Thaariniya – Earth’s Goodness For Your Skin

This is the story of how Dr. Mangala Vadivu, a Chennai-based academic with a PhD in media studies and head of a visual communications department, turned her quest for safe skincare for her newborn daughter into Thaarinya ,a brand blending safety, tradition, and personal care into a blossoming startup.

Frelish Foods – A Smooth, Refreshing Take on Cool Beverages

Four committed founders with one common purpose – to offer tasty, cafe-style beverages to grab and go.

Iniya Organics – Flavouring Curries with Natural Nutrition

A gritty tale of how a failing student from a penurious background found a toehold in the business world, delivering health benefits of local, indigenous greens in convenient powder packs.

Thy Chocolates – Indulgence fit for the gods

Artisanal chocolates for the conscious consumer from a Chennai business founded by an engineer Archana Vijayaraman, whose vision is to put Indian cacao on the world map

Plantegg – The tasty protein supplement that’s not an egg

Plantegg is a vegan food product created by Harini Rangarajan, a food technologist, after extensive research. This protein supplement in the familiar form of an egg is garnering attention and awards for innovation

Q49 Flavours: Wholesome Curries in a Jiffy for Busy Dreamchasers

Q49 Flavours, curated and managed by Renu Kurian from Chennai with ample support from her family, is a story of how a mother’s love has been packaged into convenience curries with the taste of home food. A boon for busy families looking for quick, nutritious meals.

Miracletree – Marketing the Moringa

Saravanakumaran from Miracletree is popularising the amazing properties of the humble Moringa, a tree common in south Indian states, through a range of diverse products.

Juicy Chemistry – Personal Care and Cosmetics Range with the Lush Goodness of Nature.

Presenting Juicy Chemistry, co-founded by the dynamic duo Pritesh and Megha Asher. They started by formulating soaps in a makeshift kitchen lab and went on to create certified products with the right market fit, attracting marquee investors.

Madurai Eco Tourism & Arola Bamboo – A Call for Sustainability from the Nilgiris

Presenting two enterprises that draw attention to Nilgiri’s rich ecosystem – Madurai Eco Tourism focusing on biodiversity & native culture and Arola Bamboo promoting sustainability. Both ventures were founded by the indomitable Suthagar Selvaraj from Madurai.

7MPS – Rising Power of Research in Election Campaigning

Meet Samuel Mathew of 7MPS working on research driven election campaigns for multiple parties in Tamil Nadu for the upcoming elections.

Putchi – A Maternity Superstore is Born

From being a maternity fashion brand Putchi transitioned to become a maternity solutions provider confidently welcoming competitor brands into their marketplace. Turning pain-points into profitable business opportunities seems to be what the founders of Putchi, Deepika and Thiyagu, seem to be good at.

Authentic, No-Fuss Indian Girl Friendly Makeup

Sommer Beauty, founded by the young duo Sonali and Preneetha, is on a mission to create an inclusive space that will help people feel true to themselves. These no-fuss makeup products are vegan, cruelty free, fragrance free and allow users to be authentically beautiful.

Crazy Coconut – Possibility of circular economy using coconut shells.

From painstakingly handcrafting products such as cups and spoons from coconut shells, Arjun has today gained the expertise to use machines, SOPs and unit economics to fulfil orders from around the world.

Yellow Bag — The Ubiquitous Yet Unique Venture From Madurai

Krishnan Subramanian and his wife Gowri run a sustainable product company that offers a wonderful alternative to single-use plastic.

Queen Bee – The Determined Doll-maker of Queen Bee Crafts

This native of Coimbatore battled a rare bone weakness complication to build a business in dolls, and is flourishing

Slowthreads – Growing the Market for Slow Fashion

I didn’t want to do something that keeps adding to the negative impact on our environment. I wanted to be mindful in what we make and consume,” shares Archana Ravi, about how she switched tracks to slow fashion using natural fabric and dyes.

Madras Mandi – From Harvest to Stores Within 12 Hours

Madras Mandi delivers fresh produce from farm to stores and homes, while keeping farmer welfare and environmental best practices in mind.

WEDO – A Resource Hub For Women Entrepreneurs

Business is like a car. It’s driver agonistic. If you know how to drive it, it will take you to your destination,” says Kadambari, founder of WEDO, who’s empowering women with knowledge and resources on their entrepreneurial journey

Imaginethat – Designing Holistic Retail Shopping Experiences

Breaking into the retail visual merchandising scene in Tamil Nadu through their startup Imaginethat, duo Dhurgha and Ashok are channeling their creativity and overcoming challenges to grow at a steady clip.

Athma Laya – Fulfilling Women’s Aspiration to Dance

Athma Laya’s purpose is to bring joy to women. It is not focused on technical perfection of the dance form. Even if her students were unable to express with their faces, Mala Bharat, encouraged action and immersion in the feelings they were trying to emote.

Games Anchoring Families to Indian Culture and Values

Charanya, a native of Chennai with a Master’s in Computer Science from the UNC, Charlotte, had specialised in game design.

The Madras Trunk – Redefining Kolhapuris, a Fashion Classic

Nithila Arun of The Madras Trunk has managed to redesign the classic to create a vibrant range of kolhapuris, attracting reapeat buyers from all over the country.

Traditional Kitchenware Makes a Comeback

PaathiraKadai breathes new life into the ancient vessels of Tamil Nadu, bridging the gap between heritage and modernity

Empowering the Elderly

Prithviraj Somdev, the founder of ‘Old is Gold’ shares how he was motivated to focus on this segment.

Repurposing Textiles into Innovative Products.

“There was a dye plant next to my house in Erode,” starts Shanmugavel, founder of Fabrula, a young start up that is exploring ways of recycling fabric into useful products.

Coffee Meets Carnatic Music

Carnatic musician Akshay Vaidyanathan orchestrates a harmonious blend of coffee and music with his homegrown brand, Kāpi Kottai.

Rebelle with a Cause

Promoting better vaginal health through cloth-based menstrual pads

Quirky Creativity in Daily Life

MASH COLLECTIONZ – A curated artsy lifestyle collection

SANAL: Finding sustainable replacements for plastics

“Don’t use plastics is probably the most useless statement or advice,” begins Dakshnamoorthy Durairaj, founder at SANAL (Sustainable Alternative for Non-polluting Acclimate Living)

Where cultures collide and empathy abounds in children’s tales

The Little Dipper Publishing is an independent publishing house that aims to create an inclusive and culturally diverse space in the children’s literary world.

Cracking the snack code

EnChipsu is a food-based company that’s on a mission to put Nagercoil’s Nendran chips on the global map as an ode to the local culinary craftsmanship.

Vizha: A celebration of design, life, and more

Vizha is an event curation company where food, clothing, design and more meet creativity with an eco-friendly touch.

Plush Breaks the Whispers Around Female Hygiene

Plush is a Chennai-based women-centered hygiene brand that focuses on comfort and sustainability.

No teachers, textbooks or school bell…

Puvidham School is an alternate school centered around the child’s innate curiosity and the five elements of nature.

Electrifying Opportunites in the Logistics Business

Fullfily is building a comprehensive EV-as-a-service platform to build cost-efficient and eco-friendly delivery solutions for small businesses.

A Support System for Small Restaurants

Smoose helps restaurants tackle operational hurdles that prevent them from scaling.

Twenty Years Later at (the) Finale

Anuhya Reddy went to London as an Architect and returned as a Pastry Chef driving the dessert realm of Chennai.

Don’t Mess with Madras

Plastic Free Madras, as the name suggests, aims to win the heart of the people of Chennai to create a movement against single-use plastic.

What Goes into Pure Unadulterated Cow Milk?

UzhavarBumi is a result of the Jallikattu Protest of 2017. The startup provides dairy farmers with a sustainable income while working towards ensuring every child gets access to unadulterated milk.

Learning from the Land

Palluyir trust is an organisation for young environmentalists that experiments with unconventional forms of education.

Delectable Desserts for Every Dietary Restriction

Senthil Kumar Balu applies cancer research to cake baking.

Resin to Remember

Alankaara uses resin art to preserve precious memories.

The Story of Chennai’s Criminologist

The International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC) creates a support system against domestic violence and interpersonal offenses.