VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

BELAGAVI, KARNATAKA

report on

Young entrepreneur Kavita Shukla

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

By
SHIRISHA.C 3VC17CS078
Under the Guidance of
Mr. SURESH.K
Assistant Professor,
CSE Department, RYMEC

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

RAO BAHADUR Y. MAHABALESHWARAPPA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

(AFFILIATED TO VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL

UNIVERSITY, BELAGAVI &
APPROVED BY AICTE & ACCREDITED BY NBA, NEW DELHI)
BALLARI - 583104, KARNATAKA
Department of Computer Science and Engineering RYMEC Ballari
 RAO BAHADUR Y MAHABALESHWARAPPA
ENGINEERING COLLEGE
(AFFILIATED TO VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY,
BELAGAVI
APPROVED BY AICTE & ACCREDITED BY NBA, NEW DELHI)
BALLARI - 583104, KARNATAKA
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE

Certified that the Mini Project work entitled “biography of Kavita Shukla”
carried out by SHIRISHA.C (3VC17CS078) Bonafide students of Rao
Bahadur Y Mahabaleswarappa College of Engineering in partial fulfillment for
the award of Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science Engineering of the
Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum during the year 2018-19.

Signature of the Project Guide Signature of the HOD

K Suresh Dr.Girish kumar
Assistant Professor Professor and Head
Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science
RYMEC, Ballari – 583104 RYMEC, Ballari - 583104
 Acknowledgment
with great respect and gratitude, I would like to express our regards and

acknowledgment to all those who helped in making this mini project possible.

the satisfaction that accompanies the successful culmination of any task would

be incomplete without mentioning those who made it possible because success

is the epitome of hard work, determination,concentration and dedication.

Firstly I would like to thank our beloved parents whose everlasting

guidance and support is incredible in completing this task successfully.

I am grateful to the principal Dr.Kuppagal Veeresh, BE, M.Tech,Ph.D for

providing facilities and Untiring zeal, which constantly inspired us towards the

attainment of everlasting knowledge throughout the course.

I am deeply indebted to our beloved Dr.Girish kumar, Head of the

Department BE, M.Tech, Ph.D Department is Computer Science and
Engineering for the valuable suggestions and constant and encouragement

provided for the successful completion of our task.

I would like to thank our guide Mr.Suresh BE, M.Tech (Asst.prof)

Computer Science and Engineering Department for the constant guidance in

Successful completion of our project.

Finally, I would like to thank all the staff members of our Department

Computer Science and Engineering for their guidance and support. We are also

thankful to our friends who continue in giving this best support.

 CONTENTS
Page No.
1.Introduction…………………………………………………….1
2.Early life and Story of Fenugreek…………………………..2
3.Business Growth……………………………………………...5
4.About Freshpaper……………………………………………..7
5.Awards and Achievements…………………………………..8
Introduction:

Kavita Shukla is the founder and the CEO of The Co. She is also the inventor of
FRESHPAPER is a simple innovative technology which takes on the massive
global challenge of food waste. She has inspired millions of people worldwide
with her story of simple beginnings, empowerment and belief.

1
Early life and Story of Fenugreek:
Kavita Shukla had just finished high
school and was already on her way to a prolific career in science and invention,
with two patents and a company of her own to her credit.
Shukla was born in Germany to Indian parents who moved to the United States
when she was a young child. The Harvard University graduate attended high
school in Ellicott City, Maryland. At the age of 13, she created a lab safety
device for bottles containing hazardous materials. She patented the device,
dubbing it the “Smart Lid.”Smart Lid.”

Around that time, she also became interested in the potential uses of an Indian
herb called fenugreek in preserving food and fighting bacterial growth. While
visiting her grandparents during a trip to India at age 12, Shukla accidentally
drank contaminated water. Her grandmother whipped up a homemade
concoction containing ground fenugreek seeds and gave it to her to consume,
saying, “Smart Lid.”Take this and you’ll be fine.” Shukla was skeptical, but she took the ll be fine.” Shukla was skeptical, but she took the
powder and did not become ill.

When she returned home to the United States, Shukla began conducting her
own experiments with fenugreek, exploring its antibacterial and antifungal
properties. Through her research, she found that fenugreek could not only
remove toxic substances from aqueous solutions but could also inhibit bacterial
and fungal growth. She wondered if this discovery could be applied to food
preservation, and had an idea to develop a packaging paper using fenugreek
that might better preserve and protect items from bacteria and fungi.

2
Shukla was onto something: she observed that food wrapped in fenugreek-
treated paper lasts four to six weeks longer than food protected by traditional
wrapping. It is also natural, non-toxic, biodegradable and easily produced in
large quantities, making it ideal for developing countries and developed nations
alike.
She obtained a patent for her fenugreek-treated paper in the spring of 2002.

Also in 2002, Shukla was the winner of the Lemelson-MIT Invention

Apprenticeship. She worked with her Invention Mentor David Payton, Principal
Research Scientist in the Information Sciences Lab at HRL Laboratories for two
weeks. Their project was related to the development of software for controlling
hundreds of tiny robots with the goal of making them work collectively. The
robots could then accomplish tasks such as search and rescue.

In addition to her academic and scientific prowess, Shukla is an accomplished

violinist and dancer, and an entrepreneurial talent. She was co-founder and CEO
of SAFEH2O, a non-profit, student-run water testing company that operates in
partnership with Columbia, Maryland-based W.R. Grace. SAFEH2O had tested
more than 450 residential water samples in the Baltimore area and alerted
residents about problems, such as excessive lead or other impurities. Shukla
had overseen virtually all aspects of the project, from marketing and finance to
research and management duties.

Shukla founded Fenugreen in 2010 to market her FreshPaper invention to

Farmer’ll be fine.” Shukla was skeptical, but she took the s markets and street fairs in Cambridge, Mass. Today, Fenugreen now
known as The FRESHGLOW Co.is a social enterprise and used by farmers and

3
families around the globe. FreshPaper is sold online and in major retail and
grocery markets. Shukla has received a number of national and international
awards for her inventions. Her work has been featured in CNN, The New York
Times, The Washington Post, Oprah Magazine, Glamour and the Today Show.
Fast Company featured Shukla as one of the “Smart Lid.”7 Entrepreneurs Changing the
World” and she made the Forbes “Smart Lid.”30 under 30” list in 2014.

4
Business Growth:
Company:Fenugreen
Initial investment:$300
How she spent it:Spices and papermaking materials, farmers' market vendor
fee, display-table decorations; adolescent spending included $1,500 on patent
filing fees.
Eventually she came up with the idea of infusing the spices into sheets of paper;
she even created her own paper blend, using $25 worth of materials from a craft
store. Now Fenugreen, based in Columbia, Maryland, makes a product that is at
once humble and potentially transformative: spice-infused FreshPaper, which
keeps food fresh by inhibiting bacterial and fungal growth.

Shukla worked on her product throughout high school and college, investing her
own money along the way. At 17, she spent $1,500 (won at science fairs) to
obtain a patent, saving on legal fees by filing for and defending it herself. But
when she got to Harvard, her attempts to create a global nonprofit couldn't get
enough interest from potential donors and ultimately proved, well, fruitless. "I
wanted to build a manufacturing facility to get FreshPaper to the developing ,"
says Shukla. "But that didn't go anywhere."

Since she couldn't find funding for a large-scale nonprofit,, in 2011 she decided
to try bootstrappinga local for-profit. Shukla and her co-founder, Swaroop
Samant, spent around $150 on spices and papermaking materials to
manufacture a thousand sheets of FreshPaper in the kitchen of Shukla's studio
apartment. They offered the first samples to vendors at a farmers' market down
the street. Then they pitched the Harvest Co-Op in Cambridge, Massachusetts,

5
where "one of the directors said, 'I bet if you bag this up, people would be
interested in buying it,' " says Shukla. "I couldn't even imagine that consumers
would be willing to pay for it."

She and Samant invested around $50 to register as vendors at the farmers'
market, and borrowed a card table and spent another $100 on a tablecloth,
display baskets, a market umbrella, and a signboard. That first day they made
$600; they were greeted by lines every time they went back.

FreshPaper was in a handful of co-ops and farmers' markets by 2012, when

Whole Foods placed a big order for two regions. Today the product is sold in
groceries nationwide, and in more than 35 countries--fulfilling Shukla's global
aspirations. At some stores, for every pack of eight sheets sold, Fenugreen
donates one pack to a U.S. food bank. (A pack retails for $5.99 and preserves
$50 to $70 worth of produce.) Fenugreen is also evaluating collaborations with
international NGOs working with farmers in the developing world to improve crop
yields.

Interest from investors is strong, but Shukla prefers to go it alone for now, so
Fenugreen can concentrate on social mission--not always the top priority for
VCs. Robust sales to retailers and online customers has allowed it to do so. "We
went to the farmers' market because it was all we could access," says Shukla.
"It's so incredible, this power of putting innovation right in the hands of the end
user."

6
About FreshPaper:
The FRESHGLOW Co. (www.freshglow.co) is a social
enterprise taking on global food waste with a simple innovation, FreshPaper.
(Twenty-five percent of the world’ll be fine.” Shukla was skeptical, but she took the s food supply is lost to spoilage each year,
resulting in massive energy and resource waste.) Fenugreen ’ll be fine.” Shukla was skeptical, but she took the s mission is to
improve access to fresh, healthy food, and boost the lives of farmers and
communities worldwide - "Fresh for All."
FreshPaper helps consumers, retailers and farmers reduce food waste,

naturally. Infused with organic spices, one FreshPaper sheet is simply dropped

into fridge drawers, bags and cartons to keep fruits & vegetables fresh for up to

2 – 4x longer. 4x longer.

FreshPaper is recyclable, biodegradable and compostable, and the patented &

award-winning product has been featured by several international media outlets,

includingThe New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN,The Today Show,

Oprah,The Economist, and Forbessince its launch at a farmer's market. Today,

FreshPaper is shipped to farmers and families in 35+ countries and retailers

nationwide including Whole Foods and Wegmans .

7
Awards and Achievements:
FreshPaper has received international
recognition for its potential to change the global food system, including awards
from the Social Venture Network, Sustainable Brands, The Economist, Harvard,
the Lemelson-MIT Foundation, Echoing Green, the Women in the World
Foundation, Intel, Cartier, Toyota, Target, and the Home Depot. FreshPaper has
also been recognized by the British Consulate, the French Ministry for Foreign
Affairs, and the Swiss Consulate, and Fenugreen has been recognized as the
“Smart Lid.”most innovative young company in the world” by the Kauffman Foundation ’ll be fine.” Shukla was skeptical, but she took the s
Startup Open, awarded by Sir Richard Branson. In 2013, FreshPaper received
the INDEX Award – 4x longer. the world’ll be fine.” Shukla was skeptical, but she took the s largest prize for design under the patronage of
Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Denmark.

FreshPaper began as a middle school science project, inspired by a trip to India.

The FRESHGLOW Co. launched in Cambridge, MA, and is now headquartered

in Maryland.