The one question that is asked a lot is, Who are the most famous female entrepreneurs in the world? What is their story? How did they become so famous?
Well, we have always heard that it is a man’s world but the number of examples that can prove this saying wrong is just beyond our imagination. Women have been excelling in almost every field, be it Fashion, sports, broadcasting, and the best of all, business, something that was literally attached to “men” for the longest time. All we knew about business was “A businessman” working hard and earning money but the whole dynamics of business, finance, and the entrepreneurial world has been transformed by some amazingly talented women of this era. Below is the list of the 10 most successful and inspirational women behind prominent brands that are here to provide you with your daily dose of inspiration:
1. FALGUNI NAYAR
Falguni Nayar, the former investment banker turned entrepreneur needs no introduction, she has become a household name now and people know her for her dedication. After getting married and having kids one would think what more is left in life, but for Falguni Nayar her journey had just begun, her e-commerce portal Nykaa has taken the beauty industry by storm and is growing every minute. She believes that she has so much to learn from life. Falguni Nayar is an exceptional influence for all the women who are always ready to face challenges and rise up above all. She always believed in herself as an aspiring entrepreneur, and her knowledge regarding the industry demanded outstanding effort and a strategic mind.
2. KATRINA LAKE
Katrina Lake is the founder and CEO of Stitch Fix, one of the leading online personal styling services that curate stylish suitable clothing for clients based on their choices in the United States and the United Kingdom—more than 4.1 million of them. When Katrina Lake came with her toddler to the NASDAQ bell ringing in 2017, she reinvented the stereotypical CEO image created by society, something she’s been doing amazingly for her entire career. Lake founded the company in 2011 when she was 28. In 2018, Stitch Fix made a whopping $1.2 billion, earning Lake a place on Forbes’s list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women. The idea came into her mind when she was in her Cambridge, Massachusetts, apartment in 2011, and six years later, at age 34, she became the youngest women to take a company public.
3. LYNSI SNYDER
The CEO of the popular burger chain, In-N-Out has lately become one of the most popular names in the global food industry. Lynsi has literally taken over the world of fast food companies and has received a lot of appreciation. The business was started by Lynsi’s grandparents but Snyder took it towards global domination and transformed the business into a billion-dollar business that is spread around over 500 locations in the world. Undoubtedly, In-N-Out became the most successful fast-food chain which made Lynsi the world’s youngest female billionaire in the year 2012.
4. MELANIE PERKINS
As Co-Founder and CEO of online design platform Canva, Melanie Perkins leads one of Australia’s fastest-growing start-ups that now caters to over 15 million users a month across 190 countries. It is one thing to build a strong platform and it’s quite another to build one that competes with tech giants like Microsoft and Adobe. Perkins is a 32-year-old Co-Founder and CEO of Canva, a free-to-use, online design platform. The young founder started the company in Australia in 2013 in a bid to make design accessible to all — be it for logos, business cards, or presentations. Within five years, she made headlines as one of tech’s youngest female CEOs, at just 30.
5. RICHA KAR
Richa Kar, the owner of a popular Indian online lingerie brand Zivame is one of the most phenomenal women in India. The entrepreneurial journey of Richa Kar has been a tough ride from the very beginning as her parents did not support her and opposed her idea. However, the only thing that remained rock solid was Richa’s determination towards her goal, and by her hard work and determination, she built the company Zivame worth more than Rs. 681 Cr. The company had raised $9 million from various big names in the industry like IDG Ventures India, Kalaari Capital, and Unilazer Ventures till now. Zivame counts Ratan Tata as an investor and now we all know that this is huge!
6. SARA BLAKELY
To learn through one’s failures is the biggest mark of success, that is what Sara Blakely, the founder, and CEO of Spanx has taught us. Sara Blakely launched her brand in 2000. Spanx has since grown into a multi-million dollar company that has a great collection of undergarments, leggings, and swimsuits. Sara was named the world’s youngest, self-made female billionaire by Forbes Magazine in March of 2012 and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, this made Sara a big name everywhere. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and opening retail shops across the United States, Spanx has now expanded worldwide in over 50 countries. Spanx also has another goal: To help women feel great about themselves and their potential.
7. VANDANA LUTHRA
One of the most strong and independent women in India who created a ripple in the world of cosmetics is Vandana Luthra who has now become a well-known name and is one of the most successful and celebrated Indian entrepreneurs. She holds the position of the founder of VLCC Health Care and also the chairperson of the Beauty and Wellness Sector Skill and Council (B&WSSC). Vandana Luthra founded the company called VLCC as a Wellness center in 1989. Vandana had initially started the company in Safdarjung Development Area New Delhi. VLCC in the current times has become popular not only nationally but globally as well.
8. VANDANA TOLANI
Vandana Tolani is the CEO & Founder of Convanto, a portmanteau of the words “Consultant Vandana Tolani”. This is a boutique investment bank started 7 years ago by her, in Gurgaon, Haryana. With a range of services aimed at enabling young start-ups – it provides them with services such as Fund Raising, Marketing & Growth Advisory, GTM Strategic Advisory, along with value-added services such as building Investor Presentations and Financial Models. The bank offers its expertise to small, medium, and large enterprises on raising capital, finding their product-market fit, and implementing a successful go-to-market strategy, branding strategy, and brand positioning. With more achievements to boast off, Vandana is also a Venture Advisor with Loyal VC, the INSEAD-led Canadian VC Fund, having a core portfolio of over 160 investments in more than 35 countries. She is also a Partner with GSD Venture Studios, a Silicon Valley-based venture builder.
9. VANI KOLA
Vani Kola, also known as the mother of venture capitalism in India is the founder of Kalaari Capital. Kalaari Capital is a technology-focused venture capital startup based in India. Vani is renowned to be one of the most focused and successful venture capitalists in India currently. She has built a top-notch reputation for picking the best young minds and mentoring them to build successful enterprises. Vani is widely appreciated for guiding budding entrepreneurs and her focus is mainly on technology companies in India. Kalaari Capital has funded more than 50 companies in not just E-commerce but also in other large sectors like the Healthcare sector in India. Vani raised approximately $650 million and holds stakes in over 60 start-ups, including Flipkart Online Services and Jasper Infotech Pvt’s Snapdeal.
10. WHITNEY WOLFE HERD
A woman of power empowers other women, one of such women is Whitney Wolfe Herd, an American entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of the famous dating app, Bumble. Whitney has joined Forbes list of the super-rich. Whitney, 31 is now the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire after she took Bumble public in February. The net worth of the woman behind the dating giant, Bumble is 130 Crores USD as of 2021.
She rang the Nasdaq bell, opening of a security exchange trading market with her 18-month-old baby son on her hip. In her speech, Whitney expressed that she wanted to make the internet “a kinder, more accountable place”.
Women have been changing the world with their charismatic energy and pure talent, and these women have inspired millions of other strong women around the globe who also have big dreams. Influential and powerful women like the ones in the list above never stop or quit, for them the world is their runway!
