Ready, Set, Spark: Meet the women changemakers at SheSparks 2023

For centuries, what side of the gender divide you were born into decided the kind of education you got, the wealth you could create and your contribution to the betterment of humanity. Not anymore.

A host of women are pushing doors open—and, if needed, breaking them down—to get their voices heard and drive long-lasting change. Join us at SheSparks 2023 today as we celebrate exceptional women who are helping society progress with their innovative ideas, fearless leadership and unwavering determination. If you are in or around the capital, drop in at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

Shradha Sharma, Founder and CEO of YourStory, will kick off the proceedings by delivering a keynote address and outlining the agenda for the day. This will be followed by a session with Shreyasi Singh, Founder and CEO, Harappa , who will highlight the overlaps in the roles of a mom and a CEO. 

Then we have Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director, AIM, talking about the challenges in helping women burdened with caregiving and domestic duties. This will be followed by a fireside chat with Vani Kola, Managing Director of Kalaari Capital. 

Even with all the progress, jobs continue to be stereotyped based on gender. This issue will be addressed by a panel comprising Amritagandha Dutta, Founder and CEO, Expand AI; Shirley D'Costa CBO, Kulfi Collective; Aakriti Vohra Global Network Delegate, LaLiga; and Saniya Jeswani Co-founder and CEO, Perkant Tech. 

We will then return for a fireside chat with Neha Jain and Charusmita Rao, both from Akamai Technologies, who will discuss the pros and cons of being a female founder, disruptor, and problem solver in the edtech sector. 

Cut to noon, Anmol Saxena, Founder of Ashva, will join us to discuss similar topics and issues in the healthtech space. 

We then follow the money with Kanika Mayar Partner-Vertex Ventures SEA and India; Hardika Shah, Founder and CEO, Kinara Capital, and Ruchi Kalra, Co-founder, Ofbusiness, who will discuss their experiences in taking charge of important financial matters—a field that is presumably dominated by men.

Then the focus shifts away from metros and to dispelling myths about starting up. In her session, Meghna Agarwal, Co-founder, IndiQube, will share her insights on her journey from the hinterlands of Rajasthan to founding one of the country’s largest coworking companies. 

We return for another discussion on women making it big in a male-dominated sector. Mathangi Sri, Chief Data Officer, Yubi; Sucharitha Chapparam Sr Director of Engineering, Esper; Deepa Parikh Head of Solutions Engineering, India, Akamai Technologies; and Rachita Choudhary VP-Backend Engineering, Dream11, are part of this panel.

A little later, Anamika Joshi will inspire you with her poetic take on challenging societal norms and breaking hard-to-break barriers. This will be followed by a discussion between Kanksshi Agarwal, Founder, NETRI Foundation; Sakshi Srivastava, Founder-Director, Anubhuti; and Vinita Gursahani Singh, Trustee, We The People Abhiyan who will discuss the challenges facing our country. 

Don't forget to catch Supriya Paul, Founder of Josh Talks, who will shed light on how she set up one of India’s most impactful businesses. 

Later, in a panel discussion, Sangeeta Bavi, Executive Director, Digital Natives, Microsoft; Meghna Agarwal Co-founder, IndiQube; Kush Mahajan, HR Leader—Domestic, Kyndryl India; and Rashi Narang, Co-founder, Heads Up For Tails will discuss how they climbed up the corporate ladder to reach upper echelons of the corporate world.

To end the session on an inspirational note, we will hear from Naaz Joshi, India’s first transgender model, at 4:30 PM. She will share snippets of her truly inspiring journey as the country’s first transgender model and give us some well-meaning advice on how to build a more inclusive society. 

But that’s not all, we also have SheSparks Awards where we celebrate the women who made change happen.

The event will also have workshops on building a gender-neutral product by Chaitra Chidanand, Co-founder of SALT; Navigating the AI revolution to transform the future by Amritagandha Dutta, Founder and CEO, Expand AI; and the importance of branding in advertising by Megha Agarwal Head of Brand and Marketing, WeWork India.

To register for the event, click here.

You can access the day-long agenda here.