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For women, by women: These females are slaying it with their unique startups These women are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to empowering women and giving them the opportunities they deserve.

By Ritu Kochar

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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Women everywhere are killing it.

According to OECD Economic survey of India, 40% of entrepreneurs in India are female, and to everyone's delight, this number is only increasing. The simplicity with which Canadian President, Justin Trudeau replied, "because it's 2015" when asked why he chose to have a gender equal cabinet, it's time we naturally accept women a part of the business world rather than questioning it.

Over the years, women all over the world have changed the face of business. No doubt that being a woman in the man's world, establishing a business of their own is no cake walk. Especially for Indian women. The hardships they face along the way are numerous. From lack of support to finding the right investors, women do not have it easy.

Indian women have blessed the startup industry with their unique ideas. They are relentless and their passion for work is heartening. They want to succeed in life and they want other women to succeed with them as well. In a study commissioned by Dell on the women entrepreneurs in India and US, 98% women believe that their business should have a positive social impact.

Here are some unique startups for women, by women and they serve as a great inspiration for other females waiting to launch their dream startup.

Fun guide to healthy periods - Menstrupedia

Living in Jharkhand, Aditi Gupta, founder of Menstrupedia, was no stranger to the numerous taboos that surround menstruation in India. Not being able to enter temples or even the kitchen in their homes, they spread nothing more than negative ideas in the brains of little girls while growing up. Realizing the need to stop this, Aditi made it her goal to shatter these taboos and present to the world a clear picture. With the use of comics, Menstrupedia, launced in April 2014, is a unique guide for girls in India to understand menstruation, giving them advice on how to stay healthy and active during their periods. Startups like these are much needed in India.

Shape up in style - Zivame

There is a deep lack of knowledge in India about the importance of right lingerie. It is considered useless to spend an adequate amount of money on bras or inner wears given that they are hidden by the layers of clothes above them. This, however, is not true as the right lingerie is more than covering body. It supports the body, giving right posture. Richa Kar established this fact with her start up Zivame, an online store to shop lingerie. Many popular brands can be found in this website saving women the hustle to go looking from shop to shop. It was founded in August, 2011 and has been growing since.

All about equal oppotunities - Sheroes

Sairee Chahal is empowering women all across the world through her startup Sheroes – an online career destination for women. Established in February 2014, the site specializes in providing opportunities to women who want to prove themselves in the world. It is a platform where they can choose from a number of opportunities without the fear of being trodden down by men. Women can choose from a wide range of opportunities – "these include opportunities with women friendly employers, flex friendly formats, mompreneur programs, partnership programs and more." Not only do they help women acquire new jobs but they also guide them through the different stages of their career, helping them grow in every way.

Women in various avatars - Nykaa

What Zivame did for the lingerie business, Nykaa did for beauty and make up products. It was launched in 2012 and is a one-stop-destination to buy beauty products for women and men from a wide range of options. The founder, Falguni Nayar, wanted this business to be more than just a beauty store. She takes the name of the startup Nykaa very seriously, which in Hindi means an actress. She wants to see women in different avatars and want them to discover themselves along the way. It is her aim to see women redefine themselves.

Sewing New Futures

This one's an exception on our list, as it is the only startup whose founder is not Indian. But that doesn't matter when her work is highly appreciable since she is helping Indian rural women. Kristen Braddok came to India with the aim to "learn cool stuff and have some cool stories" before returning to America to study Law. But her visit to a village in Najafgarh, Delhi, showed her the crude reality of how women in survive in India. Issues like prostitution, female foeticide, child marriage are prevalent and solutions are nowhere to be found. She took the step to empower these women through her startup which allows these women to sell their handmade products. It gives them employment saving them from choosing prostitution as profession. Other than providing wages for sewing, Kristin plans to expand this startup by opening one room classrooms for women to teach and learn

These start-ups prove that women are not leaving any stone unturned to rise and shine. These are the real iron ladies and they will not stop until each woman in India is empowered and achieves the independence and individuality she deserves.

Share your unique ideas on how to empower women on our official Facebook page Entrepreneur India.

Ritu Kochar

Former Staff, Entrepreneur India

Ritu used to work as a Feature writer for Entrepreneur India.
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