Kanika's empire of Rs 420 crore built with only Rs 5,600

A battle with cancer at the age of 21. Then an investment of just 5,600 rupees (approximately 7,164 Taka). With that money, she built a company worth 420 crore rupees (over 537 crore Taka). Kanika Tekriwal is living proof that if you have the willpower, even adversity has to surrender.

Overcoming all barriers in the male-dominated aviation sector, she is now one of India's most successful female entrepreneurs. Kanika's journey is an inspiring story of courage, perseverance, and holding on to dreams.
Kanika is the founder and CEO of JetsetGo, a private jet service company. In 2021, she earned a place on the list of India's self-made wealthy women. She also served as a judge on Season 5 of 'Shark Tank India'. Prior to that, she made it to the 'Forbes 30 Under 30' list for two consecutive years in 2016 and 2017.

Kanika Tekriwal's life story is not just that of a successful entrepreneur, but a unique example of conquering adversity to fulfill one's dreams.

Cancer Battle at 21

Born into a Marwari family, Kanika had a keen interest in economics and business from a young age. However, her family expected her to complete her higher education and marry into a prosperous family—a reflection of the conventional social norms common in many Marwari households.

After finishing school in Bhopal, she pursued higher education at Coventry University in England. She followed her family's wishes until the age of 21, but later decided to start her own business. It was at that very moment that she was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Recalling the experience on 'Shark Tank India', Kanika said, "I was 21 then. Nearly 40 doctors told me I might live for four months or four days. Later, I went to a doctor in Mumbai and told him, 'Forty years from now, we'll sit together and have a drink. Now, let's talk about treatment.'"
In a 2022 interview with Vogue India, she said, "My experience of surviving cancer taught me that life is very short. So you have to live for yourself and do what truly matters."

Kanika founded JetsetGo in 2014. In an interview with Times Entertainment, she said, "Many people ask how I built this company without investor money. To date, I have invested only seven thousand rupees. Yet now we are operating India's largest private jet fleet."

As a female entrepreneur in the male-dominated aviation industry, she faced numerous obstacles. In a 2017 interview with The Better India, she said, "In the beginning, people didn't want to take my work seriously. Some would tell me I should start a cake business. When I spoke confidently, I was called arrogant, while a man speaking the same way would be called passionate or a natural leader. But none of this could stop me."

Overcoming all barriers, JetsetGo is now one of the largest operators of private jets and helicopters in India. The company has investments from industrialist Puneet Dalmia and former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh. The company's operations currently span Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, New York, and Dubai.

In her personal life, Kanika Tekriwal is married to P. Sarath Chandra Reddy, a Hyderabad-based businessman and non-executive director of Aurobinda Pharma. Four years after their marriage, on May 28, 2026, they were blessed with a son.

Source: NDTV