Shiprocket Aarambh 2025 empowers India’s women founders with capital and confidence

India’s women entrepreneurs are no longer waiting in the wings, they're stepping into the spotlight, building powerful businesses and reshaping the startup landscape. And Shiprocket Aarambh 2025 proved to be a glowing testament to this unstoppable momentum.

Now in its sixth edition, Shiprocket Aarambh, the flagship initiative by ecommerce enablement platform Shiprocket once again created a platform to uplift and empower women-led startups across the country. Aarambh celebrated bold ideas, passionate founders, and a future-forward vision for inclusive entrepreneurship.

The program continues to build a support system for women-led businesses to get discovered and arms them with the tools, mentorship, and funding needed to thrive. The 2025 edition lived up to its reputation, bringing together an extraordinary lineup of women entrepreneurs, mentors, and investors in a celebration of innovation and ambition.

A stage for vision and grit

Twenty high-potential startups were shortlisted to pitch their ideas to a distinguished jury. Each pitch session took the jury through the startup’s journey, delving into business models, financials, and team composition, within a strict five-minute slot that included time for probing Q&A. Founders from sectors across sustainable fashion, femtech, health and wellness, and home decor, presented clear, well-developed business ideas backed by strong market understanding and execution.

Participants lauded the format’s rigour and camaraderie, noting that real-time feedback helped them refine go-to-market strategies. “It was the first time for me to judge a panel like this, and by the end, I was deeply, deeply impressed,” reflected jury member Gautam Kapoor, COO of Shiprocket. Another jury member, Rekha Bala, Lead Editor, HerStory and SocialStory, YourStory Media, echoed a similar sentiment and praised the “clarity of thought and resilience” she saw on display. Founders and jury alike agreed that Aarambh’s blend of timing, questioning, and energy created a uniquely empowering environment.

Spotlight on the winners

In the Aspiring category, Haxor, founded by Kkanchan Gupta, took top honors with its pioneering adaptive apparel line designed specifically for seniors and individuals with mobility challenges. Gupta has built a passionate community around the brand partnering with the Age Friendly Bharat Foundation and engaging over two lakh older adults online to validate product design and gather real-world feedback. As the sole founder, she leads a team focused on R&D and customer outreach, determined to redefine functional fashion for all.

Bagging the Scaling category prize was Praakritik Organics, led by Dharmishtha Goenka. What began in 2016 with a single organic ghee has blossomed into a comprehensive portfolio of everyday staples, championing transparency and farm-to-fork ethics. Goenka steers a diverse, majority-women workforce of over 50 professionals, supported by industry veterans on her advisory board. Her omnichannel approach, balancing robust offline retail partnerships with a thriving online presence, exemplifies how purpose-driven brands can achieve both reach and resilience.

In the Leading category, Bliss Natural, co-founded by Niveda Ravi and her partner, claimed the crown with its fully plant-based feminine-hygiene products. Born from an academic project, the brand offers a range of bio-based pads, liners, and maternity items produced in an FDA-registered facility, all while minimising plastic waste and carbon emissions. Ravi’s co-leadership has guided Bliss Natural into leading marketplaces and retail chains domestically, and onto shelves in multiple export markets. With a lean core team and strategic partnerships, they are poised to redefine sustainable personal care.

Jury accolades and looking ahead

What set Aarambh 2025 apart was the strong sense of positivity it fostered, not just among winners but across all participants and jury members. “These ventures are poised to become long-lasting companies, and enablers like Shiprocket play a huge role in their growth,” said Sairee Chahal, Founding Partner, Appreciate Capital, a fellow jury member. Neha Kant, Founder and CEO, Clovia, added, “It gives me goosebumps to see women at every stage boldly embracing risk.”

As Gupta, Goenka and Ravi prepare to scale new heights, Shiprocket Aarambh reaffirms its mission to democratize ecommerce growth and ensure that women founders lead India’s entrepreneurial revolution.