Woman Ahead: ET Startup Awards 2024: Nominees for Woman Ahead

As the name suggests, this award recognises women who have started their own ventures and are giving the best in the business a run for their money. Nominees in this category must be CEOs at their startups, unless there is no one with a CEO designation. The women up for this year’s award run a diverse set of startups.Ankur Dahiya

Designation: Cofounder and CEO, Rozana

Founded In: 2020

Based In: Lucknow

Key Investors: Bertelsmann India Investments, Fireside Ventures, 3one4 Capital

Claim to Fame: At Rozana, Dahiya aims to bridge the gap between urban and rural product accessibility. Rozana allows rural consumers to order products via an app or call centre. It buys the products and stores them in leased warehouses.Romita Mazumdar

Designation: Founder and CEO, Foxtale

Founded In: 2021

Based In: Mumbai

Key Investors: Panthera Growth Partners, Z47 (Matrix Partners India), Kae Capital

Claim to Fame: Foxtale was born out of Mazumdar’s passion for skincare and her keen observation of market gaps. Identifying the need for high-efficacy products, she set out to create a brand that prioritised both quality and affordability.

Prukalpa Sankar

Designation: Cofounder, Atlan

Founded In: 2019

Based In: Singapore

Key Investors: GIC, Peak XV Partners, Salesforce Ventures

Claim to Fame: Atlan enables large enterprise teams to collaborate on data projects. Sankar’s passion for data began during an internship at Goldman Sachs, where she saw data-driven decisions transforming processes.

Shruti

Designation: Cofounder and CEO, ApnaKlub

Founded In: 2019

Based In: Bengaluru

Key Investors: Tiger Global, Blume Ventures, Flourish Ventures

Claim to Fame: With ApnaKlub, Shruti aims to help kirana stores augment their incomes by providing them with fast-moving consumer goods at competitive prices and efficient delivery services.

Hardika Shah

Designation: Founder and CEO, Kinara Capital

Founded In: 2011

Based In: Bengaluru

Key Investors: British International Investment, Gaja Capital

Claim to Fame: Shah founded Kinara Capital to help drive financial inclusion for MSMEs. Her experiences helped Kinara identify a critical gap in the financial market – the “missing middle”, or small businesses needing loans but lacking property collateral.