INDIAN

ENTREPRENEURS

Made By:
Esha Goel
Roll No- 27
MBA-3rd Semester
 EKTA KAPOOR: Balaji Telefilms Pvt Ltd.

Ekta Kapoor can be aptly called as the reigning queen of Indian television industry. The
serials produced by her company Balaji Telefilms are a great hit with the masses and are
dominating all the major T.V. channels in India.

Ekta Kapoor serves as a Creative Director and Director of Balaji Telefilms Ltd. Ms.
Kapoor commenced her career as a producer and creative director at the age of 19. Her
work has comprised entertainment landmarks in India. She is actively involved in
concept building, script design and creative conversion.

Daughter of film star Jitendra, and Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor had no interest in the
entertainment business during her childhood. Graduating from Mithibai College in
commerce, she was just quite ordinary at school. She started off when her father got her
an offer from Ketan Somaiya (a businessman), for co-production for their channel in
London. However, company was dissolved because he sold off the channel.

She used to watch a lot of television, so she had ideas for the entertainment channels that
were being launched in India. Probably that is where she got a feel of the pulse of the
television viewer. When the company was sold off they had the software to launch the
programmes. She made six pilots with three episodes each. But all of them were rejected
by the TV channels. Lot of money was lost during this time. But rejections and
disappointments did not deter her. She continued to make pilots for TV serials and then
the big break came as she made a comedy serial Hum Paanch. This became one of the
most successful serials and ran for a long time on Zee.

After Hum Paanch, she took up the now famous theme of Saans Bahu (Mother in Law,
Daughter in Law) for her soap operas .one of the most common themes in India and made
a big success out of it. Her company has produced more than 25 serials and each one is
being shown, on an average, four times a week on different television channels. Ekta
Kapoor's serials have captured the imagination of masses. She broken all previous
records of TV serial production and popularity in India. Her most famous television
venture has been "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi" which began in 2000 and is still
leading the TRP ratings in India. Her other famous serials include "Kahaani Ghar Ghar
Ki", "Kahiin To Hoga", "Kavyanjali", "Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa", "Kasamh Se", "Kahin
Kisii Roz", "Kasautii Zindagi Kay", "Kkusum", "Kutumb", "Kalash", and "Kundali".etc

The actors in her serials have become stars in their own right with popularity rivalling
those of the big screen stars of Hindi films. Ekta is today the uncrowned queen of soap
operas in India and prime time television time belongs to her shows. TV channels are
known to charge premium advertisement rates for successful Balaji serials.
She is aware of the risks and accusations of being stereotyped, however, believes that
given television viewing is a lot in the population age group of 35-65, and therefore there
is lot of steam in this theme.

For her entrepreneurial skills and achievements Ekta Kapoor was awarded with Ernst &
Young (E&Y) Startup Entrepreneur Of The Year award in 2001.

In any business, change is the only constant and therefore it is extremely important to
keep a tap on trends and change the strategy accordingly. Also it is important to identify
opportunities and make full use of them. In media, it is even more important and
therefore it keeps Ekta on her tows. She along with her mother has ventured into movie
production and released some movies. However, films are a risky business. They have
made a few films which have run into losses. However, over time all the losses have been
recovered. Ekta believes that not budgeting properly is one of her biggest mistakes. She is
very conscious of her mistakes, especially on the film budget front .

The entrepreneur in her is driven by passion, ambition and power. It is not money that
drives an entrepreneur everyday to office. She is extremely passionate about her business.
She wants to create new markets for television. She has tapped the so called bulk
audience, mass audience, TV viewing audience. There is a lot of audience that moves
from channels to channels. They are her peripheral audience.

Ekta has big plans for the Balaji over the next decade. She has plans of tapping, non
fiction potential, up market programming potential and catering to larger population. She
has even plans and dreams to start an academy.
 SABEER BHATIA: Hotmail

Sabeer Bhatia was born in Chandigarh, India on 13th december 1968. In 1985, he began
his undergraduate education at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) in
Pilani and was transferred to Caltech after two years at BITS. After graduating from
Caltech, Sabeer went to Stanford University in 1989 to pursue his M.S. in Electrical
Engineering. At Stanford, he worked on Ultra Low Power VLSI Design. At Stanford, he
was inspired by entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs and Scott McNealy eventually deciding
to become one himself. Instead of pursuing a Ph.D. after his Masters, he decided to join
Apple in 1991.
After a brief stint at Apple, Sabeer joined a startup company called Firepower Systems
Inc, where he spent two years. In 1994, Sabeer started working on new ideas for the
Internet and he teamed up with Jack Smith, a colleague from Apple Computer, Inc.
The two came up with the concept of a web-based database entitled Javasoft. While
pursuing this idea, they subsequently realised the potential of a web-based e-mail system
and thus decided to create one called HoTMaiL (the uppercase letters spelling out HTML
- the language used to write the base of a webpage).In order to attract attention, the e-mail
service was provided for free and revenue was obtained through the advertising on the
website. Draper Fisher Ventures invested $300,000 on the project and the service was
launched on July 4, 1996. In less than six months, the website attracted over 1 million
subscribers. As the interest in the web-based email provider increased, Microsoft
eventually took notice and on December 30, 1997, Hotmail was sold to Microsoft for a
reported sum of $400 million.

After selling Hotmail, Bhatia worked at Microsoft for about a year and in April 1999, he
left the company to start another website, Arzoo Inc, which was shut down when the dot-
com bubble burst. In 2006, he relaunched Arzoo as a travel portal.

He started (alongside co-founders Shiraz Kanga and Viraf Zack) BlogEverywhere, a

website attempting to capitalise on the emerging blogosphere.

In 2006, he became an angel investor for NeoAccel, a network security vendor and maker
of SSL VPN-Plus.

November of 2007, he released an online office alternative to Microsoft Office, called

Live Documents. This application allows users to use their documents both offline and
online, edit, collaborate and share documents in real-time with others, and sync
documents between various computers and users. Users can also download their
Microsoft Office plug-in, which allows them to get the best of offline and online offices
suites, along with full compatibility for all office document formats.
He has also pushed for enabling access to the internet through cable television in Indian
homes.
In January, 2008, Sabeer announced the launch of his latest venture SabSeBolo.com, a
free web-based teleconferencing system (Sab Se Bolo = "(Let's) Talk To Everyone" in
Hindi).
Future plans of his include the development of a new city in India called Nanocity. The
aim of Nanocity is to replicate the vibrancy and eco-system of innovation found in the
Silicon Valley.
Awards Received:
• "Entrepreneur of the Year," Awarded by the venture capital firm Draper Fisher
Jurvetson (1997)
• Named to the "Elite 100," Upside magazine's list of top trendsetters in the New
Economy
• Recipient of the TR100 award, presented by MIT to 100 young innovators who
are expected to have the greatest impact on technology in the next few years
• Selected by the San Jose Mercury News and POV magazine as one of the ten
most successful entrepreneurs of (1998)
• Named by TIME as one of the "People to Watch" in International Business (2002)
 SHAHNAZ HUSSAIN: The Shahnaz Hussain Group

She is one of the most prominent personalities of the corporate world. She is making a
constant effort to beautify the skin of people with her beauty products. She has been
continuously striving hard to slow down the aging process and nourish the skin of people
and thus make them look younger than their age.
She comes from a royal Muslim family and her father was a very powerful man. She did
her schooling from the Irish convent. Since a very young age, she had an interest in
poetry and English literature. She grew up in a traditional family, but was privileged to
receive modern education. She got married, when she was only fifteen years old.

When she went to Teheran along with her husband, she developed a keen interest in
beauty treatments. Eventually, she decided to study the cosmetology course. She wanted
to be self independent and so she began writing articles for the Iran Tribune on varied
subjects. While pursuing studies, she learnt about the harmful effects of chemicals on
human body. She studied Ayurveda and believed that it is the best alternative to chemical
cosmetics.
After leaving Teheran, she took an extensive training in cosmetic therapy for a long
period of 10 years from the leading institutions of London, Paris, New York and
Copenhagen. She returned to India in the year 1977 and established her first beauty salon
in her abode. Unlike other salons, she did not use chemical cosmetics. Rather, she made
use of Ayurvedic products that are absolutely safe on the human body. She has ushered an
era of herbal cosmetics. This was the beginning of the legendary Shahnaz Herbal and
other ranges. In fact she has become known for her specialized clinical treatments and
therapeutic products for specific problems like acne, pigmentation, scars and blemishes,
skin-sensitivity, dandruff, hair loss and alopecia. The products launched by her Company
head their way to leading global stores such as Blooming Dales (New York), Harrods and
Selfridges (London), Seibu (Japan), Galleries Lafayette (Paris), and La Rinaeccente
(Milan).
The Shahnaz Hussain Group has activities as diverse as beauty training institutes,
growing of its own herbs to manufacturing of its cosmetics line to retail to specialized
treatments through its chain of over 400 beauty centers worldwide
Shahnaz Husain is also the pioneer of vocational training in cosmetology in India, having
started her professional schools at a time when only apprenticeship training was available
She has not only been able to tap the markets of India, but made her presence felt in
international market too. Now, her aim is to set her foothold in the space. People who go
to space usually suffer from skin problems. At present, Shahnaz Hussain is focusing her
attention on creating products that can prove to be beneficial for the astronauts.

Her company Shahnaz Husain Herbals has witnessed tremendous growth throughout
these years. She has launched nearly 350 different kinds of beauty products. In the
contemporary times, people are becoming more and more conscious about the way they
look. It is here that Shahnaz Hussain comes to play a major role by providing people with
products that can bring the glow back to their skin

She has dominated the market from the USA to Asia. During 1990s, the average growth
rate of her company, which is based in New Delhi, was nearly 19.4%. In the year 2002,
her Company touched $100 million. Her works are real praiseworthy and have been
appreciated all over the world. She has received many awards such as "The Arch of
Europe Gold Star for Quality", "The 2000 Millennium Medal of Honor", "Rajiv Gandhi
Sadbhavana Award". Recently, Shahnaz Husain, also won India's highest honor, the
Padma Shree, in the field of Industry and trade for bringing Ayurveda to the West.
 KIRAN MAZUMDAR SHAW: Biocon
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has entered the elite ranks of the Indian business world as
India's richest woman. Born on 23 March, 1953, she is the Chairman & Managing
Director of Biocon Ltd. She did her schooling from Bangalore and graduated in Zoology
from Bangalore University in 1973, after which she moved on to Ballarat University in
Melbourne, Australia. She became India's first woman Brew Master and started off as a
trainee brewer in Carlton & United Beverages in 1974, following which she worked in
various positions in Kolkata and Vadodara.
In 1978, she joined as a Trainee Manager with Biocon Biochemicals Limited in Ireland.
Collaborating with the same Irish firm, she founded Biocon India with a capital of Rs.
10,000/- in 1978 and a 70% stake in the business. The initial operation was to extract an
enzyme from papaya. According to her having a ready market helped her a lot. She
believes focus on the market is very important. Make sure you can sell what you produce
because that is very important when you are building a business. A lot of people fail
because they have a good product, but they do not have a market to sell.

Biocon started as a company which used to produce enzymes. Enzymes are made by the
process of fermentation. Over the years, Biocon has developed excellent skills in
fermentation whether it is solid state fermentation or submerged fermentation. It has also
developed The Pla Fractor is a unique fermentation technology, which exploits the best of
solid substrate and submerged fermentation. Identifying opportunities has been a forte of
Kiran and exploiting the skill sets available to capitalize on the opportunities has been
exhibited like the statin business or the Cuban monoclonal antibody program

Using these fermentation skills, the company moved on into manufacture of statins which
also require fermentation. While enzymes were providing cash flow, next leap for Biocon
has come from statins the largest selling class of drugs in the world (US$20bn in sales).

Kiran believes in moving on to the next level before competition catches up. While
statins are driving profits in the near-term, Biocon has sown the seeds for growth beyond
this time period. Several products have been lined up like recombinant human insulin,
immune suppressants, generic biologicals, etc.

Biocon has two sunrise businesses today . contract research, which is carried out in its
subsidiary- Syngene and clinical research work carried out in its subsidiary Clinegene.
The businesses show Kiran’s philosophy of learning and earning. Kiran’s philosophy of
shared wisdom and shared ownership reflects in the company’s employee culture. Biocon
has a strong management team and more importantly, this team has been with the
company for 14-23 years.
Kiran believes it is essential to have a high sense of integrity and a big strength of hers
has her belief in very strong values. She does not believe in taking short-cuts even if she
has to suffer in the interim and is criticized for not doing things in an expeditious manner.
She is also a gut-feel person when it comes to taking important decisions. She believes it
is her mission to build pride into the workplace, into the country. She wants India to
benefit from companies like Biocon and Infosys. In 2004, Biocon went for an IPO and
the issue was over-subscribed by over 30 times. Post-IPO, Shaw held close to 40% of the
stock of the company and was regarded as India’s richest woman with an estimated worth
of Rs. 2,100 crore (~U.S. $ 480 million).
She was awarded the MV Memorial Award, given in honor of the great engineer and
visionary Sir M Vishwesharaiah. Apart from this, she was awarded the Wharton Infosys
Business Transformation Award in 2006, the Padma Bhushan in 2005, the Lifetime
Achievement Award from the Indian Chamber of Commerce in 2005, the Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Healthcare & Life Sciences Category in 2002 besides
the Padma Shri in 1989.
 VARGHESE KURIEN: Amul (Operation Flood)

Born on November 26, 1921 in Kozhikode, Kerala, Dr. Verghese Kurien graduated with
Physics from Loyola College, Madras in 1940. Subsequently, he did his
B.E.(Mechanical) from the Madras University and went to USA on a government
scholarship to do his Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University.
In between, he completed special studies in engineering at the Tata Iron and Steel
Company Institute at Jamshedpur, Bihar, in February 1946 and underwent nine months of
specialized training in dairy engineering at the National Dairy Research Institute of
Bangalore.

Dr. Verghese Kurien returned from America in 1948 and joined the Dairy Department of
the Government of India. In May 1949, he was posted as Dairy Engineer at the
Government Research Creamery, a small milk-powder factory, in Anand, Gujarat. Around
this time, the newly formed cooperative dairy, Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’
Union Limited ((KDCMPUL), was engaged in battle of survival with the privately owned
Polson Dairy, which was a giant in its field. Enthused by the challenge, Dr. Verghese
Kurien left his government job and volunteered to help Shri Tribhuvandas Patel, the
Chairman of KDCMPUL, to set up a processing plant. Varghese Kurien , gave the
professional management skills and necessary thrust to the cooperative. This led to the
birth of AMUL and the rest is history.

In 1965, the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, created the National Dairy
Development Board (NDDB) under the leadership of Dr. Verghese Kurien to replicate the
success story of Amul throughout the country. In 1973, Dr. Kurien set up GCMMF
(Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation) to market the products produced by the
dairies. Under Dr. Kurien’s stewardship India became the as the largest producer of milk
in the world.

During his illustrious career, Dr. Verghese Kurien won many accolades and awards.
These include: Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1963), Padma Shri
(1965), Padma Bhushan (1966), Krishi Ratna Award (1986), Wateler Peace Prize Award
of Carnegie Foundation (1986), World Food Prize Laureate (1989), International Person
of the Year(1993) by the World Dairy Expo, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, and Padma
Vibhushan (1999).

Amul, markets a wide range of products including milk powders, milk, butter, ghee,
cheese, chocolate, Shrikhand, Gulab Jamun, ice cream, cream, Nutramul brand and others
making it the largest food brand in India with an annual turnover in excess of US $1
billion (2006-07).