Success in entrepreneurship demands single-minded focus. Don't prepare for fallback, commit entirely to your primary vision. Planning for Plan B often distracts from the path to achieving Plan A.

Innovation thrives where diversity is embraced. An inclusive culture inevitably fuels creativity and drives us to solve complex problems with fresh perspectives.

My mission has been to ensure that women have a seat at the table and lead from it. Gender diversity is much more than a leadership goal; it’s the foundation of innovation and resilience.

Leadership is about enabling others to succeed. By creating opportunities for growth and fostering a supportive environment, we can build a thriving ecosystem of empowered individuals.

In the face of gender bias, resilience is your greatest ally. Staying focused on your mission and maintaining persistent belief in your vision can help you rise above it.

A Visionary Leader Passionate about People, Planet, and Profit Stay

Hardika Shah is the Founder and CEO of Kinara Capital, a leading fintech NBFC driving growth and financial inclusion for MSMEs in India.

3 decades of diving straight into challenges, always ready to take on the next big thing

Before founding Kinara Capital, she spent nearly two decades as a management consultant, leading projects for global companies. Hardika has been recognized globally for her pioneering work in advancing social impact and gender advocacy.

From Vision to Reality Hardika Shah's Impact

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ETSA 2024: Hardika Shah’s Kinara building a credit bridge for the MSMEs

Hardika Shah, founder & CEO of Kinara Capital who won the Woman Ahead category at The Economic Times Startup Awards 2024.

Shah founded Kinara Capital in 2011 to drive financial inclusion for small businesses and emerged as the jury favourite because of her ambition to solve a significant problem in the lending space.

How Hardika Shah of Kinara is creating Social Capital

Breaking Barriers in Fintech: Ft.Hardika Shah’s Journey with Radhika Bajoria

Hardika Shah, Kinara Capital CEO: A Fortt Knox Conversation

Journey Driven by Relentless Commitment

2023

Recognized as a top female entrepreneur in India by Forbes

Over the past decade, Hardika has empowered more than 30,000 businesses with the necessary capital and resources to thrive

2022

Recognized as a top female entrepreneur in India by Forbes

Over the past decade, Hardika has empowered more than 30,000 businesses with the necessary capital and resources to thrive

2021

Recognized as a top female entrepreneur in India by Forbes

Over the past decade, Hardika has empowered more than 30,000 businesses with the necessary capital and resources to thrive

2020

Recognized as a top female entrepreneur in India by Forbes

Over the past decade, Hardika has empowered more than 30,000 businesses with the necessary capital and resources to thrive

2019

Recognized as a top female entrepreneur in India by Forbes

Over the past decade, Hardika has empowered more than 30,000 businesses with the necessary capital and resources to thrive

Accolades

ET Startup Award 2024-Woman Ahead

100 Women Entrepreneurs Changing & Shaping India

Women In AI Leadership Awards- Rising 2022 Analytics India Magazine

Entrepreneur of the Year in Service Business- Financial- 14th Entrepreneur Summit 2024

Woman Fintech of the Year- Bharat Fintech Awards 2023

Visionary Leadership- The Financial Express Modern BFSI Summit

ET Startup Award 2024-Woman Ahead

Entrepreneur of the Year in Service Business- Financial- 14th Entrepreneur Summit 2024

Top 75 Women Transforming India - The 5th Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards

Woman Fintech of the Year- Bharat Fintech Awards 2023

Women In AI Leadership Awards- Rising 2022 Analytics India Magazine

Visionary Leadership- The Financial Express Modern BFSI Summit

VIEW MORE

Alumni Achievement Award- Knox College

Best Woman Leader Creating Emerging Business- BW Emerging Businesses Awards

Top 40 Social Entrepreneurs By Causeartist

Visionary Thought Leader- Elets 5th 100 NBFC Leaders of Excellence 2024

Get in Touch

Visit my social profile

hardikashah100

Founder & CEO @KinaraCapital
#socialimpact #India

Lately, a wave of data points about India’s MSME

Lately, a wave of data points about India’s MSME sector and unsecured lending has been emerging, and they all point in one direction: massive growth potential fueled by increasing formalization and financial inclusion. What’s particularly exciting is that these aren’t isolated stats, they’re part of a bigger story of transformation, establishing that India’s smallest businesses are stepping into the formal fold and claiming their space in the credit landscape.

Here are some standout insights that caught my attention.

#CollateralfreeBusinessLoan #MSMEGrowth #FinancialInclusion #Fintech #NBFC #MSMEBusinessLoan

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra recently commented on

Hats off to the Andhra Pradesh state for introduci

Hats off to the Andhra Pradesh state for introducing 16 new initiatives for women’s empowerment, unveiled on International Women’s Day by CM Naidu. It is a very encouraging plan by the state to empower 100,000 women entrepreneurs in the next year... one that I hope other states will emulate towards building long-term financial growth and success for women and their local economies.

At Kinara Capital, we’ve seen how financial inclusion and empowerment can unlock vast potential. When women entrepreneurs gain access to capital, markets, and training, they reinvest in their communities, driving broader economic impact. A structured push toward financial independence, entrepreneurship, and safety creates a more enabling environment for women entrepreneurs to thrive.

We’ve been supporting MSMEs in Andhra Pradesh for years, and it’s particularly heartening for us to see these pillars being strengthened by such govt. initiatives -- this can be transformative for MSMEs and women in the workforce.

#AndhraPradesh #Women #Entrepreneurs #MSMEs #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2025 #India #growth #NewInitiatives #KinaraCapital #FundingHerFuture

Click the link in bio to know more.

𝗢𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆, 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀, 𝗗𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗶 & 𝗡𝗶𝗹𝗮, 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗼. With no school to attend, Dipali & Nila had cleverly roped in their younger brothers and started a business where they would spend time picking the tart local berries and even offering multiple deals if you buy 2 or more packs.

As we sat and talked, I saw two worlds colliding—their deep love for their home and yet, an unspoken longing for something more as they would observe tourists all day long. The young teen Dipali 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲, draped in a saree like the ‘city ladies’ she had glimpsed in films.

It wasn’t a lack of ambition holding them back, nor was it their parents—but the harsh reality of inaccessibility. No local schools. Not enough teachers. No way to reach a place of education they so desperately wished for… there was a lot of laughter in our conversation, but also 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀—𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #AccelerateAction, could not be more urgent. 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗺𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. I invite you to take action with me—let’s support Asha for Education (https://ashanet.org/) and help bring learning to young girls like Dipali & Nila.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲—𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲! 👧

#InternationalWomensDay2025 #WomensDay #IWD2025 #AccelerateAction #EmpowerGirls #Education #Support #Donate #India #Growth #thefutureisfemale

We’re seeing an incredible surge in MSME formali

We’re seeing an incredible surge in MSME formalization! Over 6 crore businesses are now registered on the Udyam portal. This rapid progress has been made possible by the government’s digital push, breaking down barriers to entry for small businesses. It reminds me of how UPI transformed digital payments in India at a rapid pace, making transactions seamless and universal. Now we need to bring MSME lending up to the same scale. Digital credit infrastructure must evolve to match the speed and reach of UPI, where a small business can access formal financing as easily as making a digital payment.

We’ve seen firsthand how tech-driven lending can empower MSMEs. Expanding digital infrastructure through AI-driven underwriting, seamless integrations, and initiatives like the Unified Lending Interface, can unlock financing for millions more. The momentum is here, and we must make the most of it!

#UdyamPortal #CreditInfrastructure #MSMEs #FintechInnovation #Formalization#DigitalIndia #TechForGood #MSMELending

The recent tax reforms announced in Budget 2025 ha

The recent tax reforms announced in Budget 2025 have got a lot of people rejoicing! With income up to ₹12 lakh now exempt from taxes, I can see it significantly increased disposable income for many, especially young professionals. This is the perfect time to reassess financial strategies and make some smart decisions.

#Throwback to this piece from last year, which is still just as relevant today! If you're wondering how to make the most of your increased take-home pay, check out this article for a few useful ideas you can play around with: 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 - 𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙄𝙣 𝘽𝙞𝙤

#FinancialFreedom #MoneyMatters #FinancialIndependence #SavingTips

𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁’𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗦𝗠𝗘𝘀: 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Read more, link in bio

#India #UnionBudget #UnionBudget2025 #GrowthEngine #MSMEs #KinaraCapital #FinancialInclusion #Economy

Just ahead of the Union Budget, the Centre has ann

Just ahead of the Union Budget, the Centre has announced the approval of the Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs (MCGS-MSME). It’s a truly commendable initiative that was announced in last year’s Budget speech 2024-25. By offering a 60% guarantee coverage through the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) to member lending institutions for credit facilities up to ₹100 crore, this scheme is poised to significantly enhance credit accessibility for Manufacturing MSMEs. This move will bolster the acquisition of plants and machinery for the bigger players, giving the manufacturing sector a significant boost.

As we look forward to this year’s Budget, I am optimistic about seeing more such progressive measures, especially for micro-MSME manufacturing units that struggle to access credit. Empowering MSMEs instantly stimulates economic growth. However, with the GDP growth rate expected to see a slowdown to 6.4% in FY 2024-2025, it is just as imperative to expedite the implementation of any new schemes that will be announced tomorrow. Swift execution is crucial to accelerate growth and achieve the ambitious target of becoming a $30 trillion economy by 2047.

#UnionBudget2025 #UnionBudget #India #MSMEs #FinancialInclusion #Manufacturing #KinaraCapital #GDP #Economy #Growth

You think you are a good multitasker? You don’t

You think you are a good multitasker? You don’t have to go far in India to get humbled … and also #GetInspired as this is a nation is on the move! 😊

This Republic Day, I ask all of you to not just celebrate the past, but also to celebrate the potential India holds for the future as it is a nation determined to become the world’s 3rd largest economy in a short amount of time.

#RepublicDay #India 🇮🇳 #OnTheMove #Growth #Future