Shradha Sharma

About

Shradha Sharma is the definitive voice of India’s new economy. In 2008, when the word “startup” was still making its way into India’s consciousness, she founded YourStory with a simple conviction: every founder’s journey deserved to be heard. Born in Bihar, Shradha built what would become the chronicle of India’s entrepreneurial transformation at a time when few believed such stories mattered. Seventeen years on, the impact of that early conviction is undeniable. Shradha has done far more than document the rise of startups. She has actively shaped the ecosystem itself. Her platform has told over 200,000 founder stories, helping unlock more than $10 billion in economic value while helping create over a million jobs across the country. These numbers only begin to capture her impact. Shradha operates with rare fluidity across India’s most influential circles. She has interviewed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the late Ratan Tata, engaged with global leaders like Angela Merkel and Steve Wozniak, and brought Union ministers and unicorn founders into conversation with millions of Indians. Towards the end of 2015, she contributed by co-authoring the startup India policy. She is a member of the National Startup Advisory Council. In 2023, she co-chaired India's G20 S20 agenda on inclusive innovation. Shradha has never let scale change her priorities. She commands the attention of policymakers and global leaders, yet she brings the same conviction to amplifying first-time founders in Indore, Kochi, or Guwahati. She has made entrepreneurship aspirational for an entire generation of Indians who never saw themselves in that role before. Fortune recognised her impact by featuring her in their “40 Under 40 entrepreneurs in India” for three consecutive years. Forbes honoured her with their Power Trailblazers award in 2018. She started YourStory with personal savings of Rs 1 Lakh and the company is now valued at Rs 350 Crore. Today, with over 2.1 million followers on LinkedIn, Shradha’s influence extends well beyond media. Her name has become interchangeable with India’s startup movement itself. You cannot tell the story of India's entrepreneurial transformation over the past two decades without her. She made it visible, credible, and unmistakably Indian.