She started her first entrepreneurial venture when she was still in her teens. At 21, Ananya Birla feels she may now even back other entrepreneurs.
The daughter of billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla and wife Neerja Birla told Techcircle.in that she could be an angle investor as startup ventures excite her.
“Startups is something I truly believe in. If there is an idea that can be impactful, profitable and sustainable at the same time, then why not,†she said on the sidelines of the Techcircle Payments Forum in Mumbai on Thursday.
Ananya started Svatantra Microfin Pvt Ltd, a microfinance institution, in 2012 and officially launched it the next year. The initial seed capital of Rs 5 crore for the venture was provided by the Aditya Birla Group.
“I realised that microfinance has huge scope; 68% of India is rural and there was an untapped market and a huge income gap. I recognised that there is an opportunity to create something that can impact the lives of others and is also profitable and sustainable,†she said.
Ananya, a Masters in Economics and Management from University of Oxford, is also working on an e-commerce venture and said it will go live by the end of this year. However, she didn’t divulge any details. In February, the Business Standard newspaper reported that her startup would revolve around design and travel.
So is she an entrepreneur or a budding angel investor? “I am an entrepreneur at heart,†she said.
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