Winner Pooja Vishnoi Receives ₹5 Lakh Equity-Free Grant
New Delhi [India], October 9: In alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed India by 2047, TiE Rajasthan is championing the cause of women entrepreneurship. Recognizing that women-led startups make up only 18% of the total ecosystem compared to over 55% led by men, TiE Rajasthan is working to bridge this gap through mentorship, investor engagement, and global exposure opportunities.
At the TiE Women Pitch Competition – Rajasthan Chapter, prizes worth ₹11 lakh were awarded to promising women-led startups. The competition also opens the gateway for winners to compete at the global stage with the chance to win US $50,000.
The first prize went to Pooja Vishnoi, founder of Desigo, who received an equity-free grant of ₹5 lakh. Pooja’s innovation focuses on building a solar-powered milk cold chain to deliver pure and fresh milk to remote areas, ensuring quality and accessibility.
The first runner-up was Ekta Arora, founder of Kaspertech Luminox, a startup manufacturing intelligent street lighting solutions.
The second runner-up was Vartika Saini, founder of Fixpapa Technologies, an IT hardware lifecycle platform.
Both received ₹50,000 each as equity-free grants.
Additionally, 10 women-led startups were recognized under the Special Category Awards, each receiving ₹50,000 in funding support.
Dr. Sheenu Jhanwar, President of TiE Rajasthan, emphasized:
“It is meaningless to imagine a developed India without the development of women entrepreneurship. We are committed to nurturing women founders with mentorship, resources, and encouragement. Slowly, we are changing investor mindsets and seeing excellent results.”
Mr. Anil Agarwal, Lead of TiE Women Rajasthan, added:
“TiE will continue to support these award-winning startups in presenting their ideas at the global level, ensuring that women entrepreneurs get the recognition and opportunities they deserve.”
The event was judged by our esteemed jury comprising Anish Thomas, Arvind Thanvi, Dhawal Singhal, Kanika Singhroha, Karan Bansal, Mahi Singh, Manuj Goyal, Nitin Jain, Shiv Ram
Divya Agarwal
