An Arts graduate from Calcutta, Srijana Bagaria was born into a family of entrepreneurs, where building and nurturing ideas was second nature. “Entrepreneurship has always felt instinctive to me,” she shares. Deeply inspired by her mother’s love for culinary arts, Srijana cultivated her own passion for food, eventually becoming a home chef and conducting sessions globally, a creative pursuit she continues to cherish. When her family moved to Delhi, she became closely involved in operational roles across ventures, supporting everything from daily management to international buyer meetings under SRV. “I’ve always believed in building from the ground up,” she says. A defining emotional shift came after the Nirbhaya incident. “It deeply moved us. It pushed us to think seriously about women’s safety and dignity.” That reflection laid the foundation for SafetyKart, and eventually, Pee Safe, blending empathy with enterprise. From Personal Pain to Public Solution “I see myself as an entrepreneur, but a chef at heart,” Srijana reflects. Creativity drives her, whether in the kitchen or in business. The idea for Pee Safe was born from lived experience. After suffering from a UTI, she and her partner realised how widespread yet under-addressed preventive hygiene was, particularly in public spaces. “We didn’t just see a business opportunity. We saw a real, everyday problem women had quietly accepted.” What stood out was the global nature of the gap; accessible, stigma-free hygiene solutions were missing across markets. For Srijana, building Pee Safe became about “comfort, confidence, and dignity in small but meaningful ways.” Entrepreneurship, she believes, must solve real problems, with empathy and purpose at its core. Women-First Innovation Srijana describes her role simply: “I build women-first solutions with a team that shares the same vision.” At Pee Safe, the focus spans life stages, from puberty to menopause, while normalising conversations around menstrual

Sonya Hooja brings a rare blend of global academic rigour and hands-on strategic consulting experience to India’s professional education ecosystem. A graduate of Rutgers University with an MBA from INSEAD, she spent nearly a decade as a strategy consultant with Accenture, Affiliated Computer Services, and Lehman Brothers across India, Southeast Asia, and the United States. During these years, she observed a persistent and costly disconnect. “Organizations were struggling to find workplace-ready professionals despite an abundance of qualified graduates,” she notes. The gap between academic credentials and job readiness was not incidental; it was systemic. That insight became the foundation of her entrepreneurial journey. Education Designed for Employability In 2012, Sonya co-founded Imarticus Learning with a fundamental question: “What if education started with employment needs rather than academic tradition?” Her conviction stemmed from firsthand experience of how traditional systems lagged behind rapidly evolving industries, particularly finance, analytics, and technology. For her, education is not about certificates alone. “It’s about giving people the tools to change their economic trajectory,” she says. Today, having impacted over 10,00,000 learners, she remains focused on career mobility at scale, whether that means enabling a Tier-2 city graduate to enter a Big Four firm or helping a mid-career professional transition into leadership. Outcome Ownership What distinguishes Sonya’s leadership philosophy is what she calls “outcome ownership.” “We don’t start with ‘what should people learn?’” she explains. “We start with ‘what do employers actually need, and how do we build that capability?’” This backward design model has translated into measurable outcomes, approximately one learner placed every hour, and certification pass rates that exceed industry benchmarks: CPA: 92% | ACCA: 72% | CFA: 57% | CMA: 51% Under her operational stewardship, Imarticus Learning has built what she describes as “the full learning arc.” Through initiatives like Imarticus Kickstarter, learners are

Sukriti Mendiratta is the founder of Panda’s Box, a Delhi-NCR-based direct-to-consumer children’s brand dedicated to culturally rooted, screen-free play. Armed with an MBA in Communications from the Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication and a BA (Hons) in Journalism from Delhi College of Arts & Commerce, she brings both strategic thinking and storytelling expertise to her work. Her perspective is shaped as much by motherhood as by education. Growing up in a home where Indian stories, mantras, and traditions were woven into everyday life, she experienced firsthand the grounding power of culture. As a parent herself, she became increasingly aware of how quickly screens were replacing slow, meaningful childhood moments. Reclaiming Calm Childhoods Sukriti founded Panda’s Box to help families gently introduce Indian values and traditions during a child’s formative years. “Early childhood is the most powerful phase to build identity, confidence, and emotional security,” she believes. Her struggle to find non-digital, culturally relevant tools for her own child became the catalyst. She envisioned products that foster listening, repetition, touch, and shared experiences, calm alternatives to overstimulating digital content. Experience Over Stimulation With over 15 years of experience across brands like Cosmo First, Hyundai, Revlon, and Zydus Wellness, Sukriti combines corporate precision with maternal intuition. Panda’s Box is a pioneer of mantra-chanting toys in India and offers one of the most diverse collections of culturally rooted, screen-free products for children aged 0 to 6. Her philosophy is simple: play should nurture, not overwhelm. From Boardroom to Playroom Founded in April 2022, Panda’s Box emerged after Sukriti identified a clear gap in the market. Parents wanted to pass down values but lacked accessible tools. Schools didn’t address this space, and digital platforms often distracted more than they connected. Leaving behind a successful corporate career, she chose entrepreneurship, building tactile learning tools

Rohit and Kriti Mehrotra, co-founders of Organic Tattva, combine entrepreneurial discipline and brand intuition to make organic living accessible and trustworthy. Their journey reflects a shared commitment to conscious choices, family health, and building a transparent, responsible food brand. Tell us a little about yourselves. What were each of you doing professionally before Organic Tattva came into the picture? Rohit Mehrotra: I come from an entrepreneurial background. Before Organic Tattva, I was involved in the business of exporting housewares and kitchenware. In 2012, I felt a strong pull towards the FMCG space and identified a clear gap in the organic food sector, particularly the need for a robust backend-to-front-end integration. That led to the inception of Organic Tattva. I’m a University of Sheffield alumnus, and I have been part of the management and operations for a while now. Kriti Mehrotra: I come from a Corporate Finance background with a diverse work portfolio and experience in the IT industry. I believe it’s my expertise in Finance and Export Management which has contributed significantly to the company’s growth, especially in expanding into international markets. I feel really committed to excellence and integrity, and to drive meaningful growth while establishing Organic Tattva as a trusted leader in its category. You come from different backgrounds. How did your journeys converge into creating an organic food brand together? Our differences have actually broadened our perspectives and strengthened our partnership. What truly brought us together was a shared set of values. Despite coming from different professional backgrounds, we both grew increasingly concerned about food safety, rising lifestyle-related health issues, and the declining trust in everyday food choices. Our complementary strengths and shared purpose naturally aligned, leading to the birth of Organic Tattva. Was there a single trigger moment or a gradual realisation that convinced you to