Vanshika Goenka

Vanshika Goenka is the CEO & Founder of Kool Kanya, an online career community for women where they can be part of a mutually supportive ecosystem that helps them learn from each other and grow in their careers. Vanshika graduated in 2016 from Brown University - Bachelors in Political Science with Magna Cum Laude, Pi Sigma Alpha and Pi beta Kapha. Vanshika started her career at a tech start-up that worked on creating an augmented reality textile toy. Post that she worked with a sanitary pad company which was when she noticed the disparity between men and women in the workplace. Understanding the gender disparity at work, she wanted to come up with a product solely for women, and thus Kool Kanya was formed in 2018. The words she strongly associates the platform with are- trust, a safe space, success and guidance. Vanshika's vision is to create a one stop destination for everything to do with a woman’s career, create a platform that women find genuinely helpful and provide them with the tools, resources and support needed in order to succeed. The issues that Kool Kanya wants to help resolve include providing a space to ask questions, fostering connections with people in similar fields, giving access to tools to help deal with legal and financial aspects, finding mentors and finding opportunities for collaborations. Over the last year Kool Kanya has successfully seen a reach of over a 1M users and are looking to launch their Marketplace soon. In her view, Vanshika foresees the platform to grow and help more women in the future as women are increasingly looking up to take up freelancing and work from home opportunities as well. As per Kool Kanya’s observations, approximately 5.2 million women are looking for jobs in India. While more women are turning to freelancing as a career option, many of them are unsure about how to start, deal with legal and financial nuances or run an independent business, which is where Kool Kanya comes in. Vanshika looks up to her mother as a role model and has always sought advice and support from her. Vanshika likes reading autobiographies/biographies, dancing, working out and loves to unwind by curling up with a book and a cup of tea. She is very passionate about travelling, enjoys getting out of her comfort zone and loves to explore new cultures.