- Kanika Tekriwal founded JetSetGo with a Rs 5,600 investment in 2014
- She built a Rs 420 crore private jet company operating India's largest fleet of aircrafts and helicopters
- Tekriwal survived Stage 2 Hodgkins Lymphoma diagnosed in her early 20s
Kanika Tekriwal is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of JetSetGo. She was named among the richest self-made women in India in 2021 and graced Shark Tank India Season 5 with her presence. What many people don't know about her is that she made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2016 and 2017.
Her story of how she created a Rs 420 crore empire from a Rs 5,600 investment is not merely inspiring but also teaches that resilience against all odds can bend one's destiny in any direction.
To Be Married Young, Diagnosed With Cancer At 22
Tekriwal was born into a Marwari family, and as a child, she had always been interested in finance. However, her family wanted her to get educated and marry into a wealthy family, a stereotypical expectation for girls in many Marwari families.
She completed her schooling in Bhopal and went to Coventry University, England, for graduation. Until the age of 21, she largely followed her family's expectations and then decided to start her own business. However, around the same time, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
Speaking about her fight with cancer, she shared on Shark Tank India, "I was 21 and 40 doctors told me that you will survive for four months or four days. I then met a doctor in Mumbai and I told him, 'We will have a drink 40 years later, now, let's talk.'"
In a 2022 interview with Vogue India, she said, "Surviving cancer actually made me realise that life is short and I have to live for myself and do what is important for me." Starting a private jet company wasn't easy for her but she was determined and wanted to "soar in the sky".
From Rs 5,600 Investment To A Rs 420 Crore Empire
In 2014, Tekriwal founded JetSetGo. Speaking to Times Entertainment, she revealed, "A lot of people ask me how I did this without raising money," adding, "Till date, I have invested only Rs 5,600, and we operate India's largest fleet of private jets."
The aviation industry is among the fields that are dominated by men. Hence, one of the challenges that Tekriwal faced was overcoming patriarchy. She told The Better India in 2017, "Initially, it took time for people to take me seriously for the business I am in, and I did receive remarks such as 'you should take up baking cupcakes' and the like. Sometimes when I am assertive, I am considered arrogant, whereas a man being more assertive than me is considered passionate. But these are very non-consequential things."
The road to success was turbulent, but once she took off, Tekriwal never looked back. Today, her company boasts the largest fleet of private jets and helicopters. The brand is backed by Puneet Dalmia and cricketer Yuvraj Singh. It has a presence in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, New York, and Dubai.
Kanika Tekriwal married P. Sarath Chandra Reddy, a Hyderabad-based businessman and non-executive director at Aurobindo Pharma. Four years after their wedding, they welcomed a baby boy on May 28, 2026.
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