“What You Can See is What You Can Be”: How Radhika Ghai, First Indian Woman To Build A Unicorn, Is Building A New Beauty Empire

When Radhika Ghai walks into a room, she commands it. Dressed in a royal blue silk shirt, she beams and smiles, making everyone around her feel at ease, but also listen intently to what she’s saying. As the first Indian woman to co-found a unicorn, the e-commerce giant ShopClues, she has cemented her legacy in the country's startup ecosystem. But she isn't one to rest on past accolades. Since 2021, she’s been back at the drawing board, building a new brand, kindlife, from scratch.

Radhika Ghai is our HZ Cover Lady for March, because she perfectly embodies the spirit of the modern Indian woman. She is the new standard of leadership and living proof that reaching the pinnacle of the tech world is possible for any woman who dares to dream it. As a mother to two boys and a trailblazing entrepreneur who built a unicorn and is now on to her second venture, she stands as a testament to what women can accomplish when they refuse to settle. Her achievements aren’t juxtaposed with sacrifices, as donning multiple hats comes naturally to her. She reminds us that you don't have to give up one dream to feed another – something women are often conditioned to doing. With patience, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to "just show up," one can unapologetically build a life that has room for it all.

Her newest venture, kindlife, is an online, AI-powered global beauty and wellness platform, known best for featuring authentic products from multiple brands. “kindlife is a beautiful place for beautiful people to become more beautiful. So, what we're really building is a platform for global beauty discovery,” explains Radhika.

We’re in the kindlife office shooting for Cover Lady. The office, especially the studio space, is designed in keeping with GenZ aesthetics.

With mirrors, a wall lined with their bestselling products, overhead movable lights and multiple aesthetic corners, it’s the kind that’d fit right into your Instagram feed.

A major focus of her current leadership is cultivating a workspace that mirrors her target demographic: young India.

Building For and With ‘Young India’

She actively champions a 50/50 gender ratio and embraces the new style of working that Gen Z employees bring to an office.

I love working with Gen Z. It gives me a lot of energy. It makes me think out of the box, highlights Radhika, somewhat in deviation from popular conversations online about how Gen Z is difficult to work with.

Youth is rebellious by nature... my biggest learning in working with Gen Z has been to respect their boundaries.

She agrees that there are differences in how they approach work, but she embraces their professionalism and boundary setting.

“Youth is rebellious by nature... my biggest learning in working with Gen Z has been to respect their boundaries... if you're giving me what you promised you will give me, and maybe one step more, I'm happy to take it,” she says.

Given that her audience is also mostly young India, having employees who understand what they want from brands, and how they want them presented is key.

Another aspect of building a new brand driven by technology at the core is embracing AI.

‘AI-Native Workspaces Are Non-Negotiable’

Instead of fearing the integration of AI, Radhika views it as a mandatory evolution for everyone. Technology and AI are cornerstones of how Radhika is building kindlife. Every Friday, they host an AI mela, where everyone talk abotu how they’ve integrated AI in their tasks in the past week. All team members, regardless of age, are encouraged to participate.

"If I say that it is very important for workspaces to be AI native, I am still playing it down. The world around us is changing completely,” she emphasises.

She adds that adapting to AI is crucial not just for tech companies but for everyday life and efficiency.

She advises, "Don't use ChatGPT just to have a conversation with it, use it to function your day-to-day life."

Being the First Indian Woman To Build a Unicorn

Radhika was the first woman to enter the prestigious Unicorn club when she built Shopclues, which was established in 2011. It’s a badge of honour she doesn’t take lightly.

"I had a mentor who once told me, 'what you can see is what you can be,” she recalls. “And I think I hold being the first woman to create a unicorn in India very dear to my heart because I'm hoping that young girls around me, when they see that I can do it, they believe that they can do it too.”

She advocates for women to dream big and uses her platform to prove that women, even without traditional engineering backgrounds, can conquer the tech space.

I'm hoping that young girls around me, when they see that I can do it, they believe that they can do it too.

Even though she does think that women entrepreneurs have made great strides, there’s still a long way to go.

You know, less than 2% of VC funding still goes to women-owned companies. It has gone up by 200% since I started ShopClues, but it's still not good enough,” she rues.

Evolving Leadership, Evolving Consumer Behaviour

Contrasting her time building ShopClues with kindlife, Radhika highlights how both she and the market have matured.

Now the consumer is more discerning... They are not just happy with 'Oh, you're giving it to me, so you're doing me a favour.'

The early days of e-commerce were about introducing people to online shopping; while today, it requires a holistic approach to satisfy a highly educated and demanding consumer base.

"Now the consumer is more discerning... They are not just happy with 'Oh, you're giving it to me, so you're doing me a favour.' So it's a very different audience that we are building it for,” she explains.

She has evolved as a mentor too.

“I think one of the biggest differences between building ShopClues and Kind Life is that I'm building it with a lot more patience and wisdom,” she says.

Paving the Way For Women Entrepreneurs

When discussing how to fix the disparities in funding and representation for female entrepreneurs, Radhika points to storytelling, visible role models, and actionable support systems – capital, tech, and people resources – as the primary drivers of cultural change.

"When you build the culture of anything... It's the stories you tell. It's the actions you take. It's the heroes you hold up high,” she explains.

You need to see more women role models... Younger women need to see that it has been done before and they can do it as well.

Radhika’s foundational advice to aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs is free from corporate jargon. It focuses entirely on persistence and resilience in the face of inevitable difficulties.

Her mantra is simple – “Just show up”.

She acknowledges that ‘adulting is hard’, and admits that it’ll likely always be hard. But to keep going, and not give up, is what she’s believed in.

“What that truly means is that take the next step, and whether it is easy, whether it is not, just take the next step, and you will end up at your destination,” she signed off.