Unleashing the power of Her: Women-led startups changing the game

Women entrepreneurs in India are breaking new ground in technology and innovation, leading a dynamic wave of change. According to a report by data platform Tracxn, India has produced more than 8,000 tech-based startups with women founders, collectively raising nearly $23 billion to date. This growth reflects the significant role women are playing in reshaping industries, particularly in the tech sector.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored this monumental progress in March 2024, during the inauguration of the Startup Mahakumbh in New Delhi, revealing that more than 45% of startups in India are now women-led. This milestone marks a new era in India's business ecosystem, where women are not just participants but powerful drivers of change.

In this edition of HerStory’s AWS Women in Tech Series, we shine a spotlight on three extraordinary women who are reshaping the tech world: Shubhi Agarwal, COO and Co-founder, Locobuzz, Nidhi Nirmal, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer (CBO), KisanKonnect, and Dr Jyoti Joshi, Founder and CEO, Kroop AI.

Shubhi leads Locobuzz, a SaaS leader in digital customer experience management, which serves over 350 clients, including 50+ Fortune 500 companies across industries from banking to ecommerce. A TEDx speaker and passionate advocate for women in tech, Shubhi’s impact has been recognised by the ‘Women in Leadership Award’ from the World Women Leadership Congress. Her journey, marked by leadership roles at Tata Motors and Times Internet, highlights her commitment to innovation and operational excellence.

Nidhi is revolutionising India’s agritech space with KisanKonnect, an initiative that connects farmers directly with consumers to deliver fresh produce through its app and farm stores. KisanKonnect empowers farmers to adopt sustainable practices, while also offering curated, preservative-free snacks under ‘Village Staples’ and ‘Mom’s Kitchen,’ redefining farm-to-table with tech-driven innovation.

Jyoti is making waves with Kroop AI, focusing on ethical AI applications like deepfake detection and text-to-video generation. Her work addresses the needs of high-stakes sectors such as finance, healthcare, and government, setting Kroop AI apart as a responsible AI innovator with real-world impact.

These three leaders are redefining what’s possible in tech, inspiring the next generation of women innovators with their resilience, vision, and unwavering commitment to change.

Edited excerpts of the interview:

YourStory: What key experiences shaped your journey to co-founding your company, and how do they influence the vision and values you’ve built? What sets your organisation apart in the market?

Shubhi: Founding Locobuzz stemmed from a blend of my tech background and experiences in customer engagement. I saw gaps in how companies managed customer interactions, which inspired Locobuzz’s mission to deliver an end-to-end customer experience platform. Initially focused on social engagement, we quickly expanded to serve diverse industries with data-driven insights. Today, we’re proud to support over 50 Fortune 500 companies, combining AI with human touch for adaptable, empathetic solutions. Our commitment to innovation and operational excellence truly sets Locobuzz apart in the market.

Nidhi: My drive to co-found KisanKonnect Safe Food came from a passion for empowering farmers and ensuring consumers have access to fresh, safe food. During COVID-19, we saw farmers struggle to sell produce while cities faced shortages. We’re closing this gap by using technology to offer branded, traceable produce directly from farmers to consumers. Starting with soil testing and tracking each crate through RFID, we make the origin of every item fully transparent, ensuring accountability and quality. Our transparent approach ensures accountability and quality, making Kisankonnect more than just a platform – it's a trusted source for fresh, safe food.

Jyoti: My journey started in research and academia, where I transitioned from researcher to co-founder of Kroop AI, driven by a commitment to developing technology that addresses real-world challenges. Along the way, I learned the critical value of merging advanced innovation with a strong sense of responsibility. At Kroop AI, we are committed to using AI ethically, creating products that are secure, accessible, and genuinely helpful—whether it's through deepfake detection or our multilingual text-to-video solutions. What sets us apart is our focus on developing practical AI solutions with trust and transparency, especially in high-stakes sectors like finance and healthcare.

YS: What core principles guide your leadership, and how do you ensure these values are reflected in your team’s work and the strategic direction of your company?

Shubhi: My leadership is guided by innovation, integrity, and collaboration. I believe in fostering an open environment where everyone feels valued, with regular team meetings and feedback sessions to ensure alignment with our mission. At Locobuzz, we’ve built a meritocratic culture that prioritises skills over background or gender, empowering team members to bring fresh perspectives. Demonstrating a result-oriented mindset and taking initiative are essential for overcoming biases and ensuring that all team members are empowered to contribute meaningfully.

Nidhi: My leadership is built on transparency, empowerment, and continuous learning. We cultivate an open, collaborative culture where team members are encouraged to share feedback and innovate. Our strategic direction centres on two goals: understanding and meeting customer needs, and improving farm productivity through sustainable practices. By aligning our work with these values, we create a team environment focused on impact, quality, and trust, ensuring our mission to connect consumers with safe, traceable food is consistently upheld.

Jyoti: Open communication, empathy and integrity are the core principles that guide me. I believe in building a team culture where every member feels valued and empowered to bring their unique strengths to the table. By promoting open dialogue and shared accountability, I work to ensure our values are woven into every project and decision. This approach not only drives our strategic direction but also helps each team member feel invested in our mission.

YS: How are you working to normalise the presence of women in tech? Can you share specific initiatives within your company that foster gender diversity and inclusion?

Shubhi: At Locobuzz, we’re committed to making tech more inclusive by supporting women in a traditionally male-dominated field. We run mentorship programmes pairing young female professionals with senior leaders, and offer workshops to boost skills and confidence. We aim for at least 40% women leaders across all levels, reflecting our commitment to gender diversity in hiring. Our meritocratic culture breaks down stereotypes, creating an environment where all voices are valued and empowered to succeed.

Nidhi: At KisanKonnect Safe Food, we believe diversity and inclusion drive transformation. We focus on diversity in hiring, creating networking groups for mentorship, and promoting women into leadership roles. By fostering a supportive environment, we see tangible benefits—higher retention, improved productivity, and a healthier workplace. This inclusive culture fuels our innovation and growth, enriching our service to customers and creating value for all stakeholders.

Jyoti: Promoting women to pursue STEM has been very close to me since my graduate days. Especially in an industry where women are underrepresented, it’s essential to take deliberate steps to create change. While my team is still small, I am a strong advocate for increasing the presence of women in technology. I actively support initiatives aimed at empowering women in STEM fields and am committed to fostering an inclusive environment as my company grows. By sharing my journey and advocating for gender diversity in tech spaces, I aim to inspire other women to consider and thrive in tech careers.

YS: How do you actively nurture a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and risk-taking within your organisation? What mechanisms or practices do you use to empower your team to think creatively and push boundaries in problem-solving?

Shubhi: At Locobuzz, we cultivate a culture that values curiosity and bold thinking by encouraging team members to take on innovative projects without fear of failure. Regular brainstorming sessions create an open forum for all ideas, and resources are available to prototype promising concepts. Hackathons and innovation challenges inspire creative problem-solving, and we celebrate both achievements and lessons from setbacks. Balancing customer needs with room for experimentation is central to our approach, helping us drive impactful innovation and adaptability throughout the organisation.

Nidhi: At KisanKonnect Safe Food, we champion curiosity and innovation through hands-on learning. Workshops, hackathons, and cross-functional collaborations give our team space to explore fresh ideas, while open communication and regular feedback keep our efforts aligned. Successes are celebrated with team-building activities, and failures are seen as valuable learning moments. We focus on execution excellence and empower teams to experiment and push boundaries, fostering a culture where calculated risk-taking, creativity, and continuous improvement thrive.

Jyoti: We have a team of researchers, who are encouraged to constantly challenge the status quo and explore new ideas and experiments to beat the state of the art. We have a "fail fast, learn faster" approach where taking calculated risks is part of innovation. Regular brainstorming sessions, cross-functional collaboration, and a flat hierarchy empower our team to take ownership and think creatively.

YS: What are the key factors for successfully leading digital transformation? How do you balance technological change with human-centered leadership, and how has AWS contributed to your organisation’s digital evolution?

Shubhi: Successfully leading digital transformation requires balancing technological advancements with a human-centered approach. Key factors include clear communication of goals, continuous training for employees, and leveraging data analytics for informed decision-making. At Locobuzz, we emphasise understanding customer expectations while integrating new technologies into our operations.

AWS has played a crucial role in this journey by providing scalable cloud solutions that enhance our operational efficiency while allowing us to focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences. Maintaining unit economics is vital for bootstrapped companies like ours; AWS enables us to optimise costs while expanding our capabilities.

Nidhi: Successful digital transformation requires a blend of visionary leadership, strategic planning, and agile execution. We strive to balance technological advancement with human-centred leadership by focusing on customer-centricity, ensuring we understand and meet evolving needs, along with speed and adaptability for rapid execution and responsiveness. AWS has been instrumental in our digital evolution, providing scalable infrastructure that supports seamless growth, enhanced security that protects our customers' data and builds trust, and innovative services that allow us to leverage cutting-edge technologies. By harnessing AWS’s capabilities, we’ve accelerated our transformation, driving business agility and delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Jyoti: The key to successful digital transformation is aligning technology with the needs of people—whether it’s customers or employees. We focus on ensuring that technology enhances human capabilities. AWS has played a crucial role in this journey by providing the scalable infrastructure we need to build and deploy our technology responsibly and reliably.

Shaping the future with AI, Blockchain, and sustainable solutions

Each of these three remarkable women are united by a common vision: to reshape industries through technology and cultivate a legacy of growth, integrity, and social responsibility. As leaders in their respective fields, Shubhi, Nidhi and Jyoti are harnessing emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, synthetic media, and climate prediction to drive meaningful change.

Shubhi shares that Locobuzz’s AI-driven analytics enhance customer engagement and personalize experiences, securing its place as a digital customer experience leader. Nidhi talks about how KisanKonnect Safe Food is using AI, blockchain, and climate prediction to boost efficiency, sustainability, and customer experiences. Jyoti notes that Kroop AI's advanced generative AI tools, such as deepfake detection and multilingual text-to-video, are enhancing security and trust in digital interactions. Together, they’re setting new standards in transparency, sustainability, and customer focus for the future.