Neha Bagaria, CEO and founder of HerKey, India's leading platform for women's careers, highlights a critical issue: "Women who possess exceptional qualifications, ambition, ability, and experience often leave their careers abruptly and never return."
In a recent interview on 'Wiping out the Norm', with the host Radhika Bajoria, Neha shared her journey from resuming her career post-Wharton graduation to founding JobsForHer, now HerKey. Her dedication stems from her personal experience of a 3.6-year break after her children, she realized the challenges women face in reentering the workforce.
"Only 10% of educated and qualified women are pursuing long-term careers," Neha explained, based on her research. This scarcity of women in the workforce, due to reasons like marriage or motherhood, creates barriers to re-employment.
An alarming disparity also exists, as Neha noted: "A diverse consumer base should reflect diversity in your workforce as well. That is untrue, though, as 80% of employees in FMCG companies are men and 80% of their consumer base consists of women.” To address these gaps, HerKey pioneers scalable solutions. With 3.5 million female job seekers, 10,000+ employers, and 800+ learning partners, HerKey offers job matches, skill-building, and professional networks.
The platform links women at all levels with suitable jobs, offers learning opportunities to help them re-skill and upskill, and creates communities where women can network professionally. The company's goal is to empower women to realize their full economic potential by providing them with communities, learning opportunities, and support throughout all stages of their lives and professional journeys.
Their vision extends to supporting Women Starters and Entrepreneurs, alongside Women Returnees, Women In Tech, and Women In Leadership. This inclusive approach empowers women at all career stages.
HerKey, a career engagement platform for women in India, raised $4 million in a pre-Series A round from Kalaari, 360 ONE Asset, and angel investors including Zia Mody, Puneet Dalmia, Pramit Jhaveri, Aditi and Shuchi Kothari, KP Balaraj, Ranjan Pai, Neeraj Bajaj, Akash Bhansali and others.
Watch the full video to learn more about the problems and obstacles that women face, who told Neha to put her product first, and her experience obtaining funding from Kalaari Capital.
Link- https://youtu.be/hCeodKAAOT8
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