movers & makers Jessica jayne
Founder, Pahadi Local This self-identified serial entrepreneur is a sound engineer by training. Her latest venture, Pahadi Local, works with villages and monasteries in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to bring wellness products native to the Himalayas to consumers around the country. These include pure apricot kernel and walnut oils, mineral-rich clay, and even rosewood and floral honeys, all beautifully packaged. Sustainability is core to Jayne’s philosophy: “We have created procurement systems mirroring cooperative structures, and practice fair pricing where we pay much higher than the local rate. We are also working on a royalty-to-source programme for some of our very rare and special products,” says Jayne. The brand stands for social responsibility while promoting the ‘luxury in simplicity’. The year-old company even has an initiative called Pahadi Empower that puts five percent of profits back in to the local communities. A sustainable supply chain makes good business sense, says Jayne. “We harbour an intrinsic responsibility to the land and labour, and personally guarantee that every product is born out of socially responsible and ethical sourcing.” Raj Aditya Chaudhuri
Megha Gupta
Founder, Dharavimarket.com As a journalist-turnedurban planner, Dharavi was always a subject of study for 30-year-old Gupta. On one such field visit to the cluster of slums, she felt the need to build an equal opportunity platform that will make Dharavi’s skilled craftsmanship available to the entire world. And with that idea, Megha turned into an ‘accidental’ entrepreneur by single-handedly launching Dharavimarket.com in 2014. Today, this for-profit e-commerce portal serves as a marketplace for everything from leather products and pottery items to clothing and accessories—all ‘Made in Dharavi’. With the help of three employees, Megha hopes to double the company’s current annual turnover of USD75,000 ( 50 lakhs). She also plans to expand their reach by participating in international trade fairs that will help them acquire bulk orders from clients. “It is difficult because I am doing it without a business partner and have limited funds to keep it going, yet it’s fun because this is my passion and I don’t wish to do anything else,” she says, describing her entrepreneurial journey so far. For Gupta, the Make in India initiative could prove to be a game changer. It means not just an increase in the number of jobs for skilled craftsmen but also a better standard of living. SK
This for-profit e-commerce portal serves as a marketplace for all things ‘Made in Dharavi’
Monica Narula
Co-founder, Idea Chakki A video-based food tech startup helmed by three former NDTV executives, Idea Chakki already sounds unique. Says Narula, “I was heading food programming at NDTV and we [co-founders Gunjan Mehrish and Noopur Tiwari] always wanted to innovate around food instead of just doing tabletop cooking shows. In TV, the environment had started to become predictable and limiting. Similarly the food tech space was full of me-too apps. We wanted to build something original that solved a universal problem.” Idea Chakki provides diners visual menus and short video previews of dishes. It also allows users to gift dining and drinking experiences to each other through its vertical, Dash. “Ours is a global app and the whole idea was to invent something original. It happens to be made in India but it is meant to solve a global pain point and remove language barriers by making everything visual. Make in India is just making locally, a natural, logical choice.” Impressed by people who use technology to bring about social change, Narula is no stranger to the challenges that entrepreneurs face. “It’s always hard to change a habit. Luckily for us, our idea is completely unique. We want to give people something they have been missing. Funnily, they realise it. We’re predicting that this will be a habitforming game-changer for the F&B industry. Visual menus are the future.” Samira Sood
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19/11/16 7:16 pm