Very few names in the Indian start-up space create the kind of effect that Shradha Sharma’s name does. Her venture Yourstory.com has become India's biggest and definitive platform for start-ups and entrepreneurs-related stories, news, resources and research reports.
“I was born and raised in Bihar at a time when women were considered a liability. I decided to change that. From topping my class to getting admission in Delhi University—I was set to prove that women run the world!” says the 36-year-old.
In 2008, Shradha worked for a news channel but it was during her time working night shifts that she turned to an old passion. “I had a dream—to write great stories, share them with the world and have fun doing it.” So she started writing a blog that covered Indian start-ups in her free time.
“People all around were doing great things but because they were not famous, they were not being given any coverage. I decided to become their voice.” Soon the blog became a website and people began to take notice. Though, initially, Shradha did not have a business model in place, she says that her strong and unique content was her USP. “There were times when I was ill-treated or asked to leave when I would go for interviews because no one knew about Yourstory.com then.”
Today her eight year old venture is backed by bigwigs like Ratan Tata, Vani Kola, Mohandas Pai and many others. Yourstory.com is today the only platform in India that has original business and entrepreneurship stories in 12 different languages. From working by herself to putting a team together that now comprises names from some renowned media houses and top B-schools, Shradha says that a good team is the biggest asset for an entrepreneur. “I just went with my gut and people who I found a certain connect with were roped in. Ours is an eclectic, crazy and committed team. Over the last eight years, we have written a story every single day and today there are over 37,000 stories that we have covered.”
With her recently launched app and remodeled website, she aims to reach out to 100 million users by March 2017.