Meet Soumya Aggarwal who through her venture IGen Plus has transformed the lives of 10,000+ teenagers globally

We fill the gap that’s created due to limited curriculum in the current education system through online courses, webinars and offline experiences.- Soumya Aggarwal Co-founder and CEO, IGenPlus

How you began your entrepreniual journey?

I began this journey in 2017 when the small interaction with my co-founder Hari Kiran Vadlamani changed the way I had planned my life. We thought of designing a festival for teenagers focused on imparting ancient knowledge with creative skills to them. We conducted the Fest in 2018 with more than 300 students paying and participating. The success of the small idea motivated us to create an organisation focused on preparing teenagers for life.

Before this, I was looking after my family business of educational institutions. It was exciting but had limited growth opportunities.

What are the challenges you faced when you initially started your venture?

The challenge was to make people understand our product. Everyone felt the need of it but nobody wanted to risk the time of their children. Also, the development of the curriculum was another challenge. The first challenge was overcome by involving our family in the first few session such that our product was tested and then spread through word of mouth.

We had to bring in some students for free to ensure that they experience it before deciding otherwise. It is overwhelming to share that 30% of our students have come returned to our programs.

How was the support from family and your partner when you started your journey?

I could not have done what I am doing without the support of my family and partner. They fully encouraged my venture IGenPlus, gave me all that I needed. My partner is one of the biggest reasons for the success of my start-up.

In past two years we have touched more than 10,000 teenagers globally.

What are your secrets of balancing both work and your me time?

It is little tricky. Also my daughter is only 4-month old. So she asks for lot of time. Currently, we are engaged in multiple activities and my team is able to manage most of it. However, I look up for Hyper Productivity Capsules in which I am able to do more than usual work. I live with my husband family, so support of them when I have some important work further enables me to manage work.

What are your future plans in next 5 years in terms of expansion of your business/work?

We want to build a K-12 school over the next 5 years

What are your tips for the fellow Moms in Business or those moms who want to start their own business?

Just go for it. It might be overwhelming in the beginning but once you decide to do it. It works out.