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Hustle Fuel

Building a company or a meaningful career is brutal, and role models for a path less trodden are always invaluable. Especially for women—but not just for women. Thriving in the evolving workforce demands ‘hustle fuel’. It demands having to punch above one’s weight to earn a seat at the table—not because you are a woman but because you are the right person for the job. Interestingly, it just so happens that this hustle fuel is precisely the attitude any entrepreneur needs to survive. Whether a man, woman, or from an ethnic minority community. This series looks at the world of work and entrepreneurship—all male-dominated even now—from a women’s lens. Being the ‘only’ in a sea of ‘others’ deprives women of vital networks and role models, which drives the gender gap. Yet, Hustle Fuel is not an outraged feminist rant. Rather it seeks to provide inspiration on how women can put their best foot forward in a show-up-or-shut-up world. The series aims to amplify different portraits of what success can look like. It aims to encapsulate the can-do mindset, wisdom and life hacks from those who have successfully trod the path before—often through career paths that have not been linear, but like a jungle gym with many lateral and even backward moves that can be a learning opportunity to get you to where you want to be. Plus, it provides clues on how to build allies—both men and women—that you need on the journey. The Hustle Fuel series will include A column that will offer a wide-angle view of the changes at the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology, strategy and innovation—and what they mean for women leaders. And candid conversations with a new generation of women who have ‘made it happen’ in business and industry in India and occasionally, from the Indian diaspora. Who reflect different career attitudes and behaviours; who celebrate the fact that women lead differently than men; who don’t take no for an answer.

Contributors: Founding Fuel

14 articles

Latest in Hustle Fuel

How Sugar Cosmetics found its sweet spot
·Entrepreneurship, Startups & Innovation

How Sugar Cosmetics found its sweet spot

Vineeta Singh, CEO of Sugar Cosmetics, talks about turning fears into wins, taking an unconventional approach to succeed in a David & Goliath scenario, and building resilience from unexpected sources

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Founding Fuel

Founding Fuel

An edtech entrepreneur’s learning journey
·Entrepreneurship, Startups & Innovation

An edtech entrepreneur’s learning journey

Parul Gupta, co-founder and president of Springboard, talks about how to build a trusted education brand, cultivate a growth mindset and unlock the big opportunities that lie ahead in edtech

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Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Product Strategy & Monetization | Microsoft Azure, Seattle

Negotiate—because you’re worth it
·Work, Careers & Personal Mastery

Negotiate—because you’re worth it

Why women (and men) should negotiate to be paid what they think they deserve (the right way)

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Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Product Strategy & Monetization | Microsoft Azure, Seattle

The human intelligence behind intelligent machines
·Artificial Intelligence

The human intelligence behind intelligent machines

A conversation with Prof. Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, director of ISI, about discovering patterns, learning from data, collaboration across disciplines, and how to get girls to take the STEM path (it starts at the primary education level, she says)

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Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Product Strategy & Monetization | Microsoft Azure, Seattle

Reinventing girlhood, one block at a time
·Work, Careers & Personal Mastery

Reinventing girlhood, one block at a time

Three ways that parents can help daughters open their minds to STEM paths

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Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Product Strategy & Monetization | Microsoft Azure, Seattle

From Bombay to the Bay Area: The journey of “becoming a VC from nothing”
·Entrepreneurship, Startups & Innovation

From Bombay to the Bay Area: The journey of “becoming a VC from nothing”

Shruti Gandhi, general partner and founding engineer at Array Ventures, talks about the power of people and relationships in building an entrepreneurial career from nothing, how to hustle when you know it’s the right time for you, and what it takes to be a constant learner

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Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Product Strategy & Monetization | Microsoft Azure, Seattle

Six archetypes of leaders for a new normal
·Leadership & Organisation

Six archetypes of leaders for a new normal

The post pandemic era will need fresh thinking and an ability to learn and adapt

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Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Product Strategy & Monetization | Microsoft Azure, Seattle

Gaining ‘Tracxn’ in the startup world
·Entrepreneurship, Startups & Innovation

Gaining ‘Tracxn’ in the startup world

Neha Singh, co-founder of Tracxn Technologies, talks about why she chose to be a generalist despite her techie credentials; how the startup ecosystem is evolving in India; and what founders ought to know about venture capitalists

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Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Product Strategy & Monetization | Microsoft Azure, Seattle

What good leaders do right
·Leadership & Organisation

What good leaders do right

As I reflect on the initial months of Hustle Fuel, here’s a curated collection of the wisdom and helpful life lessons I’ve picked up from the leaders I’ve interacted with along the way

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Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Product Strategy & Monetization | Microsoft Azure, Seattle

Is it in the genes?
·Entrepreneurship, Startups & Innovation

Is it in the genes?

A conversation with Anu Acharya, CEO of Mapmygenome and former CEO of Ocimum Biosolutions, about why early influences matter, what it takes to scale two genomics companies in India, and everything else from Nutella cravings to an equal partnership at home and work

AB
Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Aparajita (Opu) Bhattacharyya

Product Strategy & Monetization | Microsoft Azure, Seattle