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Series 1 of 10, now releasing

Women Who Built It

Six women. Six beginnings nobody saw.

Each episode follows one woman from the moment she started, through the doubts, the rejections and the decisions that mattered, to what she built. Every story comes as a reel, a carousel you can swipe and a case study you can keep.

Start with episode 1 Case studies
Reel cover, episode 1: Vineeta Singh, SUGAR Cosmetics.
builtbyshunya Ep 1 · Vineeta Singh, SUGAR Cosmetics.
Reel cover, episode 2: Kanika Tekriwal, JetSetGo.
builtbyshunya Ep 2 · Kanika Tekriwal, JetSetGo.
Reel cover, episode 3: Upasana Taku, MobiKwik.
builtbyshunya Ep 3 · Upasana Taku, MobiKwik.
Reel cover, episode 4: Ghazal Alagh, Mamaearth.
builtbyshunya Ep 4 · Ghazal Alagh, Mamaearth.
Reel cover, episode 5: Ruchi Kalra, OfBusiness.
builtbyshunya Ep 5 · Ruchi Kalra, OfBusiness.
Reel cover, episode 6: Shaily Mehrotra, Fixderma.
builtbyshunya Ep 6 · Shaily Mehrotra, Fixderma.
Reels
Episode 1 of 6
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Episode 1 of 6Vineeta Singh

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All five founders, one place

Pick a story. Watch it unfold.

Choose a founder, then swipe her carousel.

They’d fund it. On one condition. That her husband run it.
Meet the founder: Vineeta Singh, co-founder of SUGAR Cosmetics. IIT Madras, then IIM Ahmedabad. Two ventures that didn’t work.
SUGAR raises ₹144.5 crore, at about one-fifth of its peak value.
How many lipsticks does India buy in a year? An estimate that lands on 12 crore.
You’re running SUGAR. ₹500 crore: more cities, or more products?
The Ansoff matrix: only four ways to grow. Most pick the most expensive first.
Where SUGAR stands today: the question became real.
One-fifth of its peak value. Still building. Comment PDF for the full case file.
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Episode 1, out now

Vineeta Singh

SUGAR Cosmetics

Two ventures that didn’t work came first. The third time, Vineeta Singh built makeup for Indian skin and Indian heat, and called it SUGAR.

The lessonBuild for the customer nobody designed for.
Download case study (PDF)
Why women first

The first series is dedicated to women, because the story that started this initiative is a woman’s story.

Frameworks you’ll learn in this series

Business thinking from real decisions, explained in plain words. More are added with each episode.

The Ansoff Matrix: where do you grow?Ep 1Growth has two levers: who you sell to and what you sell. Mix them and you get four boxes.
Make vs buy: own the machine, or run it for others?Ep 2Do you carry the asset yourself, or earn from someone else’s?
Portfolio view: which business gets the next rupee?Ep 3Sort each business by growth and by how much profit it carries.
The BCG Growth-Share MatrixEp 4Sort products by growth and share, then decide which gets the next rupee.
The Ansoff Matrix: where does the next rupee grow?Ep 5Growth has two levers: who you sell to, and what you sell. Mix them and you get four boxes.
Channel mix: how many doors carry the business?Ep 6List every route to the customer and the share each one carries.
Now you decide, from episode 1

You’re running SUGAR. ₹500 cr — more cities, or more products?

Make your call. The episode 1 case study walks through the framework behind the answer.

In their words

“Yes we did raise a large round, yes it is at a worse valuation because [co-founder] Kaushik [Mukherjee] and I are here to build.”
Vineeta Singh, episode 1
“I was 21 and 40 doctors told me that you will survive for four months or four days.”
Kanika Tekriwal, episode 2
“The revenues that we’ve been earning on all of this has been zero, and it is a huge drag on our portfolios.”
Upasana Taku, episode 3

The case study library

Every episode has a downloadable case study: the full story, the lessons and verified quotes.

  • 01 Vineeta Singh, SUGAR CosmeticsCase study, lessons and verified quotes PDF
  • 02 Kanika Tekriwal, JetSetGoCase study, lessons and verified quotes PDF
  • 03 Upasana Taku, MobiKwikCase study, lessons and verified quotes PDF
  • 04 Ghazal Alagh, MamaearthCase study, lessons and verified quotes PDF
  • 05 Ruchi Kalra, OfBusinessCase study, lessons and verified quotes PDF
  • 06 Shaily Mehrotra, FixdermaCase study, lessons and verified quotes PDF

Explore all ten series

✱ Coming soon. Titles may change before release.

01You are here Women Who Built ItWomen founders 02✱ Coming soon Brands From ScratchD2C brands 03✱ Coming soon Startup BeginningsTech and startups 04✱ Coming soon First in the FamilyFirst-gen careers 05✱ Coming soon Beyond the ScoreboardSports 06✱ Coming soon Creators Who Built ItCreators 07✱ Coming soon From the Kitchen UpFood and local 08✱ Coming soon Change MakersSocial impact 09✱ Coming soon Roots to RiseRural builders 10✱ Coming soon Hyderabad StoriesOur city
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