Kanika Tekriwal, founder and CEO of private aviation marketplace JetSetGo, has officially joined Shark Tank India as a new shark this season, marking a significant moment for women leadership in India’s startup ecosystem.
A cancer survivor diagnosed with stage-2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at just 22, Tekriwal rebuilt her life and ambitions to launch JetSetGo in 2014, eventually creating one of India’s most prominent organised private aviation platforms.
Her entry into the investor panel brings lived experience of resilience, risk-taking, and recovery to the show, as she mentors aspiring founders and evaluates innovative business ideas. Her journey has been widely acknowledged as a testament to perseverance, purpose-driven entrepreneurship, and the growing diversity of voices shaping India’s innovation economy.
From Survival to Spotlight
Kanika Tekriwal’s rise to national prominence is rooted in a story that began far from television studios and venture capital pitches. According to her interview with Outlook Business, Tekriwal had just returned to India after completing her MBA in the United Kingdom when she was diagnosed with stage-2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the age of 22.
What was meant to be the beginning of an entrepreneurial journey instead became a fight for survival. Chemotherapy, prolonged treatment, and uncertainty replaced business plans and career goals, forcing her to confront mortality at an age when most are just starting out.
Emerging cancer-free, Tekriwal has often spoken about how the experience reshaped her understanding of fear and risk. The illness, she said, stripped away the illusion of safety, leaving her with a clear conviction: if life itself could be so uncertain, then hesitation had little meaning.
This mindset would later define her approach to entrepreneurship. Her appointment as a shark on Shark Tank India is not merely a professional milestone, but a public recognition of a journey forged through courage, recovery, and an unyielding belief in one’s vision.
Building JetSetGo Against the Odds
Following her recovery, Tekriwal made a decision that met with resistance at home. Her parents, deeply shaken by her illness, were understandably wary of her moving to Delhi and launching a startup in the capital-intensive and male-dominated aviation sector.
Yet, driven by conviction rather than comfort, she relocated to the city and formally launched JetSetGo in 2014. Initially, she stayed with a friend, hesitant to live alone in an unfamiliar environment, but resolute in her goal.
JetSetGo was conceived as an “Uber-like” marketplace for private aviation, aiming to bring transparency, efficiency, and trust to a largely fragmented charter industry. Starting with modest resources, Tekriwal navigated regulatory complexities, investor scepticism, and operational hurdles that would have deterred many first-time founders.
Over time, JetSetGo grew into one of India’s first organised platforms for private jets and helicopters, serving corporate clients, medical emergencies, and high-net-worth individuals while managing a substantial fleet across the country.
Industry reports have since credited the company with professionalising charter aviation in India, a sector previously marked by opacity and limited access. Tekriwal’s leadership style hands-on, data-driven, and deeply empathetic—has often been cited as a key factor behind the company’s sustained growth.
A New Voice on Shark Tank India
Tekriwal’s inclusion as a shark comes at a time when Shark Tank India is consciously broadening its panel to reflect the diversity of India’s entrepreneurial landscape. While the show has previously featured seasoned investors and corporate leaders, her presence introduces a founder who has built a business from the ground up after personal adversity.
Speaking about her experience on the show, Tekriwal has highlighted the humility and passion she has observed among early-stage founders, noting that many come not just with ideas, but with stories of struggle, self-belief, and community impact.
She has emphasised that her investment philosophy prioritises sustainable growth, ethical leadership, and founders who demonstrate resilience beyond spreadsheets.
For many viewers, especially young women and first-generation entrepreneurs, her journey offers representation that goes beyond tokenism showing that leadership can be shaped by vulnerability as much as ambition.
Why Her Story Resonates Beyond Business
Tekriwal’s narrative resonates because it intersects health, gender, entrepreneurship, and societal expectations. In a country where serious illness often derails careers permanently, her return to ambition challenges the stigma attached to physical vulnerability.
Similarly, her success in aviation a field still overwhelmingly dominated by men pushes back against narrow definitions of who belongs in high-risk, high-reward industries.
Her journey also underscores the importance of support systems. While she defied family opposition initially, she has acknowledged the role of friends, peers, and mentors who stood by her when confidence faltered. In doing so, she highlights a broader truth: entrepreneurship is rarely a solo pursuit, even when the founder’s resolve is singular.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Kanika Tekriwal’s rise from a cancer ward to the Shark Tank India panel is more than a success story it is a reminder of the power of empathy, courage, and second chances. At a time when entrepreneurial success is often reduced to valuations and exits, her journey brings the human experience back into focus, reminding us that resilience is not about glorifying struggle, but about creating meaning after it.
Her presence on national television has the potential to reshape conversations around women leadership, survivorship, and inclusive growth. It challenges us to build ecosystems that do not merely celebrate winners, but actively support those rebuilding their lives and dreams after adversity.
