritage. - https://www.instagram.com/botibaati?igsh=MTN2ZWoxOXBicWo0dA==
BACKBAY
Founders - Samiksha Pednekar & Bhumi Pednekar
Brand Category - Premium Packaged Drinking Water / Hydration Beverage Brand
Co-founded by Bhumi Pednekar & Samiksha Pednekar, BackBay is positioned as a premium hydration brand focused on purity, balance, and everyday wellness. The brand operates in the packaged drinking water category, catering to urban consumers seeking clean, reliable hydration without unnecessary additives. BackBay Waters places emphasis on quality sourcing, minimal processing, and contemporary branding that aligns with modern lifestyle choices. Rather than competing purely on volume, the brand leans into mindful consumption and responsible practices. With its understated design and wellness-forward narrative, BackBay Waters reflects a growing shift toward functional, trust-led beverage brands in India's evolving consumer landscape. -www.backbay.life
NVR Fashion Private Limited
Founder - Nikita Gupta
Category: Fashion Jewellery and lifestyle
Nikita Gupta, the visionary founder of NVR Fashion, is not just building a brand; she's redefining the fashion jewellery landscape by offering affordable trendy skin friendly statement designs. Born in a rich heritage city Jaipur, Nikita's mission with NVR is to seamlessly blend heritage Indian craftsmanship with modern design, creating a unique proposition in the world of conscious consumption.
Under her dedicated leadership, NVR has become a go to brand in fashion and lifestyle category serving more than 5L+ customer since inception in 2023. Nikita's deep commitment to mindful consumption empowers consumers to make conscious choices without ever compromising on style or quality and price. By passionately supporting artisan communities and championing the slow fashion movement, Nikita Gupta is steering NVR towards a future where sustainability truly meets elegance and purpose. - www.nvrfashion.com
INHANSS
Founder - Amita Roy
Category: D2C Fashion Jewellery / Lifestyle Accessories
INHANSS is a women-led, looks-first jewellery brand founded by Amita Roy, built around the idea that women should be able to change their look without changing their jewellery. Designed to adapt across workdays, evenings, and celebrations, INHANSS creates versatile jewellery systems that can be styled in multiple ways for different life moments. Crafted in over 60 colour options, each piece reflects a focus on presence, confidence, and real-life wearability rather than trends or single-use occasions. Built while navigating a chronic autoimmune condition, INHANSS today serves customers pan-India along with a retail presence at the UNHU Startup Emporium, Dehradun. - www.inhanss.com
The 8th Archer
Founders - Supriya Narayanan and Dr. Radhika Narayanan
Category: Branding, Design & Strategy Studio
The 8th Archer is a branding, design & strategy studio working with founders and businesses across India, Korea, and international markets. The studio approaches branding as a way of thinking rather than decoration, believing that strong brands are built before they are designed. Together with their team, The 8th Archer focuses on creating timeless brands shaped with precision, logic, and emotional clarity. Here, strategy guides design, and relevance is built to last beyond trends, while remaining aligned with each brand's purpose and long-term vision. - www.the8tharcher.com
ASHTAG
Founder - Aashika Sadh
Category: Retail & Manufacturing of Clothing & Accessories
Ashtag is an online fashion store, founded by Aashika Sadh, offering clothing and fashion accessories to customers across the globe. Their products are exclusively designed and manufactured in India. Their endeavor is to always provide the best quality at the most affordable price. #ASHTAG focuses on the daily requirements of the urban woman, understands her commercial restrictions and offers her a bold, new look. They take pride in being a vegan brand which follows a strict zero-wastage policy.
Aashika Sadh had completed her masters in law, human rights. She was a practicing lawyer in the field of domestic violence (women's rights). She had always been involved in the family business of export of garments and textiles and had an interest in taking this business local for the Indian market. Hence, she took that interest further by launching #ASHTAG.
Aashika takes pride in being an integral part of the entire process, right from the design to the manufacturing, to offer high street fashion which is made in India, and made for Indians, at an affordable price and in the most convenient way possible.
Why choose #ASHTAG you still ask? Because Quality Never Goes Out Of Fashion! - www.ashtag.in
Women entrepreneurs across India are establishing viable businesses that address genuine market gaps while demonstrating that profitability and ethical practices can coexist. In technology, manufacturing, and services, these founders are solving real problems creating products customers need, generating employment opportunities, and building sustainable operations in competitive markets. Their ventures succeed not through dramatic disruption but through disciplined execution: identifying underserved needs, developing effective solutions, building capable teams, and scaling thoughtfully. What distinguishes many of these businesses is their grounded approach: they prioritize solving actual problems over chasing trends, emphasize sustainable growth over rapid expansion at any cost, and build companies designed for longevity rather than quick exits.
The ripple effects extend beyond individual company performance. Established entrepreneurs are actively building infrastructure for those who follow: providing mentorship that demystifies business building, making early-stage investments in promising ventures, sharing operational insights that shorten learning curves. This practical support transforms entrepreneurship from an abstract possibility into a concrete, navigable path. Aspiring founders particularly those from backgrounds historically underrepresented in business leadership now have accessible models demonstrating that success stems from execution and problem-solving rather than conforming to narrow stereotypes. As these networks strengthen and more diverse founders establish track records, India's entrepreneurial ecosystem grows more robust, not through revolutionary change but through the cumulative impact of well run businesses creating value, employment, and opportunities in their communities.
