Inside the August Women Listed Business Lounge

August 24, 2026

On 22nd August 2026, the Women Listed Monthly Business Lounge Meet returned with women entrepreneurs and professionals from very different fields for an afternoon of business visibility, practical learning, and meaningful conversations.

Women Listed Business Lounge is designed as a focused in-person meet-up where women can introduce their work, discover other women-led businesses and create conversations that may lead to new connections, collaborations and opportunities. 

The August edition began a little differently. Before anyone stepped up to pitch, every attendee was asked to first look at their businesses through the eyes of a stranger. 

The Mini Session: A Business Profile Audit 

The first part of the day was a Business Profile Audit, facilitated by Women Listed’s Editorial Head — designed around a very simple question every founder should be able to answer: If a potential customer discovered your profile today, will they immediately understand what you do?

Each attendee chose one platform — Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn — and reviewed her profile against 12 practical questions. Was the business clear within a few seconds? Was it obvious who it was for? Could someone easily enquire? Was there visible proof of work, a clear differentiator and one place where the complete offering could be understood. 

The second part made the exercise more revealing. Participants worked in groups, handed their phones to women who had never seen their businesses before and, importantly, were not allowed to explain anything first. The others looked at the profile and answered questions such as: What do you think she does and who is it for? What caught your eye first? Where would you go if you wanted to buy or enquire? What did you expect to find but couldn’t?

For a founder, that outside perspective can be surprisingly useful. When you already know your business, you naturally fill in the gaps in your own communication. A new customer cannot.

By the end of the session, the objective wasn’t to leave with a long list of social-media improvements. Each attendee identified one specific change she could make that week — a clearer bio, a stronger headline, an easier contact route, more visible proof or a better way to explain the offer. 

Then Came the 60-Second Elevator Pitches

With that fresh perspective, the Business Lounge moved into its signature 60-second elevator pitch format. Each woman had a minute to share who she was, what she did or sold, and one specific thing she was looking for from the room — a customer, collaborator, supplier, connection or skill.

A minute may sound short, but that is precisely what makes the exercise useful. It pushes founders to think about what somebody really needs to understand about their business, while giving everyone else in the room a quick sense of where a conversation could begin.

Meet the Women Who Joined Us

The August edition brought together women-led businesses and professionals across mental health, wellness, law, social development, branding, food, interiors, jewellery, fragrances and mind sciences.

  • Dr. Akula Padmavathi, Humana People to People India brings extensive experience in social development across education, health and community-focused initiatives.
     
  • Jaya Singh, MindEase Counseling works in the mental health and counselling space, supporting emotional and psychological wellbeing.
     
  • Nidhi, Hayaat Perfumes is building a fragrance business around perfumes and personal scents.
     
  • Ayushi Pareek, Crowning Winsomeness works as a holistic wellness coach with a focus on mind-body wellbeing and lifestyle practices.
     
  • Shikha Barasia, LG Diamonds & Polki works with diamond and polki jewellery in gold and silver.
     
  • Gargi Sharma is a lawyer practising across courts in Delhi NCR and Uttar Pradesh.
     
  • Shireen Tyagi, Narrivo Strategy works with businesses on brand strategy, positioning and clearer brand communication.
     
  • Yamini Mohta, Athom is a baker creating fresh, made-from-scratch bakes and treats.
     
  • Sonakshi Katyal, Antrah By Sonakshi is an interior designer creating personalised spaces that balance functionality and contemporary aesthetics.
     
  • Karishma Mawar, Sagacious Nuts is building a food and snacking brand centred around nuts and dry-fruit products.
     
  • Neerja Handa and Dr. Kavita Bhargava, KNeer School of Mind and Spiritual Sciences working across therapy, training, personal development, and mind sciences. 

We also want to give a special shout-out to Yamini of Athom, who brought along small, beautifully packed muffins as tasting samples and giveaways for everyone at the Lounge. Having started her business only about a week earlier, she used the meet-up thoughtfully — not just to introduce Athom, but to give people a chance to experience the product and remember the brand long after the pitch was over.

Beyond the Pitches

After the pitches, the room opened up for more informal conversations. Attendees could go back to someone whose pitch had caught their attention, exchange contacts, explore an overlap between their businesses or simply understand another founder’s work better.

That is an important part of the Business Lounge. The elevator pitch creates the introduction, but what happens after it often creates the real value — a referral, a collaboration, a useful recommendation or a new business relationship.

The diversity of businesses in the room adds to that. A baker, lawyer, wellness coach and brand strategist may work in completely different industries, but the questions they face around visibility, credibility, customers and business growth often have much more in common than expected. 

We deliberately keep the Business Lounge meets intimate and focused, so that by the end of the day, attendees go back remembering the people they connected with and what they do — rather than simply leaving with an overwhelming collection of names and business cards.

Creating More Visibility for Women-Led Businesses

The Women Listed Business Lounge is an in-person business visibility and networking format for women entrepreneurs, founders and independent professionals. Through practical mini-sessions, elevator pitches, product showcases and focused conversations, it gives women-led businesses an opportunity to put their work in front of new people and build relevant connections beyond their immediate circles.

The August edition brought two sides of visibility together particularly well: understanding how your business appears when you are not there to explain it, and learning to communicate it clearly when you are.

For women entrepreneurs looking for business networking events in Delhi NCR that offer more than introductions and exchanged business cards, that combination can make the room considerably more useful.

The Women Listed Business Lounge will return with more opportunities to Pitch & Connect for Visibility. Keep an eye on Women Listed for upcoming Business Lounge meets and other business events for women entrepreneurs.

Recommended Blogs

Explore inspiring stories, tips, and trends for women entrepreneurs

Blog Thumbnail
How Sudeep Kaur Kohli Built LITWITS Around Critical Thinking and Student Voice
Sudeep Kaur Kohli built LITWITS around a belief that children need space to question, debate and think independently. A decade later, she is scaling the learning platform while deliberately keeping live mentorship at its core.
Blog Thumbnail
Discover on Women Listed: 7 Women-Led Fashion Brands in India Worth Discovering
Explore top women-owned fashion brands India in 2026. Find your next favorite label, from ethnic to contemporary styles.
Blog Thumbnail
AI Search and Women-Led Businesses: How Discovery Is Changing in 2026
AI-powered search is changing how customers ask questions, but not the fundamentals of being discoverable. Here is what women-led businesses should focus on in 2026.
Blog Thumbnail
Making Designer Jewellery More Accessible: Meet Ayushi Gupta Who is Building Silveda
After 12+ years designing gold, diamond and polki jewellery, Ayushi Gupta moved into 925 sterling silver with Silveda. Her challenge: making design and craftsmanship - not just the metal - carry a sense of luxury.
Blog Thumbnail
From Counselling to Corporate Yoga: 10 Corporate Wellness Providers in Delhi NCR
Explore 10 women-led corporate wellness providers in Delhi NCR for mental health, nutrition, yoga, employee healthcare and workplace wellbeing.
Blog Thumbnail
Inside the September Women Listed Business Lounge: Making Stronger Business Conversations
A look inside the September Women Listed Business Lounge in Gurugram, featuring Disha Brara's interactive session, 60-second business pitches and conversations among women entrepreneurs.
Blog Thumbnail
How to Prepare Your Small Business for Corporate Orders
Winning a corporate enquiry is only the beginning. Before quoting, make sure your business can handle B2B pricing, paperwork, production, credit and delivery.
Blog Thumbnail
From Yoga Teacher to Wellness Entrepreneur: How Apurva Saxena Is Building Zelosity in Delhi
Discover how Apurvaa Saxena moved from PR to yoga entrepreneurship and rebuilt Zelosity into a broader wellness practice in Delhi.
Blog Thumbnail
The FSSAI Rules Every Home Food Business Should Know Before they Start Selling
FSSAI rules changed significantly in 2026. Here is what home bakers, chefs and packaged-food founders need to know before selling.
Blog Thumbnail
10 Homegrown Healthy Food Brands We Want to Put on Your Radar
From millet foods and seed blends to preservative-free pickles and upcycled spreads, these women-led Indian brands are building more specific approaches to better-for-you food.