Vineeta Singh
Vineeta Singh is an Indian entrepreneur and CEO and co-founder of Sugar Cosmetics. She has been a shark (i.e. judge/investor) on the business reality TV show Shark Tank India since the show started airing on SonyLIV in 2021.
Vineeta Singh | |
---|---|
Born | 1983 (age 40–41) Anand, Gujarat, India |
Nationality | Indian |
Education | Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram |
Alma mater | IIT Madras, IIM Ahmedabad |
Occupation | Entrepreuner |
Years active | Since 2007 |
Known for | Sugar cosmetics |
Television | Shark Tank India |
Spouse | Kaushik Mukherjee (m. 2011) |
Children | 2 |
Father | Tej P. Singh |
Website | in |
Early life and education
Singh was born in 1983 in Anand, Gujarat.[1] Her mother holds a PhD and her father Tej P. Singh is a biophysicist at the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences.[2]
Singh completed her school education at Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram in 2001.[3] She then enrolled in Indian Institute of Technology (Madras) in that year, and Ashok Jhunjhunwala recalls in the foreword of the book The IITM Nexus: "She sought me out and sat next to me on a flight when she came to IITM. I knew then that this kid stranger is destined to go places and remember broaching the subject of entrepreneurship with her. [...] I lost touch after that. But it came as no surprise that she founded and is driving Sugar Cosmetics today."[4]
Singh completed her electrical engineering studies at IIT-M and earned the bachelor's degree in 2005.[5] Afterward, she obtained an MBA from Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad) in 2007.[6] During her MBA studies, in 2006, she worked as a summer intern at Deutsche Bank and rejected a job from that company despite an annual Rs 1 crore salary.[7][8] Singh and the other graduate who rejected the same offer wanted to instead start their own lingerie business, based on their own research.[9] However, unable to raise the required funding, the aspiration to start a consumer brand for women did not take off.[6]
Career
In 2007, Singh founded her first start-up Quetzal.[10] However, the idea of providing background verification checks to recruiters failed to succeed. She started her second start-up Fab-Bag in 2012, a subscription platform that provided monthly deliveries of beauty products.[11] Her third start-up, Sugar Cosmetics, Singh founded together with her husband in 2015.[12] The company sells cosmetics and personal care products geared towards the Indian market.[13][14] After closing a $50 million deal with private equity firm L Catterton, Singh characterized the company's products as catering to the preferences of women with diverse skin tones.[15] In September 2022, Bollywood star Ranveer Singh invested an undisclosed amount and became a "brand evangelist" of Sugar Cosmetics.[16][17]
Singh appeared on the hard copy cover pages of business magazines, such as Forbes India, Business Today, and Businessworld.[18][19][20][21] To Business Today, she revealed that funding was once only granted under the condition that her husband joined the company full-time, which she viewed as gender discrimination.[22][23]
In 2021, Forbes India listed Singh as one of its Forbes India W-Power list of women achievers.[24][2]
Joint Venture
Well-known Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan has formed a joint venture with cofounders of Sugar Cosmetics, Vineeta Singh and Kaushik Mukherjee, to launch a Korean skincare brand Quench Botanics in India.[25] Vineeta Singh shares insights why she partnered with Kareena, in addition to how Quench is suitable to Indian weather conditions too.
Entertainment
Singh is one of the major investors/judges on the business reality show Shark Tank India.[26] As part of her appearance on the show, she aims to inspire entrepreneurship in general and support female entrepreneurs.[27]
In 2022, Singh along with the other Shark Tank India judges appeared as a VIP contestant in Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.[28] She also appeared as a guest on The Kapil Sharma Show together with other Shark Tank India judges in the same year.[29][30]
Awards and recognition
Singh, respectively her start-up Sugar Cosmetics, received the following awards related to her entrepreneurship:
- Start-up of the year award by Entrepreneur Awards, Delhi (2019).[31]
- W-Power Award by Forbes India (2021).[24]
- BW Disrupt 40 Under 40 Award by Businessworld (2021).[32]
- Fortune's 40 Under 40 (2021).[33]
- World Economic Forum's Young Global Leadership list (2022).[34]
- She won 2 Gold and 2 Silver medals for IIT Madras during the 4 Inter IIT Sports Meets attended from 2001–2005.[35]
Personal life
In 2011, Vineeta Singh married Kaushik Mukherjee and the couple have two sons.[36] She met Kaushik during their studies at IIM Ahmedabad.[37][38]
Singh is a triathlete and ultramarathon runner and has participated in 20 marathons, ultramarathons, and 12 half-marathons.[39] She also took part in the 89-km Comrades Marathon from 2012 to 2014.[40] She completed the 2017 Ironman Triathlon in Austria.[41] In the 2018 Mumbai Marathon, she ran a total of 21 km in 2:42:51s while being 6 months pregnant.[42]
References
- ^ Kapoor, Eetika (25 January 2023). "Early Life". Business Insider. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ a b Meghani, Varsha (23 November 2021). "Vineeta Singh: Sugar Cosmetics, and the passion for the impossible". Forbes India. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Vineeta Singh Sugar Cosmetics CEO The Next Judge of Shark Tank India". SharkTank.co.in. 19 December 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ Pandey, Shree; Sundararajan, Shrikant & Shashin, Shibani (2022), The IITM Nexus (1st ed.), Chennai, India: Notion Press, ISBN 978-1-68563-906-8
- ^ Oberoi, Pragatti (18 August 2022). "How to become a CEO? Vineeta Singh guides on the role of mathematics, IITs, IIMs and the skills needed". TimesNow. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ a b Bagchi, Shrabonti (21 May 2021). "Vineeta Singh: On a SUGAR high". Mint. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
- ^ Ghosh, Sutrishna (22 April 2020). "The IIM Alumnus Who Turned Down a Rs 1 Cr Job to Launch a Rs.100 Cr Cosmetics Empire". Yahoo. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ "Two IIM-A grads shun Rs 1-cr offer". The Times of India. 29 December 2006. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "No to crore-a-year to make lingerie". The Telegraph (India). 28 December 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ "Angels dare to fly: Indian women are getting into entrepreneurial roles". Economic Times. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ "The Sweet and Bitter Story of Sugar Cosmetic Founder: Vineeta Singh". startup insider. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ "Vineeta Singh: Sugar Cosmetics, And The Passion For The Impossible". Forbes India. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ Punj, Shwweta. "Vineeta Singh: Sweet success". India Today. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ "As CEO, my job is to get out of their way". BBC News. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ Kandavel, Sangeetha (31 May 2022). "SUGAR Cosmetics closes $50 million in series D fundraise". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ Bhushan, Ratna (3 September 2022). "Actor Ranveer Singh invests in Sugar Cosmetics". The Economic Times. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ Verma Ambwani, Meenakshi (3 September 2022). "Ranveer Singh invests in SUGAR Cosmetics". Business Line. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ Carvalho, Brian (22 November 2021). "Forbes India W-Power 2021: Role models who will inspire a generation". Forbes India. Retrieved 14 January 2023. ("Editor's Note" including image of cover showing Singh)
- ^ "Issue for 13 November 2022". Business Today. 13 November 2022. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023. (Shows cover of 13 November 2022 print issue which features and names Singh)
- ^ "Sugar Rush". Twitter. 17 December 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023. ("Image of cover showing Singh and teaser to the corrosponding cover story)
- ^ Singh, Rajiv (9 September 2021). "Sugar cosmetics: Lips don't lie". Forbes India. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ Zaidi, Tarab (21 December 2022). "Investors refused to fund Sugar until my husband joined it". Business Today (India). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Sugar Sugar, Ah! Money, Money". Businessworld. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ a b "W-Power 2021". Forbes India. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ Verma Ambwani, Meenakshi (13 October 2023). "Kareena Kapoor Khan becomes co-owner of Vineeta Singh's Quench Botanics". The Hindu Businessline. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Farzeen, Sana (17 January 2023). "Sugar's Vineeta Singh on how Shark Tank India changed her life: "My kids ask, why people want a photo with you."". Indian Express. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ Panjari, Swagata; Salve, Priyanka. "What makes Sharks take the bait? Vineeta Singh, Namita Thapar share the idea USP that attracts". The Economic Times. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ "KBC: Here's how Vineeta Singh, Aman Gupta, Anupam Mittal pitched for themselves to grab the hotseat". Hindustan Times. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ The Kapil Sharma Show S2- Sharks - Massive Contributors To Country's GDP -Ep 225-Full EP-30 Jan 2022. The Kapil Sharma Show. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Kapil Sharma asks Shark Tank's Vineeta Singh about lipstick marks on husband's shirt, he has a funny response". Hindustan Times. 29 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ "Retail Start-up of the Year: SUGAR Cosmetics". Entrepreneur India. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ "India's Top Entrepreneurs: BW Disrupt 40 Under 40, 2022". Businessworld. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ "Vineeta Singh, Kaushik Mukherjee - India's Young & Brightest Entrepreneurs in 40 Under 40 2021". Fortune India. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ "Meet the 2022 Class of Young Global Leaders". World Economic Forum. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ Tripathi, Anuj (ed.). "Vineeta Singh". Linkedin. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ Srivastava, Arushi (18 April 2022). "Shark Tank India: From an athlete to business leader under 40, lesser-known facts about Vineeta Singh". Pinkvilla. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "SUGAR Cosmetics journey a part of IIM-A's case study, founders Kaushik Mukherjee & Vineeta Singh over the moon". Economic Times. 20 August 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "PICS: Ashneer Grover to Vineeta Singh; sneak peek into the family life of Shark Tank India judges". The Economic Times. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ S, Vidya (25 September 2021). "Run, Vineeta, Run". Business Today. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Singh Bhandari, Kabir (14 June 2022). "Shark Tank India's Vineeta Singh Has Amazing Stamina And Fitness". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Ganesan Ram, Sharmila (22 October 2017). "Powai power couple on losing friends and becoming 'Iron Man'". Times of India. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Iyer, Sundari (22 January 2018). "Woman runs 21 km while being six months pregnant". Mid-day. Retrieved 10 February 2023.