This Young Startup Founder Hires and Trains Girls for Future-Ready Jobs

This article is part of our series ‘Women for Women’ where we feature women-led social enterprises that offer a support structure and platform for women to express themselves, network, and launch their careers

An enterprising young woman with fire in her belly – that’s the first impression Rachita Sharma leaves on you. “My passion in life is to create a community that supports and uplifts young women,” says the 24-year-old CEO and co-founder of Girl Power Talk. “My life’s mission is to be an agent of change by providing young women more opportunities and a better path for achieving their full potential. Girl Power Talk is our vision in action.”

Raised in Mathura, Rachita completed her BSc in mathematical sciences from the University of Delhi and then did her MBA from Thapar University, Chandigarh. She began working early on during her college years and travelled widely. She is now the chief marketing officer of New York-based Blue Ocean Global Technology, which offers online reputation management services to organisations worldwide.

Its sister concern Girl Power Talk supports its operations by leveraging digital technology to improve efficiency and profitability for clients spread across North America and Europe. In the process, they offer young women, and men, a platform to grow, develop and reach the world stage.

“We at Girl Power Talk recognise the importance of gender equality and actively seek those with extraordinary potential,” says Rachita. Through her conversations with young professionals and students, she learned that only a minuscule proportion of college graduates receive offers from employers willing to invest in their personal development.

“The reality of the demographics is that the vast majority of companies view young Indians as replaceable and expendable. Sameer Somal and I launched Girl Power Talk with a vision to hire, nurture, and help young people build confidence and interpersonal skills. The real mission is to change lives, one person at a time,” says Rachita, who was awarded the Most Promising Woman in IT Award by Aatm Nirbhar Women’s Association Trust earlier this year.

The for-profit enterprise trains its community of young people in “exceptional soft-skills, technical knowledge, and purpose in life.” The team is trained to create and promote top digital assets that accelerate the growth of a company’s brand equity.

They consult clients on digital transformation and provide comprehensive reputation management services. They have recently set up base in Mexico, and are now planning to offer a fellowship programme for young leaders in Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines.

“I was determined to celebrate gender diversity and create an organisation that uplifts women with real opportunities,” says Rachita, who is a chairperson for the All Ladies League, a network for women in 150 countries.

“Why does one’s purpose of doing good have to be separate from building a real company? Besides, I believe that we can accomplish more in terms of a positive social impact if we are profitable. The company’s success exemplifies the benefits of investing in malleable young leaders,” she says.

She explains that while many companies give back and try to reverse-engineer women in leadership once they achieve success, Girl Power Talk begins with the end in mind. “Young women in positions of influence and affluence will forever be a hallmark and core feature of the organisation,” she signs off.

First published in eShe’s July 2020 issue

Syndicated to Money Control