On Children’s Day, meet the young entrepreneurs who are creating a buzz

There is no age for starting one’s own business and young entrepreneurs today are proving that. They are showing the world that starting a business today requires risk-taking ability, passion, and discipline more than any degree. 

The world has gone virtual, accelerated by the pandemic. Most brands are taking the D2C route, eliminating wholesalers and retailers by a great margin by selling products online. The age of startup founders is dropping as well, with many startups being founded by 10-15-year-olds. 

On Children’s Day, we introduce you to young entrepreneurs who are making waves in the corporate world at a young age.

Aahana Jain, Founder of DOMA

Mumbai-based Aahana Jain is only 13 and recently started a business called DOMA, which stands for double-sided masks. Aahana saw the struggle young children faced while wearing ill-fitting masks during the global pandemic and she saw it as an opportunity to start a business by making masks specially made for children.

“Since masks have now become an essential and compulsory accessory, I wanted to design one that would attract children just like toys did and so I came up with the idea of DOMA,” she told HerStory.

She conducted various surveys to help understand the wants, expectations, and needs of her potential customers. The survey covered around 70 people ranging from teens to middle-aged parents, who were the decision-makers for this product. This revealed that people wanted double-sided masks and were willing to pay up to Rs 150 for a personalised double-sided mask. They also wanted masks that look attractive. 

She came up with a double-sided, reversible, cotton, and personalised mask for kids aged between 2-10 and sells it in a 20X10 rectangular pouch.

Sreelakshmi Suresh, Founder of eDesign

The youngest web designer and CEO in the world, Sreelakshmi Suresh started her company, eDesign, when she was just 11 in 2009. Her company specialises in providing SEO, web design, and other web-related services. She has created more than 100 websites for renowned organisations and institutions. 

Born in Kozhikode, Kerala, Sreelakshmi started operating a computer at the age of three. By four, she had started designing and had designed her first website by the age of six. 

Apart from eDesign, she started another company called TinyLogo, and has been identified as one of the youngest CEOs in the world. She has won several awards and honours across the globe for her work in computer programming.

ALSO READ

“Earned Rs 70K in a day” thrift store trend rages on Instagram

Divya Gandotra Tandon, Founder of Scoop Beats

Eighteen-year-old tech YouTuber Divya Gandotra Tandon is the Founder and Director of Scoop Beats Private Limited and COO of ASTNT Technologies Private Limited. A social media influencer and celebrity manager, Divya has managed over 100 celebrities in a short span. 

Hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, Divya is currently living with her aunt in Noida where she came to study engineering at Prince Institute of Innovative Technology (PIIT), Greater Noida. 

She started her YouTube career in 2015 under the moniker Technical Divya but later changed it to Tech Divya. She currently has more than 30,000 subscribers. She started Scoop Beats in 2018 as a Facebook page initially, where she created and posted engaging and relatable content for her audience. 

Alvira Tripathi, Founder of Know On The Go

A pandemic entrepreneur, 13-year-old Alvira Tripathi, a student of The Shriram School, Haryana, designed a general knowledge-based board game during the coronavirus-imposed lockdown. The pandemic confined children strictly to their homes, which motivated Alvira to create the board game. 

As part of her Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) class, Alvira came up with the idea of an interactive board game. She developed Know On The Go, which challenges the player on general awareness of diverse topics while facilitating learning.

“While it has been developed for children between the ages of seven and 14, it's relevant for all age groups and helps parents constructively engage with their children," she told HerStory.

Elisha Parikh, Founder of elithebaker

Mumbai-based 15-year-old baker Elisha Parikh started her venture elithebaker through Instagram, which has over 16,000 followers today. Apart from running elithebaker, she has also teamed up with students of Dhirubhai Ambani International School to start another startup in the baking industry Cakeify, which sells DIY cake kits. 

“My interest in baking came from my family, with my parents and grandparents being avid foodies. My father has a food blog as well,” she says.

Elisha says she was first inspired to bake at the age of seven when she saw a recipe to bake cookies in a cookbook for children called Start to Cook.