Top 10 Young Women Entrepreneurs in India 2026

As of early 2026, women account for an estimated 14%–20% of all entrepreneurs in India, running over 8 million MSMEs. A growing number of leaders are young women aged 27–31, particularly in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where technology, retail, and service-led ventures are expanding fastest.

This list highlights young women entrepreneurs in India who started early and continue to build their companies in 2026.

Meet the Top 10 Young Female Entrepreneurs of India in 2026

Entrepreneur	Company / Platform	Role	Sector
Ghazal Alagh	Mamaearth (Honasa Consumer)	Co-founder	Consumer Goods
Vineeta Singh	SUGAR Cosmetics	Co-founder & CEO	Beauty & Retail
Divya Gokulnath	BYJU’S	Co-founder	EdTech
Richa Kar	Zivame	Founder	Fashion & Retail
Sreelakshmi Suresh	eDesign	Founder	Design & Technology
Avani Davda	Tata Starbucks / Founder-led ventures	Entrepreneur	Retail & Consumer
Khushboo Jain	Digital & Impact Ventures	Founder	Social & Digital
Ashwini Asokan	Mad Street Den	Co-founder & CEO	AI & Retail Technology
Supriya Paul	Josh Talks	Co-founder	Media & EdTech
Aditi Balbir	Eco Ratings	Founder	Sustainability & ESG

If you’re looking to invest in the companies led by young female entrepreneurs, a free demat account provides direct market access.

Profiles of Top 10 Young Women Entrepreneurs in India (2026)

Many young women are entering business as first-generation founders, taking on ownership and leadership responsibilities early rather than waiting until later in their careers.

Let us examine how these young female entrepreneurs began and the responsibilities they continue to carry as leaders in 2026.

1. Ghazal Alagh

Age: 37 years (as of 2026)

Net Worth: ≈ ₹150-200 crore

Education / Skill Set: Ghazal Alagh has a background in information technology and professional training in design and branding.

What Enabled the Start: She identified a clear gap in the personal care market around ingredient transparency and trust.

Company & Year Founded: Mamaearth (Honasa Consumer Ltd.), founded in 2016.

Impact: Mamaearth helped push ingredient-focused personal care into the mainstream and supports domestic manufacturing through its supply chain. 

Employment: Honasa Consumer employs over 1,500 people across functions.

2. Vineeta Singh

Age: 43 years (born 1983)

Net Worth: ≈ ₹300 crore

Education / Skill Set: Vineeta Singh completed her engineering degree at IIT Madras and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, which grounded her technical and business skills.

What Enabled the Start: Her mix of engineering and management experience helped her spot market gaps in beauty retail and build data-driven product strategies, eventually shaping SUGAR Cosmetics.

Company & Year Founded: SUGAR Cosmetics, co-founded in 2015; the beauty-and-retail brand has grown to cater to diverse Indian consumers.

Impact & Employment: SUGAR Cosmetics has strengthened the presence of Indian beauty brands in a competitive market, helped standardise beauty retail practices, and supported organised jobs across stores, manufacturing partners, and corporate teams. 

Employment: The company employs over 2,000 people. 

3. Divya Gokulnath

Age: 39 years (as of 2026)

Net Worth: ₹4,550 crore

Education / Skill Set: Divya Gokulnath holds a B.Tech in Biotechnology from RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru, and began her career as an educator.

What Enabled the Start: Her early experience in teaching and curriculum delivery helped her identify gaps in scalable, digital-first learning solutions as online education adoption grew in India.

Company & Year Founded: Byju’s, co-founded in 2011.

Impact: Byju’s played a significant role in expanding access to digital learning in India and international markets, influencing how educational content is delivered through technology-led platforms.

Workforce and Employment: At its peak, Byju’s employed 10,000+ across content development, technology, sales, and support functions.

4. Richa Kar

Age: 44 years (as of 2026)

Net Worth: ₹749 crore

Education / Skill Set: Richa Kar earned her Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai, in 2007.

What Enabled the Start: She identified a clear gap in India’s lingerie and innerwear market, particularly around access, sizing, and comfort for women. The lack of organised retail in this segment created an opportunity for a focused, women-centric brand.

Company & Year Founded: Zivame, founded in 2011.

Impact: Zivame helped organise India’s women’s innerwear market by introducing online-first access, standardised sizing, and discreet purchasing. The brand also changed how intimate wear is marketed and discussed in India.

Employment: Zivame employs over 1,000 people across retail stores, supply chain operations, design, and corporate functions.

5. Sreelakshmi Suresh

Age: 28 years (as of 2026)

Net Worth: ₹50 to ₹51 crore

Education / Skill Set: Sreelakshmi Suresh holds a graduate degree in Business Management. Her core skill set is rooted in web design, digital solutions, and client-led project execution.

What Enabled the Start: Early exposure to computers and practical experience in building websites enabled her to take on client work at a young age. The growing demand for digital presence among businesses created a clear opportunity to formalise this work into a company.

Company & Year Founded: eDesign Technologies, founded in 2009.

Impact: Through eDesign Technologies, Sreelakshmi helped small and mid-sized businesses in India and overseas adopt digital solutions. Her work also brought attention to youth-led entrepreneurship in technology services.

Workforce and Employment: eDesign Technologies engages 200-500 employees, teams of designers, developers, and digital specialists on a project basis.

6. Avani Davda

Age: 48 years (as of 2026)

Net Worth: ₹1000 Crore

Education / Skill Set: Avani Davda is a commerce graduate from Sydenham College, Mumbai, with deep expertise in retail operations, brand management, and large-scale consumer businesses.

What Enabled the Start: Her early exposure to organised retail and leadership roles within Tata enterprises enabled her to take on senior responsibilities at a relatively young age in India’s evolving consumer market.

Company & Year Founded: Tata Starbucks India, launched in 2012 

Impact: Davda played a central role in introducing and scaling the Starbucks brand in India, adapting global retail standards to Indian consumer behaviour and preferences.

Workforce and Employment: Tata Starbucks India supports over 3,500 employees across cafés, supply chains, and retail management nationwide.

7. Khushboo Jain

Age: 37 years (as of 2026)

Net Worth: $20 million 

Education / Skill Set: Khushboo Jain holds a degree in business and management and has experience in digital platforms, partnerships, and fundraising ecosystems.

What Enabled the Start: Her exposure to nonprofit funding challenges and digital platforms enabled her to identify gaps in structured fundraising and donor engagement in India.

Company & Year Founded: ImpactGuru, founded in 2014, is a digital fundraising platform that connects individuals and organisations with donors.

Impact: ImpactGuru has helped formalise online fundraising in India, supporting healthcare, social causes, and emergency fundraising through technology-led solutions.

Workforce and Employment: ImpactGuru employs over 250 people across technology, partnerships, marketing, and operations.

8. Ashwini Asokan

Age: 41 years (as of 2026)

Net Worth: no publicly available

Education / Skill Set: Ashwini Asokan is an engineering graduate from IIT Madras and has advanced training in business and product strategy. Her core expertise lies in artificial intelligence, retail technology, and enterprise product development.

What Enabled the Start: Her experience working at the intersection of technology and retail analytics helped her identify how computer vision and AI could solve inventory and merchandising challenges for large retailers.

Company & Year Founded: Mad Street Den, co-founded in 2013, is an AI company focused on retail intelligence and computer vision solutions.

Impact: Mad Street Den applies AI to improve demand forecasting, visual merchandising, and inventory efficiency for global retail brands. The company has helped bring AI-led decision-making into mainstream retail operations.

Workforce and Employment: Mad Street Den employs over 300 professionals across engineering, data science, product development, and enterprise operations.

9. Supriya Paul

Age: 35 years (as of 2026)

Net Worth: ₹55 Crores

Education / Skill Set: Supriya Paul is a graduate in economics and management, with experience in content development, youth engagement, and digital media.

What Enabled the Start: Her early work with youth communities highlighted gaps in access to practical learning, career exposure, and relatable role models, creating the foundation for a content-driven education platform.

Company & Year Founded: Josh Talks, co-founded in 2015, is a media and education platform focused on youth learning and inspiration.

Impact: Josh Talks reaches millions of young Indians through multilingual content focused on careers, skills, and real-world learning paths.

Workforce and Employment: Josh Talks employs over 300 people.

10. Aditi Balbir

Age: 42 Years

Net Worth: ~₹130 Crores

Education / Skill Set: Aditi Balbir is a management graduate with professional expertise in sustainability frameworks, ESG assessment, and corporate governance. Her work is rooted in translating environmental and social metrics into business-ready insights.

What Enabled the Start: Her experience working with sustainability standards and corporate reporting highlighted the lack of structured ESG evaluation tools for Indian businesses.

Company & Year Founded: EcoRatings, founded in 2020, is a sustainability and ESG assessment platform for businesses.

Impact: EcoRatings supports companies in measuring and improving their environmental and social performance. The platform contributes to greater transparency in sustainability reporting and responsible business practices.

Employment: EcoRatings operates with a specialised team of sustainability analysts, researchers, and consultants, comprising 30+ employees. 

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Final Thought

The entrepreneurs featured here show how early leadership is taking root in India, with many young women stepping into ownership and decision-making roles at a formative stage of their careers. 

These journeys sit within a wider story of women entrepreneurship in India, influenced by access to education, capital, and changing opportunities across sectors.

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