[100 Emerging Women Leaders] How these serial entrepreneurs are building women leaders one step at a time

Shalini Vadhera and Deeksha Ahuja connected at a networking event. And the duo hit it off immediately. 

“We knew we had to work together. Our thoughts on multiple things aligned, especially the idea to empower more women in India was something we immediately connected on,” says Shalini, Founder, Ready Set Jet, in a conversation with HerStory. 

Deeksha is the co-founder of Encubay Angel Network — a network of angel investors and entrepreneurs — which invested Rs 50 lakh in Ready Set Jet.  

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The co-founder of the global lifestyle and beauty brand is an international influencer, a renowned celebrity make-up artist, a best-selling author, and much more. 

The serial entrepreneur uses her platform to empower women globally as she believes beauty transcends all boundaries. 

“It isn’t just about makeup or fashion. It is about helping women empower themselves. Ready Set Jet is made for the woman on the go, providing inclusive, double-duty beauty and easy to use products no matter your destination. A portion of product proceeds from Ready Set Jet is also used to fund the Ready Set Jet Academy programme,” adds Shalini. 

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Deeksha, on the other hand, has been in the world of finance. An entrepreneur herself, Deeksha has eight years of experience across edtech, foodtech, beauty-tech, mediatech, and healthtech. 

“Out of 10,000+ angel investors in India, only one percent are women. This is not due to lack of intent but due to lack of awareness. Staying true to its ethos of driving diversity in the startup ecosystem, the Encubay Angel Network brings together women-led founders, founders building products for women, and individuals keen on investing in diverse startups, with a keen focus on encouraging first-time investors,” says Deeksha. 

Although from diverse backgrounds, the duo believes women entrepreneurs need the right kind of network, mentoring, and push to succeed. For this, Shalini and Deeksha interact with women, giving them advice on startups and building the right teams. 

“Team building is one thing that ends up becoming really hard for any founder. And as a woman leader, it simply becomes harder as people don’t take women leaders seriously. Getting people within your team to take you seriously takes time, and we need to still learn to continue putting our foot down and differentiate things and keep the ideas as they are meant to be,” says Shalini. 

Ready Set Jet, as the name suggests, embodies all the ingredients for a company to soar high. Shalini understands not only her products but the pulse of the Indian and global markets. 

The cosmetics industry in India is pegged to grow at 25 percent CAGR and touch $20 billion by 2025, and Ready Set Jet products and strategy is well placed to gain market share. 

Deeksha resonates with Shalini. She says, “It is hard, and you will always be questioned. But you have to put yourself out there and build your own network. Keep doing what you are good at. Don’t be afraid to ask for guidance and help, and be out there.” 

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