Ghazal Alagh on facing sexism as a woman entrepreneur: ‘An investor asked Varun…’

Ghazal Alagh opened up about the sexism she has faced in business

Mamaearth founder Ghazal Alagh has spoken up about the sexism she has faced as a woman entrepreneur. In a post shared on the social media platform X this morning, she recalled an incident from last year when an investor asked her husband, Varun Alagh, if he would have hired Ghazal had she not been his wife.

The incident left Ghazal Alagh, 35, feeling invisible – and it wasn’t the first time she has felt this way, she added. Still, it took her two days to recover from the feeling.

Alagh said the incident occurred last year, when she and her husband were meeting hundreds of investors ahead of the Mamaearth IPO. “While most of the conversations were very valuable and enriching, a few conversations left a bitter taste. I learned the best and harshest of lessons as a woman entrepreneur,” she wrote.

“An investor asked Varun: ‘Would you hire her today if she wasn't your wife?’ I was right there in the room with them,” the Shark Tank India panellist recalled.

Last year before our IPO, we met 100s of investors during our roadshows. While most of the conversations were very valuable and enriching, a few conversations left a bitter taste. I learned the best and harshest of lessons as a woman entrepreneur.

An investor asked Varun:… pic.twitter.com/UWeFXOZdMw

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— Ghazal Alagh (@GhazalAlagh) February 28, 2024

“They said, Here’s where our blacklisting starts. Now we know who we don’t want on this journey of building our company. The people who work with me, knew my worth,” she recalled.

She ended her post with a word of advice to other women. “That day, I learned that no matter where you are in your journey, there will always be people who won't believe in you,” Alagh wrote. “They are the noise you need to ignore.”

Ghazal and Varun Alagh started Mamaearth together when they could not find toxin-free products for their baby. In the years since its launch, the brand has expanded to cosmetics, skincare, haircare and more, along with its original line of baby products.