Nikhita Giridhar
Co-Founder
Ikkivi
Quick chat with Nikhita Giridhar, member of DWENIndia
A female entrepreneur you admire and why?
Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, for her sheer fearlessness, determination and revolutionary instinct. At a time when women manufacturers were not commonplace, Sara believed her way to success – it’s hard to find a woman without Spanx these days (in some form) and if that isn’t a definitive achievement, I can’t be sure what is.
Mantra for success is?
Two-parts belief in self, one-part belief in the dream. In the end, success comes to those who believe. Risking an overflowing cup, I always add (ironically) one-part risk.
Being your own boss is to you?
A level playing field to create, discover, stay accountable to yourself and carry people forward with you.
Profile: Armed with non-related work experience and degrees, Nikhita is the co-founder of Ikkivi – an online portal for independent designers – both emerging and established. The idea was born of the need for a one-stop shop for all designers who stayed true to the growing concept of Indian sensibilities and Western silhouettes. There are a multitude of designers who design to tell a story and express their personalities rather than conform to a ‘fast fashion’, ‘ethnic’, ‘luxury’ category. These are designers who would like to use an element of their roots to influence their modern thinking. Ikkivi aims to be the global destination for cross cultural indie designs.
Nikhita has a joint honours degree in Computer Science and Business Studies from the University of Warwick in the UK. She joined Goldman Sachs as a Business Analyst in London for two years during which the “do something” bug bit her. She then quit and backpacked across South-East Asia before accepting a Fellowship with an Ashoka Fellow in India for a year. With a familial history in fashion and skills in content, business development and technology, Nikhita took the leap of faith into entrepreneurship with www.ikkivi.com. Nikhita is a contributing writer and avid traveler. An ideal evening is spent with her dog and a book.
