FEATURED SONDERFELLOWS
Hoovu Fresh
Hoovu Fresh is an online retail service offering puja flowers with an increased shelf life at home through their partner platforms. Their aim is to create a platform that adds value to the farmer and the end customer.
They have appeared on Shark Tank India, where they secured funding of INR 1 crore. Furthermore, they recently raised pre-series A funding of INR 6.45 crore from investors including Sauce.VC and other angels.
“ It was great to be back in that head space where you’re hearing about a myriad of experiences and then disengaging from day-to-day stuff to get a bird’s eye view of your business. Everyday we get to see women from our cohort achieve cool things, ask interesting questions, and motivate each other which has been invaluable.” Rhea Karuturi - Co-founder and CTO at Hoovu Fresh.
BonKids
Rhea & Yeshoda Karuturi, Co-founders of Hoovu Fresh
Niharika Verma, Founder of BonKids
BonKids, founded in 2019 by Niharika Verma, focuses on creating sustainable and high-quality clothing that appeals to children by incorporating their favorite characters, also featuring licensed characters from studios like Disney, Marvel, DC Comics and Warner Bros.
In Feb 2023, BonKids got acquired by the online retail unicorn ‘Mensa Brands’. According to Mensa Brands, BonKids is ready to increase its product offerings, go offline, and scale on D2C platform.
“I joined the first batch of SonderConnect in 2016. It was an eye opener for me. I met amazing people, learnt so much about my business and the constant reassurance has helped me navigate tough times. Thank you for your commitment to my success, I couldn't have done it without your support.” - Niharika Verma, Founder of BonKids.
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Funngro
Funngro, Founded in 2021, Funngro aims to teach economic empowerment to teenagers through paid freelancing projects. Through initiatives such as opportunities to earn an income, it equips the next generation with the necessary skills to make better financial decisions.
Funngro has raised $60.6K from SucSEED Indovation and angel investors like Amit Jain and Namita Thapar at Shark Tank India while also being incubated by AfthoniaLab in 2021.
“At Funngro, I am going to implement all my learnings that I am encapsulating within myself from SonderConnect. I firmly believe that no learning goes to waste. I am sure the little bits of information which I had heard and seen here will help me to make the right decisions. It was an absolute honour and pleasure to be a part of SonderConnect.” - Payal Jain, Founder at Funngro.
Payal Jain, Founder of Funngro
NIRA finance
Nupur Gupta, Founder at NIRA Finance
NIRA Finance is an online platform that provides affordable and accessible personal loans across India that are tailored to individual's preferences. The platform utilizes alternative data sources to evaluate the borrower's creditworthiness, rather than relying on traditional metrics.
NIRA Finance has raised $7.93M through accelerator Techstars, IVCM, Collective Ventures, Gmbh, jventures.com and more.They have also partnered with IIFL and Muthoot Finance, enabling them to upscale their business and provide a wider range of services.
"SonderConnect programs are extremely well designed to be of relevance to startups across various stages regardless of their specific domains. Through this program, startups can also access a strong and responsive network of mentors." - Nupur Gupta, Founder at NIRA Finance.
Trezi
Trezi is an advanced virtual reality platform for architecture, interior design, and real estate professionals. It provides a realistic and immersive experience of designs, allowing users to explore every detail of their projects in a way that traditional 2D renderings cannot match.Trezi aims to transform traditional, passive and static design visualization, communication and collaboration methodologies in the building industry.
Trezi has raised funding of $2 million by World V, YourNest Venture Capital, Auxano Capital and She Capital. Tithi was recognized as ‘Woman entrepreneur of the year, 2021’ under the Emerging Tech category at MeitY NASSCOM. The company placed in the Top 3 under the ‘Startups of the future’ category at the NDTV Start-Up awards. They were also a finalist at the National Startup Award 2021.
Tithi Tiwari, Founder of Trezi
OK India
Monika Dhaka, Founder of OK India
Organic Kitchen (OK) India offers certified, authentic, and traceable organic products sourced straight from farms. They aim to support independent farmers and cut carbon emissions, making sure that every purchase helps bring a positive change to the world.
OK India raised a seed round funding of $1 million from multiple well-known angel investors including Siddharth Chaudhary, Abhishek Dhaka, and Nitin Sahjwani. They were recently recognized by the Times of India and also placed as one of the top 3 nominees for the ‘Sustainable Brand of the Year’ at HerZindagi Womenpreneur Awards 2023.
“Sonder Ignite is a wonderful initiative to enable “She for She”.That’s my first takeaway from the event that diversity is the key to building businesses that would do wonders. Standing for one another is the first step towards women empowerment.” - Monika Dhaka, Co-founder at OK India.
Mitti Cafe
Mitti Cafe, Founded by Alina Alam, is an extraordinary NGO that has been transforming the lives of adults with special needs and disabilities by providing them with valuable employment opportunities and experimental training that equips them with essential skills for future jobs.
The cafe has partnered with companies like Microsoft and Infosys and received incubation from IIM Bangalore in 2019. Alina has been recognized on the prestigious ‘Forbes 30 under 30' list for her remarkable contributions to society.
“SonderConnect for me as a women entrepreneur has been a journey that is so humbling and powerful. Having access to a network of such inspirational women who are determined to take charge of their lives and change the world for what we dream of it, has been an extraordinary experience.” - Alina Alam, Founder, and CEO at Mitti cafe.
Alina Alam, Founder of Mitti Cafe
Oncostem
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Manjiri Bakre, Founder of Oncostem
OncoStem is a healthcare technology company that focuses on personalized cancer treatment. OncoStem aims to help doctors make informed decisions about cancer treatment and improve patient outcomes
They have raised a total of $9 million as Series B funding through Artiman Ventures and Sequoia Captial India. They have also been awarded the Aegis Graham Bell Award in the Innovative Diagnostics Category.
“I enjoyed my experience with SonderConnect. Was good to interact with entrepreneurs from different walks of life and with different backgrounds and the mentors! This is an excellent initiative and hope that this continues.” - Manjiri Bakre, Founder at OncoStem
Worxogo
Worxogo is a software company that provides AI-powered coaching and performance management solutions. Their platform uses machine learning and behavioral science to provide personalized coaching and feedback to employees in real time, helping them to improve their skills, increase engagement, and achieve better outcomes.
They have raised $3.32 million in Series A funding from Inventus India and IdeaSpring Capital. They also won the KPMG India’s Tech inaugural innovator challenge 2021. Worxogo has also partnered with Genpact on Nudge Coach to drive operational efficiencies for global teams and build engaged, motivated, and productive customer experience and contact center teams.
Sudha Bhamidipati, Founder of Worxogo
Dubverse
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Anuja Dhawan, Founder of Dubverse
Dubverse enables content creators to dub their video from one language to another, in almost real-time for half the cost using Deep Learning and AI. They aim to make content and knowledge of equal value to all, removing the barrier of language.
Dubverse has successfully raised $800K in seed round funding through global funds including Kalaari Capital. Dubverse has also worked on speeches for the United Nations, alongside ‘Mann Ki Baat’ speeches by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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"Sonder connect brought some of the most diverse set of founders under the same roof, there was so much in common yet so much to learn from each other.
Most curated set of speakers, ground level operators, giving the most practical action points which we were able to incorporate with a week within the organization." - Anuja Dhawan, Founder at Dubverse
MasterG and Daughters
MasterG is an all-women design and skill development ecosystem for the global apparel industry. They aim to give tools to women to break out of patterns of exclusion and inequality in the industry and their lives.
MasterG has received an undisclosed amount of funding through a non-profit impact investor Acumen Fund’s angel program. They were also featured in Vogue India, for transforming the role of women in fashion production.
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