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  1. Home
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  3. W-Power 2026

Meet India's Top Self-Made Women of 2026

Meet India's Top Self-Made Women of 2026

At Forbes India, we present an annual list unlike any other—an elite, diverse group of Self-Made Women who have made lasting impact. The months-long exercise began with rigorous research and a longlist of 100 names. Our editorial team whittled them down to 60, and an eminent five-member jury made the final selection. From capital markets to conservation, food to film: Here is the Forbes India W-Power list for 2026.
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Photos credit: Mexy Xavier
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Harsha Kumar

Harsha Kumar

Partner, Lightspeed

BY THE NUMBERS
5
The number of jury members
  • Falguni Nayar

    Falguni Nayar

    Founder and CEO, Nykaa

  • Meghna Agarwal

    Meghna Agarwal

    Cofounder, IndiQube

  • Gunjan Soni

    Gunjan Soni

    Country Managing Director of YouTube India

  • Rimjhim Agrawal and Laina Emmanuel

    Rimjhim Agrawal and Laina Emmanuel

    Co-founders, and CTO and CEO respectively, BrainSightAI

Kavitha Subramanian

Kavitha Subramanian

Co-founder, Upstox

BY THE NUMBERS
9
The number of women identified as Founders or Entrepreneurs
  • Tamannaah Bhatia

    Tamannaah Bhatia

    Actor

  • Chhaya Kadam

    Chhaya Kadam

    Actor

  • Huma Qureshi

    Huma Qureshi

    Actor, author, entrepreneur

  • Sonali Ghosh

    Sonali Ghosh

    Field director of Kaziranga National Park

Purnima Devi Barman

Purnima Devi Barman

Conservationist

BY THE NUMBERS
4
The number of women from the entertainment sector
  • Anita Dongre

    Anita Dongre

    Founder and Creative Director, Anita Dongre

  • Anaita Shroff Adajania

    Anaita Shroff Adajania

    Stylist, Entrepreneur and Creative director

  • Kamala Kantharaj

    Kamala Kantharaj

    Chief regulatory officer, BSE

  • Aditi Dugar

    Aditi Dugar

    Founder & Director, Masque & Urban Gourmet India

Mallika Sagar

Mallika Sagar

Art and sports auctioneer

BY THE NUMBERS
4
The number of women leading in the technology and AI space
  • Dr Sivaranjani Santosh

    Dr Sivaranjani Santosh

    Paediatrician and public health advocate

  • Ishita Moitra

    Ishita Moitra

    Writer, screenwriter, producer

  • Pragya Misra

    Pragya Misra

    Head of Strategy & Global Affairs, India at OpenAI

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W-Power 2025

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W-Power 2024

Meet India's Top Self-Made Women of 2024

Network 18