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Falguni Nayar
Nykaa · Mumbai, Maharashtra
Walked away from a top investment banking job at 50 to chase a problem most boards would have told her was 'too small'.
Late bloomer's courageOperator's disciplineCategory creation
Company
Nykaa
Journey
Moves that mattered.
- 2012Quit her MD role at Kotak at 50 to start a beauty e-com.
- 2015Opened first physical store — proved omnichannel before the term existed.
- 2021IPO — became India's wealthiest self-made woman.
- 2024Defined Indian beauty D2C — 4,000+ brands on platform.
Struggles
Investors said 'beauty isn't a category in India'. She self-funded the first three years. Family wondered why she'd leave a corner office.
Family
Husband Sanjay (private equity); twins Adwaita and Anchit run parts of Nykaa today. Daughter-led leadership.
Related on Empire
Keep reading inside Empire.
Around the web
External references & backlinks.
- ↗wikipedia.orgFalguni Nayar on Wikipedia
- ↗google.comNykaa — official site
- ↗news.google.comFalguni Nayar in the news
- ↗crunchbase.comNykaa on Crunchbase
External links open in a new tab. Empire is not affiliated with these publishers.
The full story
Falguni Nayar, in 1 chapters.
- Ch 01
The story
Walked away from a top investment banking job at 50 to chase a problem most boards would have told her was 'too small'.
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