[100 Emerging Women Leaders] These entrepreneurs are providing visibility to digital artists

School friends Anuskha Balaraj and Sumitra Natesan recognised how, unlike traditional art, digital art was not getting the visibility it deserved.  

In her quest to understand and solve the gap and give visibility to digital art, Anushka started The Leap Gallery in 2021, and soon she was joined by Sumitra.    

The platform is mainly focused on discovering digital artists who bring something new to the table and make their art accessible to a larger audience. 

“The Leap Gallery is an attempt to promote a global network of game-changing digital artists who allow their artwork to speak on their behalf,” says Anushka.  

ALSO READ

[100 Emerging Women Leaders] Meet the investment banker who did not let her visual impairment be a roadblock to success

Anushka, an entrepreneurship student; and Sumitra, a business student; come from a family that has been in the art business for the last couple of decades. “Digital art is something new in the same dimension,” says Sumitra. 

Anushka adds, “I have been an artist for as long as I can remember and I have allocated four years to digital art. This passion especially grew over the pandemic.”  

In order to create a global network of digital artists amid the new normal, the duo aim to establish a connection that exists between artists in the conventional art space in the digital dimension as well. 

“Each of our artists have their own stories and you can see that in their work. It is so inspiring, and we want to give them the same amount of recognition,” says Sumitra.   

The duo is different in all the right ways, and together make a team that has just the right synergy! 

ALSO READ

[100 Emerging Women Leaders] How Tarusha Mittal stormed into the blockchain club

Reflecting on the hurdles they are facing in their journey, Anushka says, “the main challenge we are facing is the discovery of young creator talent while defying multiple social norms that both young entrepreneurs and digital artists face.”

Anushka and Sumitra have gone through the ordeal of not being taken seriously in their entrepreneurial journey because of their young age. Today, however, they are standing strong and are on their way to make it big! 

“Over the last year, we have gone through several alternatives and have constantly reinvented ourselves to make the business, specifically the digital platforms, more flexible, noticeable, and accessible to our clients and collectors all over the world,” Sumitra says. 

Sumitra’s advice to young entrepreneurs is to support oneself and not pay heed to people who attempt to bring you down, and Anushka asks us to challenge ourselves and learn by engaging with problems firsthand, and we completely agree!

(The story was updated to correct the entrepreneur's name.)