Women Startup Meet 6.0 at Parul University: 7 Women Founders, 230+ Incubated Startups, and Why India’s Third-Largest Startup Ecosystem Needs More Women Building Companies

Women Startup Meet 6.0 was not a single event. It ran across three days, multiple seminar halls, and seven distinct founder sessions. Each speaker brought a different stage of the entrepreneurial journey, from ideation to scaling, from agri-biotech to mental health technology to Ayurvedic wellness. The sessions were organised by PIERC, the official incubation centre of Parul University, supported by the Institution Innovation Council (IIC) and SSIP Innovation Platform.

The seven speakers were Himani Kankaria (Founder, Missive Digital, 200-person digital marketing agency), Dr. Foram H. Vaghela (Founder, URI Research Lab, agri-biotech and plant gender identification), Anjali Khichar (Founder, TiniNest Pvt. Ltd., inclusive educational toys for differently-abled children), Priyanshi Rathod (Founder, Eternia, a mental health platform), Dr. Riddhi Nanda (Director, Setu NutriCare Clinic, Ayurvedic nutrition), Ms. Itisha Agrawal (Founder, See-Sow Kids, creative textile and stationery for children), and Dr. Mukta Sharma (Founder, Old Veda Medsols LLP, Ayurvedic health products).

The diversity of these founders was deliberate. Two were current Parul University students. Two came from healthcare and Ayurveda backgrounds. One ran a 200-person agency. Study where women thrive and get world-class exposure, enrol into MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Parul University!

The process is structured and accessible. Students submit ideas through the PIERC portal. Phase 1 is a verbal pitch at the Incubation Centre. Phase 2, if selected, requires a formal presentation. Pre-incubation involves 15 days of market research, mentor matching, and business model development. Grants are available through government schemes including SSIP, and PIERC actively supports students in accessing iHub Gujarat, DPIIT recognition, and Startup India Seed Fund resources. If you are passionate about exploring entrepreneurship, delay not and enroll into Integrated BBA-MBA at Parul University!

Two of the speakers at WSM 6.0, Anjali Khichar and Priyanshi Rathod, are current Parul University students who received PIERC support. Anjali secured an SSIP 2.2 grant in her first year. Priyanshi received ₹1.2 lakh from PIERC to build her mental health platform. The message from both was consistent: Parul University does not invest in ideas alone. It invests in founders.

India is the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. Startups have created over 17.28 lakh direct jobs. Over 51% of startups now emerge from Tier II and Tier III cities, not metros. Gujarat has been one of the most active states in this expansion. Parul University, located in Vadodara with PIERC as its incubation engine, is positioned exactly where the national policy wants universities to be: producing founders, not just graduates.

This trajectory is directly aligned with Vikshit Bharat 2047. The vision for a developed India by its centenary requires not just more startups but more diverse founders, more women in leadership, more innovation emerging from universities rather than corporate offices. PIERC’s model, which places students on real startup paths during their degree, is a working example of what that pipeline looks like. If you too wish to grow your career trajectory, enrol into Parul University’s BBA at Parul University!