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Women should be celebrated every single day, but women’s day personifies a special reminder to the fact that women are constantly breaking stereotypes and changing the course of the world owing to the sheer excellence with which they play countless roles.
Women’s Day isn’t a new age concept. In fact, the genesis of this festival goes back over a century. In 1910, at the behest of a German activist named Clara Zetkin, the international socialist congress agreed to stipulate a day to celebrate International Women’s Day. (1) This landmark decision was marked by humongous rallies all across Europe on March 19, 1911.
The primary goal of this day was to draw widespread attention to the cause of the attainment of rights and Universal suffrage by women.
Over the years, the role of women has been re-written in the pages of the global economy and the nature of their struggles has also been redefined. As women continue to make major strides in different facets; social and economic, International Women’s Day has evolved into a reminder of the indispensable role of women in societal progress.
As a testament to the far-reaching and crucial role of women in our society, we have put together a list of the top 6 women entrepreneurs in India who are leading the way in their respective fields.
These star entrepreneurs have been running emerging D2C brands in India. Their success stories have become a force to reckon with.
Before talking more about these successful women entrepreneurs in India, let us try to decode the concept of D2C companies.
What are D2C brands
The D2C business model pivots around the idea of directly selling a company’s products to the customers without any need for a third party or middlemen.
The breakthrough role of women in the D2C industry needs to be celebrated because the post-pandemic era has exponentially widened the ambit of the digital universe. There are over 600 D2C brands in the market (2) and this industry is expected to reach 100 billion USD by 2025. Given the extensiveness of this domain, successful women entrepreneurs need to have unwavering faith and conviction in their talent and ideas to break stereotypes and take the prejudices of the male-dominated business world head-on.
These five women entrepreneurs in India have re-evaluated the role of a modern businesswoman and paved the way for change and motivation.
A list of emerging D2C brands led by women entrepreneurs in India
I Say Organic – Organic Food
I Say Organic was founded in 2011 by Aakanksha Kapoor. Her goal is to empower people to incorporate sustainable, organic and healthy habits in their dietary regime.
Aakanksha wants to enable people to live healthy lives both mentally and physically by making articulate food choices.
This is one of the most successful D2C brands in India that has managed to inspire people to make healthy adjustments in their dietary habits.
Sweet Karam Coffee – South Indian Snacks
Sweet Karam Coffee is an authentic south Indian snacks brand co-founded by Nalini Parthiban. The brand is popular for making tasty, homemade snacks.
Additionally, Nalini is passionate about empowering the ‘homepreneurs’, the expert home chefs (women) associated with her brand.
Tiny Miny Mo – Gifting
This D2C brand was started in May 2020 by Mallika Gupta who started her career as an architect but gradually inclines towards nurturing her brainchild Tiny Miny Mo,
which is an online gifting portal that lets people choose adorable and quirky gifts options for their loved ones. This online e-commerce website has become a much sought-after gifting portal for people to pick out their favourite gifts from.
Confetti Gifts (CG Innovations) – Gifting
Confetti Gifts was founded in February 2020 by Saumya Kabra with a vision to beautify the gifting experience for people by putting together an array of intricately selected and
This D2C business was started with a humble investment of Rs 50000 and they were able to clock in a revenue of Rs 2.5 cr by 2021.
Dottedi – Gifting
Naadia Mirza founded a brand called Dottedi in 2009 with a simple aim; to make people happy.
This D2C brand aims at spreading happiness amongst people through all its verticals including gifting solutions, events, and happy experience curation.
In a world that is reeling under the burden of cutthroat competition and rat race, this company is doing its happy bit to spread positivity and cheer all around.
STAC – Fine Jewellery
This minimalist fine jewellery brand was founded in 2018 by Rashi Sanghvi and Aakriti Sethi who have decided to uphold the idea of luxury and wearability while crafting jewellery.
STAC’s motto is, “Fine Jewellery For You; Not For A Bank Locker”.
Ranng Label – Women’s Fashion
Vandana and Seema founded the brand in 1994 by the name ‘Aakarshan’. In 2020, they launched the D2C platform rangglabel.com.
The founders established a strong supply chain and vendor network for 28 years. With exceptional silhouettes, sustainable fabrics, and the most coveted fashion sense, the founders intend to entitle women to dress to the nines. Rangglabel.com operates on the retail, D2C and the B2B models and enjoys a dedicated clientele.
Six Yard Story – Women’s Fashion
Six Yard Story was founded by Shalini Padhi and Shweta Pundir. This brand swivels around the idea of broaching the traditional art of
Tocco – Homemade Snacks
Go tocco was founded in 2022 by Reshma Suresh who is a biomedical and electronic engineer. Go tocco is a social e-commerce platform that marries the taste of traditional delicacies with the endowments of healthy eating.
This brand empowers home cooks to present their culinary skills to a far-reaching audience. Discover and buy fresh authentic regional delicacies made by people in their 50s who began their entrepreneurial journey with Go Tocco!
SkinQ – Skincare
Given the aggressive nature of external stimulants, like pollution, dust, dirt, etc, the importance of having an effective skin care routine cannot be discounted. In light of this
India Hemp and Co – Healthy Snacks
India Hemp and Co was founded in 2020 by Jayanti and Shalini Bhattacharya with an aim to bring the benefits of Hemp to fore.
This Himalayan superfood is loaded with excellent health benefits and its goodness is encapsulated in organic capsules, seasonings and protein powder for people and even their pets. India Hemp and Co has made major inroads in their journey of propagating and presenting the benefits of this natural plant-based protein in the most amazing way.
Also, the founders were seen on Shark Tank Season I.
EB Store (Everything Beautiful) – Sustainable Products
Everything Beautiful is founded by Kanika, which offers Make In India products in the decor segment. By providing skill-based
Some of their most loved products include copper drinkware, wooden serveware and more.
Cuppa City Coffee – Beverages
Cuppa City Coffee is an Indian brand delivering world-class coffee since 2021. The founder and Chief Coffeist, Nell Neemuch, is a trained barista from a specialty coffee shop in Seattle and a certified coffee roaster.
In 18 months since launch, Cuppa City Coffee has a unique array of cold-brew coffees and coffee products which are keto-friendly, vegan, diabetes-friendly and organic. Cuppa City offers micro-lot coffees from small farms practising pesticide-free agriculture.
To help empower rural women who are a vital part of India’s coffee harvest, Cuppa City Coffee donates 5% of profits from the website to Women on Wings.
Weaves of Tradition – Handloom Fashion
Weaves of Tradition is a six-year-old handloom fashion brand and recently launched The Traveling Loom, India’s first
“Weaves of Tradition” is committed to bridging the gap between demand for and supply of handloom products by making them more accessible to more people and by helping our weavers to receive the fair compensation they deserve.
VinzBerry – Female Hygiene
Vizberry was founded by Vineeta Agrawal primarily to address women’s daily hygiene concerns and practical needs.
In addition to providing a product range, VinzBerry provides women with a platform to speak openly about intimate hygiene concerns with like-minded peers, without being judged.
Vineeta Agrawal, a CA by profession, launched the brand after extensive research into the kind of hygiene issues women face in public restrooms on a daily basis.
Sizyx – Women’s Clothing
Founded by Aakanksha Mishra and Kshitiz Kamra, Sizyx is an early stage size inclusive D2C clothing brand for Indian Women. Sizyx
Gudhgrams – Flavored Jaggery Dessert
Gudhgrams are India’s first flavoured jaggery powder desserts in convenient sachets. Ayushi Seth co-founded this women-led organization.
The nutritious jaggery is paired with flavourful ingredients to give a memorable experience. Gudhgrams offers desserts made with clean ingredients so people can indulge guilt-free. Gudhgrams’ jaggery desserts are a big hit with customers.
Studio Ekasth – Home Decor
Ekasth is a design studio with expertise in consulting, designing, and manufacturing.
Shubhi Jain, a graduate of the Srishti School of Art, Bengaluru, conceived Ekasth as an
In addition to handcrafted items that show the brand’s unique ability to conceptualize and think beyond the mundaneness of everyday products, there is also wall art that demonstrates the brand’s sense for visual communication.
Bombay Greens – Home & Gardening
Bombay Greens was started by a young couple; Ankur and Tanvi Aggarwal. The germ of this idea came to them while they were tending to their home garden to produce organic foods for personal consumption.
The kind of joy and fulfilment they experienced in the process catapulted them to take their passion to the next level. Their company was launched during the pandemic with a seed investment of Rs 30000 and their turnover in the first four months was Rs 9 lakhs.
Bombay Greens offers a wide range of DIY gardening kits, organic fertilisers, organic soil-less mixtures, eco-friendly grow bags and planters to help people grow their own fruits, vegetables and teas in the space available to them. The goal behind Bombay Greens is to enrich their client’s gardening experience and encourage them to indulge in organic and clean eating.
Tiny Tots – Cloth Diapers for Babies & Adults
For a healthier future for our youth and a more sustainable future for our planet, TINYTOTS manufactures chemical-free, rash-free, leak-free cloth diapers as an alternative to toxic disposable diapers to provide stress-free days and nights.
Special Mention to One of the leading Bootstrapped B2C Brand in India by Women Leaders
Yes Madam – Home Salon Services
Yes Madam has established a strong presence in the home salon and spa industry under the leadership of Yukti Arya, Garima Sharma, and Akanksha Vishnoi.
These 3 women entrepreneurs are in charge of building a powerful female workforce of more than 2000 service professionals and tackling important challenges for Indian consumers especially women, like hygiene, privacy, and product transparency at the most affordable price point.
If the beauty business would ever have experienced such disruptions it’s due to these women and their unwavering commitment to making salons available at every doorstep.
The Digi Acai Team was privileged to work with these wonder women for Yes Madam SEO and was blown away by their humble attitude, business acumen and problem-solving abilities.
Emerging D2C Brands by Women in India
Emerging D2C Brand Name | Category |
| Bombay Greens | Home & Gardening |
| Sweet Karam Coffee | Organic Snacks |
| Confetti Gifts | Online Gifting |
| Tiny Miny Mo | Online Gifting |
| I Say Organic | Organic Foods |
| Dottedi | Online Gifting |
| Six Yard Story | Women’s Fashion |
| STAC | Fine Jewellery |
| Ranng Label | Women’s Fashion |
| SkinQ | Skincare |
| India Hemp and Co | Healthy Snacks |
| Tocco | Homemade Snacks |
| Cuppa City Coffee | Beverages |
| EB Store (Everything Beautiful) | Sustainable Products |
| Sizyx | Women’s Clothing |
| Vinzberry | Female Hygiene |
| Tiny Tots | Cloth Diapers |
| Weaves of Tradition | Indian Crafts & Textiles |
| Studio Ekasth | Home Decor |
| Gudhgrams | Homemade Desserts |
Final Words…
The rise and thriving success of women entrepreneurs provides a positive stimulus to our society and beckons a path towards gender equality and financial independence for women. This also means that women are at a vantage point of bringing their priceless perspective to tackle and revolutionise the business world while charting their growth path.
Note from our Founder, Neha Agarwal
India has a very high success rate for D2C brands run by women, as evident from the current situation. The success of one woman is the success of everyone, and is an inspiration for many. As a community, we should support the women who are passionate and working hard to make a mark.
Wishing you a very Happy Women’s Day! 🙂
FAQs
Who is the most famous female entrepreneur in India?
India prides itself on being home to a number of successful female entrepreneurs whose calibre and fortitude have taken India into the global maps. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is one such dynamic woman who is the managing director of Biocon Limited and one of the most successful billionaire entrepreneurs in India. In addition to that, the noteworthy feats of women entrepreneurs like Indra Nooyi have managed to make such an intense mark in the global economy that their success story will continue to inspire women for generations to come.
Who is the youngest female CEO in India?
As of 2023, Neha Narkhede is the youngest female entrepreneur who is the founder of an online data streaming company called Confluent. Her net worth stands at a staggering value of Rs 4700 crore. 3
Which is the biggest D2C company in India?
Mamaearth is regarded as a Unicorn D2C startup which is valued at over 1 billion USD. The brand was founded by couplepreneurs Ghazal and Varun Alagh. 4
Is Nykaa a D2C brand?
Yes. Nykaa is a D2C brand that operates on an inventory-based business model to ensure the authenticity of its products and provide competitive pricing to its customers.
Why are DTC brands successful?
One of the major reasons for the success of D2C brands is that they don’t have to look at a retailer or third party to know about customer insights. Direct control over their business data helps them exercise greater control over their growth trajectory and take timely corrective measures in case of any discrepancies.
