The new face of entrepreneurship: Opportunities, challenges & what's next

The panel discussion on “The New Face of Entrepreneurship: Opportunities, Challenges & What’s Next” at the 6th edition of e4m PR & Corp Comm Women Achievers Summit 2025 brought together women entrepreneurs and industry leaders who discussed how entrepreneurship is rapidly evolving in India, especially for women. Moderated by Arinandam Bhattacharya, Senior Editor, Business Standard, the session featured Vinita Raj, Director, Word Dealers Pvt. Ltd.; Bhavna Trehan, Brand and Marketing Consultant; Prachi Kaushik, Founder and Director, VYOMINI SOCIAL ENTERPRISE; and Puja Sahu, Co-founder, The Potbelly.

Opening the discussion, Bhattacharya noted that entrepreneurship, communication and the future are now deeply intertwined, and the session quickly moved into how the definition of entrepreneurship has changed across generations. 

Speaking first, Vinita Raj explained how much entrepreneurship has shifted over time. She shared that she began earning at the age of 11 and entered entrepreneurship in 2013, after having worked in management education earlier. For her, the biggest change has been the pace of disruption. “It’s the time of AI, it’s the time of technical advancements, it’s a time of changes, you never know,” she said, pointing out that today’s entrepreneurs are entering an uncertain ecosystem. 

“This generation has guts and risk-taking capacity. Even with AI, wars, Covid and rapid technological shifts, they are evolving and adapting accordingly,” she said. Raj highlighted how students globally are already reconsidering career paths because of AI disruption, yet young entrepreneurs continue to innovate fearlessly.

Bhavna Trehan spoke about how the startup and communications landscape has been transformed by digital platforms and the creator economy. She said that earlier, entrepreneurs and communicators operated under strict guardrails, where visibility was limited and founders were expected to stay behind the scenes. 

“Today, the founders themselves are the brand ambassadors. Their voice has credibility and authenticity. They are creating their own norms,” she said. Trehan observed that the creator economy and influencer culture have dismantled old communication guardrails, giving entrepreneurs direct access to audiences without institutional dependence. She also pointed out how PR agencies are increasingly embracing influencers because of their reach and engagement power.

Bringing in the social impact perspective, Prachi Kaushik expressed that entrepreneurship today is increasingly purpose-driven. “The older generation wanted to build, scale and exit. The new generation wants to solve problems,” she asserted. Kaushik highlighted how young entrepreneurs are building businesses around climate change, pollution, and local community issues while still creating financially sustainable enterprises. She stressed that women from Tier-2, Tier-3 and rural India are leveraging digital platforms to build brands independently. Sharing an example, she said women artisans making bamboo and cane products in Bareilly are now selling internationally through social media without ever travelling abroad.

Kaushik also drew attention to the growing role of AI in grassroots empowerment. Speaking about a recent initiative with the Delhi government, she shared how Anganwadi workers were trained to use AI-enabled systems for nutrition reporting and communication. “We think AI is only for educated people, but even an illiterate woman can be trained to use AI. That’s the power,” she said.

Puja Sahu spoke about how new-age entrepreneurs are redefining businesses through purpose, sustainability and community-building. “They don’t just want to build profitable enterprises. They want to create something meaningful and sustainable,” she said. At the same time, she cautioned against the rush to scale quickly. “The only issue I see is that this generation is in a hurry. They should focus on sustainability before scalability,” she added.

The discussion also explored how collaboration has become central to modern entrepreneurship. Sahu underscored how previous generations often operated in silos, whereas today’s entrepreneurs are far more collaborative. Sharing her own experience from the restaurant business, she explained how collaborating with chefs and mixologists globally helped her learn and grow. “To stay in the game, you need to innovate constantly,” she said, while also noting that leadership today is flatter, more inclusive and less hierarchical.

The panelists unanimously agreed that digital platforms have democratized visibility for entrepreneurs. Raj shared how even traditional industries now require a strong digital presence. Recalling a conversation with her daughter, she admitted how younger generations understand digital reach far better. “It’s a time where digital reach is so high and you need to change,” she said.

Mentorship emerged as another major theme during the discussion. Sahu stressed the importance of learning from experienced entrepreneurs who have survived failures and challenges. “There’s so much to learn from people who have gone through the grind,” she said. Kaushik, meanwhile, underlined that mentorship for women entrepreneurs still remains underrated in India. She praised initiatives such as Startup India, NITI Aayog and Goldman Sachs mentorship programmes but noted that more needs to be done at the school and university level.

Kaushik also shared how her organisation is working directly with educational institutions to introduce entrepreneurship early. Recalling an interaction with a young girl ashamed of her mother’s vegetable vending business, she said entrepreneurship education needs to change societal perceptions. “Before profit, there should be a purpose. Before competition, there should be a community,” she stated.

The panelists also shared deeply personal moments from their entrepreneurial journeys. Raj revealed that her defining moment came when she found herself professionally isolated after moving to the Nilgiris with her husband, a government doctor. Unable to continue traditional employment, she decided to create a work-from-home model for women in 2013, much before remote work became mainstream. She recalled being dismissed by a banker when she sought funding for her localisation company. Today, Word Dealers Pvt. Ltd. has a global network of over 40,000 advocates and operates with over 200 women professionals worldwide.

Trehan also shared the defining moment of entrepreneurial journey in Jaipur before social media became mainstream. She recalled physically travelling across India for nearly 200 exhibitions to build her brand. “Today, so many women entrepreneurs are able to grow because of the digital ecosystem. I struggled physically, but now I try to guide women entrepreneurs with marketing and communication skills,” she said.

For Kaushik, entrepreneurship has always been about impact. She recounted meeting women in rural communities who lacked even basic awareness around menstrual hygiene. “Every day we touch lives and create self-reliance. That itself is success,” she said. She also highlighted how VYOMINI has now expanded from one incubation centre in Delhi to ten incubation centres across India.

Sahu shared how launching a niche Bihari restaurant initially felt risky and uncertain. However, one packed evening at her restaurant became a turning point. “That was the moment I realised I could make something of this,” she recalled. Today, The Potbelly employs nearly 120 people, many from villages in Bihar who had never worked professionally before. “The kind of ownership and pride they take in their work is my biggest success,” she said.

As the session concluded, the panelists offered advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Raj urged founders to slow down and research thoroughly before scaling. Trehan emphasized consistency, storytelling and the right attitude. Kaushik advised entrepreneurs not to exhaust personal savings unnecessarily and instead leverage government schemes, loans and investor ecosystems. “Learn how to pitch. Don’t sell your gold to build a startup,” she said candidly. Sahu closed by reiterating the importance of hard work, low costs, and leveraging digital marketing and technology to build communities from the ground up.