Kanika Gupta Shori, the Co-Founder and COO at Square Yards, recently reflected on her decade-long entrepreneurial journey and talked about how she navigated challenges that came with being a female entrepreneur. She stated that funding was predominantly a man’s game and how women entrepreneurs often struggled in terms of raising funding. This was mostly due to preconceived biases or notions of investors that should be eliminated while screening investment proposals.
Kanika Gupta Shori also talked about how she has been a part of several funding rounds throughout her journey at Square Yards, while stating how she noticed some of these biases harbored towards women. However, she also added that things are changing for the better currently. Her advice for female entrepreneurs was also succinct- the best way to navigate these biases is to be the hardest-working individual in any sphere and to do the talking with one’s work.
She also mentioned how investors should screen business ideas and enterprises for viability in terms of measurable performance indicators and other metrics instead of sticking to subjective and potentially harmful biases. This often happens since investors do not have any idea of the challenges that women entrepreneurs have to face. This often leads to their business ideas being undermined by these notions and the confidence gap that is created.
Shori also asks women to believe in themselves and their unique skill-sets for success, mentioning how women are wired to be highly efficient multitaskers who can juggle family and work with ease. She also feels that successful women entrepreneurs should be celebrated more, while their journeys should be more visible in order to inspire the next-generation of female leaders and entrepreneurs.
She also urged investors to invest in women-driven businesses, which have lower failure rates and also for the increasing demand for varied products and services offered by women-led businesses. She also offered advice to female entrepreneurs, asking them to believe in themselves without letting gender-related concerns bog them down. She also guided women entrepreneurs on not letting their decisions be clouded with emotion and learning to take guidance constructively to achieve future success.
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Hindustan Times: https://bit.ly/43kAj2i
Published Date: 15 March, 2024
