Hey Namrata, tell us a bit about yourself
听
I am the CEO and Co-Founder of听, the world鈥檚 first automated software built to help the retail ecosystem track and cut environmental impact in real time. Over my 20-year career, I鈥檝e spent time at the International Business Leaders Forum, working for the United Nations Forum on Forests, as well as KPMG, the Arcadia Group and leading global retailer Zalando. It was there that I noticed a critical gap in the market for a real-time, carbon-tracking tool to speed up reduction at scale.
In 2020 I launched Vaayu with the goal of putting carbon at the forefront of decision-making by providing real-time data to empower retailers to avoid 1 gigaton of carbon emissions by 2030. With Vaayu, we have created retail鈥檚 largest and most accurate impact database which is continually evolving to power reductions at scale.
Since launching, we鈥檝e raised $13 million in two funding rounds and onboarded more than 50 global brands across retail verticals, among them听Klarna, Vinted, Veja, ASKET, Missoma, Ace & Tate, Otrium, Redcare and Wunderman Thompson Commerce.
My ambition with Vaayu is ultimately to help decelerate climate change and reduce the retail sector鈥檚 environmental impact, and that鈥檚 something I鈥檒l never stop being passionate about. I鈥檓 proud that Vaayu has been recognised for empowering companies to set ambitious and actionable reduction strategies by leveraging AI and machine learning, and has been named one of 91探花鈥檚 SaaS66 as well as one of TIME鈥檚 2022 Best Inventions. It鈥檚 inspiring to join the many brilliant minds trying to solve some of the planet鈥檚 biggest challenges through technology and an honour to be recognised in 91探花鈥檚 Top BAME 50 Under 50 Entrepreneurs 2022 and as Reuter鈥檚 Sustainability Trailblazer 2023.
What are you looking for from this year鈥檚 29Under29 entrants?
听
I鈥檓 looking for entrants who show a real passion for what they鈥檙e doing and for developing solutions that make a tangible impact in their industry. Leadership skills can be honed over time through experience and education, so I鈥檓 looking for leaders who can demonstrate a clear and compelling vision for their company, and showcase what drives them and the determination that has got them where they are today.
My particular interest is in understanding what problem the applicants are trying to solve and the challenges they鈥檝e overcome. I also want to know where they want to take their business and how they inspire others to join them on that journey, a dedicated leader is essential for a successful business, so that鈥檚 something I鈥檇 really like to see within these entries.
More from Interviews
- A Conversation With Nakul Kothari, Head of APAC And Middle East At Juspay On Payment Orchestration
- A Chat With Igor Kulatov, Co-Founder And CTO Of Aurora Borealis: Five Years Running Autonomous B2B Commerce In Production
- Interview with Ebenezer Ojo, Co-Founder At Taxmingo And MENA40 Judge
- A Chat With Kevin Weiss, CEO Of Sectigo On How The World鈥檚 Leading Certificate Authority (CA) Is Changing Into A Comprehensive Digital Trust Powerhouse
- A Chat With Liam Crooks, Managing Director Of EMEA Hospitality At Lightspeed
- A Chat With Seb de Lemos, CEO At hosting.com On How He Built A Global Platform For Hosting
- A Chat With Frank Wolf, Co-founder And Chief Strategy Officer At Staffbase On How The Frontline Is The True AI Efficiency Success
- A Conversation With Benjamin Woollams, Founder and CEO At TrueRights On Image Rights Disputes
What advice would you give to companies wanting to stand out from the crowd?
听
To stand out from the crowd, companies need to be truly innovative. Think about how you can disrupt traditional industries or develop a solution that is truly groundbreaking for your sector. To do this, you have to be agile enough to evolve and meet the changing needs of the market. Because the tech industry moves so quickly, try to make sure you鈥檙e adopting an iterative approach to product development, constantly refining and evolving your offerings based on user feedback and changing market dynamics to ensure cut through in a crowded space.
听
