Sairee Chahal: A sense of identity

When Sairee Chahal, 40, founded Sheroes in 2014, her idea was to bring about a change in the professional lives of women who had taken a career break because of rigid work formats and lack of flexible options. “Not all women can break the glass ceiling and reach the top,” says Chahal, an alumnus of IMT Ghaziabad, who also holds an MPhil from the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

“Several women are forced to give up a fulfilling career in the short to middle term. It’s important to provide them the required opportunities to resume work,” says Chahal. At Sheroes, a women-focussed job portal, she connects corporates to female talent and provides information on a mix of work opportunities—full-time, flexible, internships or projects. In August 2016, the startup raised series A capital from a host of funds, including Gurugram-based Lumis Partners. Today, it has an employee headcount of 75—all women.

In the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem, participation of women is still low. Given that perspective, Sairee is not only a path-breaker for herself, but also a torchbearer for others to follow,” says Geetika Dayal, executive director, TiE Delhi NCR. “It’s nice to see women coming forward to help other women create their identity.”

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