Aditi founded ‘Menstrupedia Comic,’ a campaign aimed at educating people about menstrual health. But how did this journey begin, and what personal experiences drove Aditi to take this path?
Who is Aditi Gupta of Menstrupedia Comic?
Aditi hails from Garhwa, Jharkhand, where she witnessed firsthand how women were treated as untouchables during their periods. Basic awareness about sanitary napkins was lacking. Aditi herself started menstruating at the age of 12 but only gained access to sanitary napkins at 15.
Turning a College Project into a Business Model
After completing her engineering degree, Aditi pursued post-graduation in New Media Design from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. She decided to leverage her education and skills for societal benefit. Along with her husband, Tuhin Patel, she started ‘Menstrupedia Comic’—initially a college thesis project that later transformed into a full-fledged endeavor. Tuhin and Aditi met during their studies at the National Institute of Design.
To launch this comic, Aditi conducted extensive research on menstruation, consulting doctors, experts, and girls. The comic addresses periods and the associated social evils, aiming to raise awareness among girls. These comics were distributed in schools.
Global Reach and Recognition
Gradually, Aditi expanded her work, supplementing the comic books with blogs and online publications. Today, Aditi’s comics are available in 25 countries and 18 languages, educating people on women’s health issues globally.
Aditi is now recognized as the world’s “Most Innovative Menstrual Educator” and a prominent social entrepreneur, having educated over 13 million girls. She started “Menstrupedia Comic” in 2012, and by 2014, she was listed in Forbes India’s “30 Under 30.” Today, NGOs across the country utilize her comics.
Aditi Gupta’s success story has become an inspiration for countless girls around the world.
]]>New Delhi [India], Mar 2024: The Circle: Founders Club (The Circle FC) concluded the ‘The Water Challenge’ Accelerator Program with a grand Demo Day held at The Circle.Work in Gurugram last week. The event witnessed esteemed guests, including the Deputy Ambassador of Israel, Israeli government officials, Indian climate-tech investors, media representatives, corporates, and other ecosystem stakeholders.
The event commenced with the keynote address delivered by H.E. Ohad Kaynar, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Israel to India. Following the keynote, Ms. Noa Amsalem, the Water Attaché presented the Israeli Water Innovation Model and how India and Israel are working together to address these water challenges. Nayan Shah, Director, IDE Tech highlighted the impactful work being done in India by IDE Technologies (A world leader in water treatment solutions and desalination).
The agenda of the day also included a panel discussion on the topic of ‘Role of climate-tech Innovations in Addressing Global Challenges’, moderated by Shivam Sharma, PhD (Absolute®) and the panellists Guru Inder (Carbon Circle), Vishnu Rajeev (Speciale Invest) and Tejinderpal Miglani (Climate Angels).
The jury panel consisted of leading climate tech VCs and angel investors like Speciale Invest, Venture Catalyst, Fluid Ventures and Climate Angels, representing a diverse range of backgrounds and expertise in the sector. The event was attended by more than 15 VCs and investors including Indian Angel Network, MeritX Ventures, AWE Funds and many more.
The nine startups who presented were –
- Watsan Environtech:Producing affordable, maintenance-free, electricity-free water purifiers.
- Aumsat Technologies: Water Infrastructure Intelligence using satellite technologies
- Ecovia: Providing environment-friendly hygiene solutions for businesses.
- Phyfarm: Providing a Sensing, Automation & Farm Intelligence Platform for Smart Agriculture.
- Arosia Water: Building cloud-connected, solar-powered AROSIA Water Kiosks.
- Nimble Vision: Implementing Smart Water & Sewage Management solutions using IoT & AI.
- WaterLab Solutions: Creating low-cost groundwater monitoring and management solutions.
- Biofilm Engineers: Developing next-generation bioreactors for wastewater treatment using IoT platforms and AI tools.
- iSync: Offering home automation solutions for urban gardening.
Three startups were awarded prizes sponsored by IDE Technologies (World leader in sustainable water treatment solutions and desalination) and Absolute® (Absolute is a global bioscience company that is creating novel biomaterials and ingredients for Agriculture, Healthcare and Biomaterials).
Rajiv Bathla, CEO, The Circle, remarked, “The Water Challenge has been a testament to the power of international collaboration in driving innovation. By leveraging expertise from Israel and India, we have created a platform for startups to thrive and create impactful solutions for global water issues.”
Nemesisa Ujjain, VP and Head – The Circle FC, stated, “The Circle FC is committed to support startups building impactful solutions for India, ultimately driving profound change on a global scale. It was an honour to work with founders dedicated to solving the country’s real grassroot problems.”
The strides achieved in technology, commercialization, and market access not only address critical water challenges but also underscore The Circle FC’s dual commitment of going global while building robust solutions in India, all within the framework of sustainability.
About The Circle: Founders Club
The Circle Founders Club is a business accelerator to help scale up growth-stage startups through focused mentoring, business services, funding support, key business collaborations, and global access. It is backed by Hunch Ventures.
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