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These women investors are figuring out exactly what they want, breaking stereotypes and being their best selves in the midst!
While there is a generalised view of investors being men in suits, and it is true that the investing space holds too few women still, there is hope! In Indian market, women are emerging as investors in all capacities and at all scales, whether as part of large VC firms, boutique investment firms, private equity ventures or as angel investors.
Being an investor is certainly not a man’s domain alone. Several women investors have inspired people to opt for this emerging career. These women break the glass ceiling and defy stereotypes as they rise above the bar.
While the venture capitalist and investment industry on the whole are becoming more cognisant of funding more women entrepreneurs and closing the gender gap, when it comes to startups, true equality is still a distant dream. So, the rise of women investors should certainly bring more hope to women entrepreneurs looking for funding.
Looking at the numbers, in 2020, women made up 16% of all Private Equity (PE) and Venture Capitalist (VC) teams.
It is undebatable that there is a need for women investors across India. These 8 investors are among the growing number, who show us that it is entirely possible.
Padmaja Ruparel is the Co-Founder and President of the Indian Angel Network (IAN). Due to her business background, Ruparel transformed IAN into a unique global institution in the last ten years. IAN has invested in businesses across ten countries with over 450 investors.
Ruparel has gone from starting her real estate business in her 20s to becoming a homemaker and then finally becoming one of the most influential women in the country.
As an undergraduate at Wharton University, Lavanya Ashok was inclined toward finance. So, after graduating, she started interning at Goldman Sachs on Wall Street. Soon, she tried her hand at a hedge fund.
Lavanya worked at Goldman Sachs for ten years after finishing her MBA in 2010. Ashok joined Trifecta Capital as a growth manager for their equity fund. She has prior lifestyle investing experience in firms like Pepperfry, Azure and Cytecare.
In 2008, Bala Deshpande joined New Enterprise Associates (NEA) as a Senior Managing Director- based in the Mumbai office. Under Deshpande’s leadership, NEA has invested in several companies, namely Air Works, FSS, InTarvo, Intellisys, Naaptol, Nova, Trishe and Vishwa.
Deshpande has over 15 years of experience in investing. Her private equity experience resulted in a cycle from nurturing new companies to executing multiple exits, including IPO buybacks, capital market divestments and strategic sales. Currently, she heads the India operation of NEA.
Sakshi Chopra is a Managing Director at Sequoia Capital. Her vision and desire to take on new projects have helped her make a footing at Sequoia.
Before working at Sequoia, Chopra worked at Deutsche Bank, a Germany-based company, before she returned to her roots in India.
Chopra joined Sequoia in 2010 as a principal, and now, as an MD, she recently started a unique programme across India and South-East Asia. In her programme, she selected 15 women founders and gave each one a $100,000 no-strings-attached grant with a year-long mentorship and networking exercise.
Bharati Jacob is the Co-Founder and the Managing Director of Seedfund Advisors. With over 24 years of experience in venture investing, marketing and financial services, Jacob comes with a diverse outlook.
Jacob is an expert in her field, and she has been working since 2000 across three funds. She backs the early-stage companies’ pan sector ideas, which generate profit and add value to the market.
Ankita Vaisth and Usha Amin came together with one mind- to support women entrepreneurs. With one mission in their minds, Vasisth and Amin Co-Founded SAHA Fund. SAHA Fund is one of a kind as it only caters to female entrepreneurs.
Moreover, half of the employees of SAHA Fund are women working on products and services for women.
SAHA invests in e-commerce, social media, mobile, cloud computing, data analytics, education, healthcare, food-tech and tech platforms. Lastly, their initiative of going digital has helped elevate the digital sector in India.
In 2020, Kanika Mayar joined Vertex Ventures as a partner. With over nine years of experience, Mayar came with expertise in private equity, asset management and investment banking.
Currently, Mayar is associated with three companies, namely Bendable Technology Solutions Pvt Ltd, Pn IVF Access Pvt Ltd and Pn IVF Trading Pvt Ltd. Previously, Mayar worked at International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Goldman Sachs.
In conclusion, it is extremely important to appreciate these women for the risks they took in their lives. Their risks have inspired more women to opt for careers in investing.
While some left their corporate careers, some changed countries to make a mark as investors. So, here’s to them for inspiring several women to opt for a career in investing.
I am a journalism student with a penchant for writing about women and social issues. I am an intersectional feminist and an aspiring journalist. I identify as she/her. read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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