Divya Rajput, a well known sparkling star in the corridors of entrepreneurship, a business innovation expert and a sustainability evangelist. She is also a co-founder & President of the Association of Women in Business.tech
Divya loves to create a blue ocean, an unchartered territory amidst the chaotic red ocean of services. She has worked to find her way through new organizations, setting up greenfield projects in education.
Born and raised in Delhi in a house of professionals, she always got the opportunity to study and work in new institutions. She performed theatres, participated in debates, sketched, painted water and oil colours and read fiction/adventure. Her parents encouraged her in studies and she worked hard from mediocrity to be among toppers in a co-ed environment.
Divya never realised the disturbing differences among men and women until she got into a job.
Graduate in Applied Sciences in Electronics (Hons) from Delhi University, followed by Masters in Electronics from Banasthali Vidyapith (NAAC A++ rated Women’s University). That was possibly her first stint with women, so many of them – strict wardens, passionate lecturers, empathetic seniors and affectionate classmates – all working to improve study-life balance in a highly secure environment.
Making her career among the men-dominated electronics field wasn’t a cakewalk. She gave up research and opted to become a lecturer so that she could transfer correct tools and skills to the next generation.
Divya was fortunate to work with leading Chairman of their times in education institutions set up by the corporate. They always created opportunities and brought out the best execution skills from her. She started working in 3 greenfield projects in higher education in 10 years which included leading a pan-India expansion for a B-School brand, working to raise VC capital, maintaining high EBITDA margins and getting a bill approved for a University in Gujarat.
Divya continued job during her two child-births; thanks to her family and spouse for providing great support. There were some incidents which were testing – her son’s paediatric commenting that as a working mother she didn’t look after her 3-year old when he got hospitalized for pneumonia. So, he got to travel with her for the next 5 years of her work.
Women lead with emotional intelligence – making their ventures more profitable and employees more productive and happier!
Even when she started working at Corporate Affairs as the only woman head of a vertical, she was mentored to envision deep-rooted problems and develop solutions for a better tomorrow.
The year 2012 was interesting – the New Companies Act was being drafted and finalised and innovation was picking up. She has always been in the right place at the right time. With her DG who was very passionate about CSR, she was successful in getting a space for incubators as an activity to receive CSR funds in the New Companies Act 2013.
Divya got deeply connected to the incubator community in India and worked/ trained/ shared dais with the leading IITs, IIMs, government officials, entrepreneurs from the corporate. Just when she had reached the top, the rebel in her woke up and decided to quit her full-time, government job.
She took part-time advisory with IIM Lucknow and Technology Development Board, implementing projects with the University of Texas and got to travel across South East Asia for executing US Government’s projects on regional cooperation.
The year 2017 took her to Taiwan for first Women Tech Entrepreneurs program for US-Taiwan GCTF program which gave her insights into cultural aspects of women entrepreneurship. In 2018, she got an opportunity to mentor Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs from India to help them validate their business models in Austin, Texas, India and Sweden.
While travelling and living with AWE, she realised the deep-rooted challenges of women entrepreneurship. It was then, Divya co-founded the non-profit Women in Business, an association to provide on-going services to women entrepreneurs who are struggling with limited resources and time at hand.
The Association of Women in Business is all about collaboration; there is a membership fees model (except during current crisis times) because the association don’t want women to fall for free benefits.
The objective of the non-profit is to unlock the true potential of women to run businesses. “I am still asked by several well-read, leading scientists that I should focus on my girls learning stitching, bakery or maybe trading and not worry about innovation, manufacturing or high worth commercial ventures,” says Divya.
But that’s the purpose – all the basics come naturally to women. They are empowered to make their own decisions. It is about enabling them to reach where they can showcase their worth and create a deeper impact.
Her non-profit group is moving organically, one vertical at a time and very certain that it will create a mark in the community.
She has recently concluded the pre-incubation Bootcamp for Women Entrepreneurs Platform of the NitiAayog with the Indigram Labs Foundation (a TBI) for amazing 15 women entrepreneurs. She is working with 30 women entrepreneurs from North East and East India for Breaking the Glass Ceiling program of the US Consulate Kolkata. All these women and many more will add more value to her community. tech tech tech tech tech
With so many problems to be solved, where is the time to compete?
Let’s collaborate!
