Here’s a startup story that turns the usual funding playbook on its head. Kanika Tekriwal founded JetSetGo back in 2014 and by her own account, she’s put in a grand total of Rs 5,600 of her own money into the company since day one. That’s it. “A lot of people ask me how I did this without raising money…Till date, I have invested only Rs 5,600 and we operate India’s largest fleet of private jets,” she told Times Entertainment.
And yet, more than a decade later, JetSetGo has grown into one of India’s biggest private jet and helicopter operators, with backers like Puneet Dalmia and former cricketer Yuvraj Singh on board. The company now runs operations across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, New York and Dubai.
Building a business in a male-dominated industry
The aviation sector has traditionally been dominated by men, and Tekriwal has spoken about the challenges she faced while establishing herself.
In a 2017 interview with The Better India, she said it took time for people to take her seriously and recalled being told she should “take up baking cupcakes” instead. She also noted that behaviour considered “passionate” in men was often labelled “arrogant” when displayed by women.
Tekriwal is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of JetSetGo. She was named among India’s richest self-made women in 2021, featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2016 and 2017, and later appeared as a guest on Shark Tank India Season 5.
Cancer battle that changed her outlook
Born into a Marwari family, Tekriwal completed her schooling in Bhopal before graduating from Coventry University in England. While preparing to launch her entrepreneurial journey, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the age of 21.
Speaking on Shark Tank India, she recalled being told by several doctors that she had only months to live. She said she refused to give up and instead focused on recovery and building her future.
In a 2022 interview with Vogue India, Tekriwal said surviving cancer made her realise that life was short and encouraged her to pursue what truly mattered to her.
Tekriwal is married to Hyderabad-based businessman P. Sarath Chandra Reddy, a non-executive director at Aurobindo Pharma. The couple welcomed their first child, a baby boy, on May 28, 2026.