ET Startup Awards 2025: Nominees for Woman Ahead
We are back with the 11th edition of The Economic Times Startup Awards. As we approach the main event, here are the nominees in one of the eight categories: 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.
Here are the nominees
Pallavi Shrivastava
Designation: CEO and cofounder, Progcap
Founded in: 2017
Based in: New Delhi
Key investors: Peak XV, Tiger Global, Google
Claim to fame: Progcap was founded with a vision to find new models to fund small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It was founded out of Shrivastava’s experience of working at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank, and understanding deep-rooted inequalities in financial access.
Romita Mazumdar
Designation: CEO and founder, 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: CEO and cofounder, Atlan
Founded in: 2019
Based in: San Francisco
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: CEO and cofounder, 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 (FMCG) at competitive prices and efficient delivery services.
Aditi Murarka
Designation: CEO and cofounder, Nestasia
Founded in: 2020
Based in: Kolkata
Key investors: Stellaris Venture Partners, Susquehanna Asia VC
Claim to fame: With Nestasia, Aditi is building what she calls the high street of home decor, focussed on design-driven, quality alternatives to premium global brands and unorganised, low-quality players.
Anjali Sardana
Designation: CEO and founder, Pronto
Founded in: 2024
Based in: Gurugram
Key investors: General Catalyst, Bain Capital Ventures, Glade Brook Capital
Claim to fame: A biology graduate, 23-year-old Anjali Sardana was struck by a mismatch she noticed while visiting India: groceries could arrive in under 10 minutes, yet finding reliable help to clean up still meant asking neighbours or guards and often settling for sub-par service. That frustration, coupled with her interest in labour market inefficiencies, inspired Pronto, a cleaning services startup competing with players like Urban Company and Snabbit.
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.
Here are the nominees
Pallavi Shrivastava
Designation: CEO and cofounder, Progcap
Founded in: 2017
Based in: New Delhi
Key investors: Peak XV, Tiger Global, Google
Claim to fame: Progcap was founded with a vision to find new models to fund small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It was founded out of Shrivastava’s experience of working at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank, and understanding deep-rooted inequalities in financial access.
Romita Mazumdar
Designation: CEO and founder, 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: CEO and cofounder, Atlan
Founded in: 2019
Based in: San Francisco
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: CEO and cofounder, 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 (FMCG) at competitive prices and efficient delivery services.
Aditi Murarka
Designation: CEO and cofounder, Nestasia
Founded in: 2020
Based in: Kolkata
Key investors: Stellaris Venture Partners, Susquehanna Asia VC
Claim to fame: With Nestasia, Aditi is building what she calls the high street of home decor, focussed on design-driven, quality alternatives to premium global brands and unorganised, low-quality players.
Anjali Sardana
Designation: CEO and founder, Pronto
Founded in: 2024
Based in: Gurugram
Key investors: General Catalyst, Bain Capital Ventures, Glade Brook Capital
Claim to fame: A biology graduate, 23-year-old Anjali Sardana was struck by a mismatch she noticed while visiting India: groceries could arrive in under 10 minutes, yet finding reliable help to clean up still meant asking neighbours or guards and often settling for sub-par service. That frustration, coupled with her interest in labour market inefficiencies, inspired Pronto, a cleaning services startup competing with players like Urban Company and Snabbit.
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