The FoundHers Podcast

Burger King India's Ex-President on scaling from 0 to 500 stores | Cicily Thomas

Cicily Thomas was the first employee of Burger King India and went on to become its President. She scaled the QSR brand from zero to 500 restaurants across the country. In this episode, she breaks down how Burger King took on McDonald's in India, why the Indian food business needs a completely different playbook, the truth about cloud kitchens and delivery margins on Swiggy & Zomato, and the consumer behaviour insights that shape every fast food decision. A must-listen for anyone interested in brand building, restaurant business, F&B strategy, or how global brands crack the Indian market. 🎙️ Guest: Cicily Thomas, Former President, Burger King India🎧 YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | JioSaavn

How to Build a Beauty Startup in a Crowded Market | Ghazal Gupta, founder of un:fltrd

How do you build a business in a market that already feels overcrowded? In this episode of The FoundHers Podcast, we sit down with Ghazal Gupta, founder of un:fltrd, to decode the Indian beauty market. This conversation goes deep into what actually matters when building a brand today: customer insights, market research, product positioning, and finding your niche in a highly competitive space. Ghazal shares her unfiltered perspective on building a beauty business from scratch, and the technical realities early-stage founders often overlook. Whether you are building a D2C startup or are curious about the economics of the cosmetic industry, this conversation covers the tactical reality of building a brand from scratch. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Introduction 01:28 Shade matching in India 04:28 Sampling strategy for customers 06:00 How many customers converted? 07:05 Mom's as an audience segment 08:34 What do you get from an expo? 10:50 How to manage vendors? 12:58 Facing a big loss 14:54 How to find the gap in the market? 17:13 Difference in Indian skin tone 20:40 Building in a niche category 22:48 What's next for un:fltrd? 23:48 Rapid Fire 24:58 Conclusion 📢 Subscribe for more entrepreneur stories, startup lessons, and business insights from Indian founders. #entrepreneur #startup #indianstartups #founderstory #beauty #makeup #womeninbusiness #businesspodcast #businindia About Ghazal Gupta: Ghazal Gupta is the founder of un:fltrd, a community-led beauty brand built for Indian skin tones. She’s known for her unfiltered takes on beauty, shade matching, and the realities of building a brand in your twenties About the show: Bringing women founders, leaders and experts together to share their experience and business journeys. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thefoundherspodcast_/ https://startinc.in/podcast/ Hinal Mehta, Host https://www.linkedin.com/in/hinalmehta15/ StartInc https://www.instagram.com/startinc.in/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/startinc/posts/?feedView=all Ghazal Gupta, Guest https://www.instagram.com/ghazalguptaa/ https://www.instagram.com/stayunfltrd/

She Built a Startup for India’s Public Transport System | Priya Singh, Chalo Mobility

How do you build a tech giant in India's hardest market? In this episode of The FoundHers Podcast, we sit down with Priya Singh, Co-founder of Chalo Mobility, to break down the reality of building in India’s public sector. From launching a mobility tech app in Bhopal to working closely with government systems, Priya shares honest insights on what it really takes to scale, stay profitable, and create change at a national level. With over 20 years of experience across the government, UN, and startup ecosystem, Priya brings an unfiltered perspective on Indian consumer behaviour, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, the truth about working with the government, and what resilience truly means for founders building in complex ecosystems. If you’re curious about public sector startups, urban mobility in India, or building real-world impact, this episode is a must-watch. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Introduction 01:45 What is Chalo Mobility? 03:05 Launching the app in Bhopal 07:55 Bus v/s Metro 12:35 How to get profitable in the public sector? 18:40 Is it easy to work with the government? 23:00 How are women treated in government roles? 28:25 3 truths about the Indian consumer 31:48 Why is resilience important? 33:45 What is Priya finding in this journey? 37:20 Conclusion 📢 Subscribe for more entrepreneur stories, startup lessons, and business insights from Indian founders. #entrepreneur #startup #indianstartups #founderstory #chaloapp #publictransport #womeninbusiness #businesspodcast #businindia About Priya Singh: Priya Singh is the Co-founder and Director at Chalo Mobility and serves as Chief Business Officer, leading Public Market business and Brand Advocacy across India and international markets. She oversees a vertical that contributes nearly 80% of Chalo’s revenue, scaling operations to 30,000 buses across 100+ cities. With over 21+ years of experience across government, global institutions, and startup ecosystems, Priya brings deep expertise in building commuter-first, scalable urban mobility systems. About the show: Bringing women founders, leaders and experts together to share their experience and business journeys. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thefoundherspodcast_/ https://startinc.in/podcast/ Hinal Mehta, Host https://www.linkedin.com/in/hinalmehta15/ StartInc https://www.instagram.com/startinc.in/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/startinc/posts/?feedView=all Priya Singh, Guest https://www.linkedin.com/in/priya-singh-49a96212/ https://chalo.com/

She Lost ₹1 Crore Building Her Startup - What Happened Next

She lost ₹1 Crore building her startup. But that didn't stop her from building a 50Cr brand!! In this episode of The FoundHers Podcast, Anshita, Founder of Fix My Curls, shares her biggest business failure - losing over 1 crore rupees in her entrepreneurial journey. This raw, unfiltered startup failure story reveals the painful lessons, the emotional toll, and how she bounced back stronger. If you're an entrepreneur or startup founder in India, this story will resonate deeply. Learn what went wrong, how to avoid similar mistakes, and why failure is often the best teacher in business. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:10 - The 1 Crore Loss Revealed 01:30 - What Led to the Failure 02:18 - Packaging Error 02:51 - Lessons Learned 📢 Subscribe for more entrepreneur stories, startup lessons, and business insights from Indian founders. Watch the full episode with Anshita here: https://youtu.be/w_VP32f-DTo About Anshita Mehrotra: Anshita Mehrotra, founder of Fix My Curls, turned a personal frustration into a thriving brand, now spanning 11 countries in just 5 years. She saw the gap in affordable curly haircare in India and set out to change that with her brand - Fix My Curls. Fix My Curls is a curly & wavy haircare brand - made to help wavy, curly & coily people embrace their natural hair! #entrepreneur #startup #startupfailure #indianstartups #founderstory About the show: Bringing women founders, leaders and experts together to share their experience and business journeys. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thefoundherspodcast_/ https://startinc.in/podcast/ Hinal Mehta, Host https://www.linkedin.com/in/hinalmehta15/ StartInc https://www.instagram.com/startinc.in/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/startinc/posts/?feedView=all Anshita Mehrotra, Guest https://www.instagram.com/anshiq/ https://fixmycurls.com/

Building a Fashion Brand Gen Z Actually Loves | From Thrift Page to Sold-Out Drops @nefsfinds

What does Gen Z really want from fashion in 2025? If you’re a founder, creator, or brand trying to crack Gen Z - this episode is your cheat code. We sat down with Nefertari Joshi, founder of Nef’s Finds, a brand that started as a private thrift page and grew into one of the most loved Gen Z fashion labels online. In this conversation, Nefertari breaks down how she stays relevant in a brutally competitive market. From concert-themed fashion drops to reinventing Indian wear and accessories for a younger audience, she is standing out. Here’s what we covered: • How to stay relevant in a fast, competitive, trend-driven market • What categories Gen Z is currently shopping • The kind of fashion content Gen Z actually consumes • How to build a loyal customer base purely through Instagram • Actionable Gen Z customer insights for founders and creators • What helps a brand genuinely connect with young audiences Nefertari Joshi is the founder of Nef’s Finds, a fashion label that started as a thrift page and grew into a full-fledged brand known for its bold, experimental, and Gen Z-driven aesthetic. With experience across editorial and retail, she’s built Nef’s Finds into a community-led label that blends creativity, culture, and commerce. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:10 Building a fashion brand with a private account 02:35 Rejecting followers on Instagram 05:37 Facing backlash from customers 07:23 How to retain customers in fashion? 09:05 How to sell to Gen Z? 10:40 Can Gen Z purchasing be influenced? 12:00 Spotted at Coldplay concert 12:56 Westside's Gen Z campaign 16:35 What content does Gen Z consume? 18:56 Funny customer experience 20:00 3 tips for selling to Gen Z 23:35 Rapid Fire with Nef 26:56 Conclusion About the show: Bringing women founders, leaders and experts together to share their experience and business journeys. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thefoundherspodcast_/ https://startinc.in/podcast/ Hinal Mehta, Host https://www.linkedin.com/in/hinalmehta15/ StartInc https://www.instagram.com/startinc.in/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/startinc/posts/?feedView=all Nefertari Joshi https://www.instagram.com/nefsfinds/ https://www.instagram.com/nefertarijoshi/