In the Women’s week celebration, today we want to talk about a girl who had cancer at the age of 21. She taught like a fighter to win against the deadly disease. Later, she had to fight against society to avoid early marriage. She left home when her family was pressurizing her for the marriage.
Yes, we are talking about Kanika Tekriwal, the co-founder of JetSetGo, an Online Airplane Aggregator Firm. A lady with flying spirit is setting a high standard in the private jet management field.
Early Life of Kanika
In 2013-14, when Kanika started her startup in the aviation sector, people were not serious about her. She knew what she is doing. She had vast experience in private jet space since the age of 17. She found that India needs a technology dependant aggregator in the private jet sector.
Hailing from Bhopal, she studied in the UK and observed how the aviation sector operates in the UK. She later shifted to Delhi and co-founded her company with her friend Sudheer Perla.
JetSetGo is an online airplane aggregator platform that manages, operates, and flies planes for plane owners. The startup also provides chartered aircraft to customers for visiting different places. The company also provides its services in case of emergency evacuations.
The private jet industry was going through a difficult phase when she entered the sector. Customers were not happy with their booking experiences. Private jet owners also had different issues with the private firms regarding handling their jets.
People were expecting that she may not survive in the male-dominated aviation industry. They were wrong. For her, this fight was comparatively easy than fighting against cancer.
At the age of 21, doctors found that she has deadly cancer. Doctors told her that she may die in few months. She got better in a year. She is a great fan of Yoga. She was not interested in vitamin supplements while recovering.
Entrepreneur Journey of Kanika
Kanika did not turn back after winning against cancer. She left India due to her family’s continuous request for marriage since she was 19. She started her MBA study in the UK. After completing her education, she did a job in the UK but very soon she returned to India to start her entrepreneurship journey. She started JetSetGo when she had $100 in her pocket. In a year, she built an organization of 70 employees.
Initially, she did not get into business due to her age. People were not taking her seriously. She could not sell a single plane. Kanika did not lose hope and she succeeded finally.
Kanika said:
“Company raised Rs 15 crore funding from different investors. Most of the JetSetGo customers showed interest in investing and it helped the startup a lot. The company never searched for investors. People were showing funding interest by themselves.”
Kanika’s efforts helped the company to get good business. Today, the company is the largest private aviation aggregator platform in India. In 2018, It also acquired Indo Specific Aviation Ltd to strengthen its operations. Kanika showed the gender equality concepts in her venture. She hired an equal number of males/females.
She got recognized for her exemplary services worldwide. World Economic Forum awarded her as Young Global Leader. She also got featured in BBC 100 women of 2015, 30 under 30 by Forbes Asia and CNN’s 20 under 40. NITI Ayog awarded her with National Entrepreneurship Award. Next Big Brand hopes that her future journey will bring more good news for her as well her customers.
Kaun kehta hai ki aasmaan mein suraakh ho nahin sakta, Ek Patthar to tabiyat se uchalo yaaron(Who says that there cannot be a hole in the sky, hurl a stone so dear friends)
