Kanika Tekriwal, one of India’s youngest wealthiest women with a net worth of approximately $50.16 million, launched her aviation startup at 22 after overcoming cancer. In just 12 years, her company.
JetSetGo has thrived, now boasting ownership of 10 private jets. The startup, co-founded with Sudheer Perla in 2012, aims to revolutionise the private jet industry by managing and operating chartered planes and helicopters for owners.
According to Forbes, the growing trend of affluent Indians renting private jets and helicopters through Tekriwal’s platform caused JetSetGo, an Indian private jet concierge service, to experience a sevenfold increase in revenue in 2017.
Her company, also a leader in the aircraft leasing industry in India, has successfully transported nearly 100,000 passengers and executed 6,000 flights, establishing a significant presence in the sector.
Kanika Tekriwal has received the National Entrepreneurship Award for e-commerce from the Indian government and the Young Global Leaders Award from the World Economic Forum.
Flying private is a luxury typically reserved for a select few; Tekriwal aimed to democratise it, making it more accessible, cost-effective, efficient, and transparent. She promptly formulated and implemented her plans to bring this vision to fruition.
Born in June 1990 into an orthodox Marwari family, Kanika Tekriwal attended the Lawrence School, Lovedale, and Jawaharlal Nehru Senior Secondary School in Bhopal. After graduating from Coventry University, she is now married to a businessman based in Hyderabad.
Recognising challenges in the private aviation sector, Tekriwal pledged to address them. She emphasised that brokers and operators often neglect customer requirements, prioritising commissions over client needs when arranging private jet flights. “Due to the sheer lack of transparency and non-availability of charter planes, customers pay astronomical amounts,” Kanika Tekriwal added, according to IndiaTimes.
After working for about 20 months in the industry and identifying the gaps, Tekriwal founded JetSetGo. The company now offers air taxi services, facilitating intra-city connectivity in India. Employing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, JetSetGo utilises a combination of technology, SMART management, and unique approaches to minimise the overall cost of chartered flights.
