Starting a jet company against the odds

Summary

Business Daily – "Starting a jet company against the odds"

Host: Rahul Tandon (BBC World Service)
Guest: Kanika Tekriwal, Founder and CEO of Jetset Go
Date: March 13, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode of "Business Daily: Meet the Founders," Rahul Tandon interviews Kanika Tekriwal, a pioneering aviation entrepreneur who founded Jetset Go, India's first and largest marketplace for private jet and helicopter charters. The conversation delves into Kanika’s personal and professional journey — from her upbringing and cultural expectations around arranged marriages and sexism, to fighting cancer, overcoming family opposition, and breaking into a male-dominated industry. Kanika shares candid reflections on resilience, business innovation, and how changes in Indian society are shaping female entrepreneurship.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Marwari Roots and Cultural Expectations

(02:29-06:53)

• Kanika opens up about her upbringing in the Marwar region of Rajasthan - a community famed for entrepreneurship but traditionally dominated by men.
  • "Every single one of them has been a successful entrepreneur. Now it's okay for Marwadis to do jobs, but when I was a child I didn't know a Marwadi who did a job." (Kanika, 02:29)
• Growing up, she was steeped in traditional values — especially the expectation that women shouldn’t work outside or pursue entrepreneurship.
  • "I don't think a lot of families will proudly say, ha, you know, the daughter in law from my house can work." (Kanika, 03:45)
• Parental attitudes varied: her mother wanted more for her than she had; her father discouraged professional ambitions for girls.
• Arranged marriages were positioned as a woman’s goal, often described as "exchanges of balance sheets." (Kanika, 06:06)
• Despite childhood confusion and ingrained respect for tradition, she maintained ambition and community grounding.
  • Notable tradition: touching elders’ feet as a sign of respect and seeking blessings (05:30).

2. Push for Education and Independence

(06:22-07:40)

• Negotiated to study abroad, but only with a "practical" subject: finance, to fit family expectations.
• Moved to the UK in 2009 for an MBA in Finance, but gravitated toward aviation.
  • Early career involved long commutes and hard work at an aviation services company — instilling patience and practical skills.

3. Cancer Diagnosis and Perspective Shift

(09:21-12:24)

• At 21, just returned to India, Kanika was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma; she initially received a bleak prognosis.
  • "From a pain in the arm, it was diagnosed to be cancer. And I think that's when, you know, everything turned around in my life." (Kanika, 09:58)
• Meeting an optimistic, kind doctor changed her outlook and gave her hope.
  • Doctor’s encouragement: "Kanika, don't worry. 40 years later, we'll have a drink with each other." (Doctor, 10:26)
• After treatment and remission, Kanika credits cancer for teaching her to reject imposed limitations and become resilient.
  • "You call it horrible. I call it the best thing that ever happened to me." (Kanika, 11:16)
  • "If it wasn't for cancer, I'd probably be married in some small town in India, sitting with 16 kids, not sitting here in front of you for sure." (11:21)
  • "After cancer, I didn't accept these things. You know, it taught me how to stand up for what I believe in. It made me believe I was invincible." (Kanika, 11:25)

4. Founding Jetset Go: Hustle, Sexism, and Survival

(12:24-13:38; 14:56-16:44)

• Kanika started Jetset Go in 2014 from scratch: "Moved to Delhi, no money in my pocket, lived with friends, hustled my way through and I was very clear this is what I wanted to do. Failed, failed, failed...but I wasn't going to give up." (Kanika, 12:47)
• Faced stigma post-cancer: family worried no one would marry her, so she made her diagnosis public to remove shame.
  "My father's first words to me was, don't tell anyone you have cancer because no one will marry you. And the first thing I did was went on Facebook and wrote, hell yeah, I've got cancer." (Kanika, 13:40)
• Raised her first capital (~₹5,600) through customer advances and supplier credit.
  "I never dreamt that we could own a single plane. Today we own 11 or 12, I think." (Kanika, 14:09)
• Sexism in business: Recounts being mistaken for the help in boardrooms, determined to win over skeptics and convert them into clients.
  • "One of the first pictures, I went to this industrialist in India and he...said, excuse me miss, can you ask everyone if they want some tea or coffee?...it took me all my courage to keep that pitch going...He always tells people it's because of Kanika I got women into my C suite." (Kanika, 14:56)
• On increasing female representation: Kanika notes improvements, regulatory pushes, and her own participation as a "Shark" on India’s Shark Tank.
  • "Now, if you look at it, I'm the newest shark on the Indian shark tank and we had more women pitches this season than male pitches...that’s what's changing in the country." (Kanika, 16:19)
  • Funding decisions are less about gender now: "India is at a place now where when you go ask for funding, gender is no longer a decision maker." (Kanika, 15:36)

5. Changing India: Shifting Clientele and National Ambitions

(16:44-18:14)

• Client base is shifting younger; focus is moving from saving for land/jewelry to spending on life experiences.
  • "My average clientele age was about 58 years, you know, and today it's about 42, which is a massive shift." (Kanika, 16:58)
• Sees India’s many problems as entrepreneurial opportunities.
  • "You call them problems, we call them opportunities. Right? India's gonna be the next big thing." (Kanika, 17:51)
  • Ambitious prediction: "When your kid's 30, 40 years old, will India be up there with them [US and China]?...They're gonna be way below India." (Kanika, 18:12)

6. Personal Evolution, Family, and Legacy

(18:14-19:21)

• Family attitudes have shifted; her father is now proud and publicly recognized as her father.
  • "Now every time he goes out, people like, oh, you're Kanika's father. And I think that's what does it for him, right? It says it all." (Kanika, 18:24)
• Reflecting on her journey, Kanika wouldn’t undo past challenges but would practice more kindness and humility.
  • "I just think the one thing I would change along my journey is I would be a lot more kinder than I was to people." (Kanika, 18:47)
  • "It's very, very important to be kind to people who helped you get where you are and take your teams with you." (19:03)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On business and gender expectations:

  "I don't think it is okay for women to work in the Marwari community." — Kanika Tekriwal (03:45)

• On the impact of cancer:

  "You call it horrible. I call it the best thing that ever happened to me...It made me believe I was invincible." — Kanika Tekriwal (11:16, 11:25)

• On entrepreneurial grit:

  "Failed, failed, failed...there were times when I didn't have money to feed myself food, but I wasn't going to give up." — Kanika Tekriwal (12:47)

• On addressing stigma openly:

  "My father's first words to me was, don't tell anyone you have cancer because no one will marry you. And the first thing I did was went on Facebook and wrote, hell yeah, I've got cancer." — Kanika Tekriwal (13:40)

• On gender and boardroom bias:

  "Are you offering me the seat because of my skirt or because of my brain?" — Kanika Tekriwal (15:30)

• On generational change in clients:

  "Today my friends...their focus is on living life experiences." — Kanika Tekriwal (16:58)

• On India's entrepreneurial future:

  "You call them problems, we call them opportunities...India's gonna be the next big thing." — Kanika Tekriwal (17:51)

• On learning and regret:

  "I would be a lot more kinder than I was to people...It's very, very important to be kind to people who helped you get where you are." — Kanika Tekriwal (18:47, 19:03)

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Structure and Timestamps

| Segment | Content Summary | Timestamps | |---------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------| | 1 | Marwari heritage, gender, marriage pressure | 01:17–06:53 | | 2 | Studying abroad, family expectations, early career in aviation | 06:53–07:40 | | 3 | Cancer diagnosis and life lessons | 09:21–12:24 | | 4 | Starting Jetset Go, overcoming obstacles and sexism | 12:24–16:44 | | 5 | Shifting demographics, Indian entrepreneurial energy | 16:44–18:14 | | 6 | Family acceptance, reflection, advice for the next generation | 18:14–19:21 |

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Tone and Style

Kanika Tekriwal’s voice throughout is candid, defiant, inspiring, and marked by humor—even about tough subjects like cancer and sexism. Rahul Tandon’s questions are empathetic and probing, drawing out both the personal and broader societal impact of Kanika’s journey.

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For Listeners

This episode provides an authentic window into building a business against daunting odds — battling both cultural and institutional inertia, personal health crises, and persistent gender bias. Kanika Tekriwal’s story is both exceptional and emblematic of broader changes reshaping India today. Whether you’re interested in entrepreneurship, gender dynamics, or the evolving Indian economy, this episode blends inspiration with grounded insight and practical takeaways.

Transcript

[BBC Advertisement Voice]

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[Rahul Tandon]

Hi, I'm Rahul Tandon and this is Meet the founders from Business Daily here on the BBC World Service. This is where we speak to innovators around the world about the ideas, risks and realities behind starting a business today. An Indian aviation entrepreneur who defied the odds from arranged marriage expectations and sexism to surviving cancer. At the age of 21, I had nothing.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

I had zero knowledge, zero money, zero anything.

[Rahul Tandon]

My guest is Kanika Tekriwal, founder and CEO of Jetset Go, India's first and largest marketplace for private jet and helicopter charters.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

I went away from home to start my company only because if I survive cancer, I can survive anything in the world.

[Rahul Tandon]

That's Kanika Techriwal, our founder. Today, Let's start this story in northern India, in the Marwar region of Rajasthan, which is India's largest state. Because it's from this area that one of the country's most entrepreneurial and tight knit business communities emerged.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

I went to boarding school at a very young age and to me everyone was just Indian. There was no Hindu, there was no Muslim, none of that. And suddenly I started reading in history books and in class about how there was this business community in India which actually built corporate India, you know. And that's when I started getting really curious and I got to know about the Marwadi community that I'm from and they were literally like, I think they have different blood. So there's something in the water there or there's something in the air there or I don't know what the mothers fed these kids but every single one of them has been a successful entrepreneur. Now it's okay for Marwadis to do jobs, but when I was a child I didn't know a Marwadi who did a job. What this community I think personifies is very simple living simple lifestyles but like crazy entrepreneurship skills, you know.

[Rahul Tandon]

And I lived in Kolkata for a long time where the, you know, the whole of the business community is dominated by the Marwari community. But within that, what I used to see a lot was it was a very successful business community of men.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

Yeah, I'm glad you bring that up. So I think that still remains largely the case. Rahul. From what I've seen from my experiences, I don't think it is okay for women to work in the Marwari community. And as.

[Rahul Tandon]

Is it changing?

[Kanika Tekriwal]

Do you think it's changing? I think it's definitely changing, but not as much as it should. I think a lot of it is also what you see is not what you get. I don't think a lot of families will proudly say, ha, you know, the daughter in law from my house can work.

[Rahul Tandon]

So what was that like growing up because your dad was a businessman.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

Yeah.

[Rahul Tandon]

So you would have seen that entrepreneurship there. But were you encouraged? What about your mom, if you don't mind me asking.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

My mother wanted to make me everything she couldn't be. Probably. I think that's the case with most Marwari mothers and I think that's the case with most Marwaris that your mothers always want you to have everything they didn't have.

[Rahul Tandon]

Have you ever spoken to her about it?

[Kanika Tekriwal]

She's so proud of me, you know, and she, I think she really, she's lived her life through my eyes or she's living her life through me, I think. And I think my father was never in favor and he said girls from our families don't work for others.

[Rahul Tandon]

When he said that to you, what did you think? Because a lot of people at that stage might say, okay, give up.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

So I did, Rahul, you know, I said I was what I was 17, 16 years old, 15 years old maybe. And at that age you don't know what's right for you. I'm pregnant right now. And I keep wondering, you know, is my. I'm never going to tell my son what is right or wrong, because my son is going to assume, like I did at that age, that what my parents know is gospel. You know, On a slightly more serious note, I think I was. I gave up, you know, and then suddenly I was like, no, I don't want to give up. So I think I'm a very confused individual because of this kind of upbringing where I see myself really ambitious, really wanting to go do stuff at the same time, you know, very grounded in community roots, very grounded in religion, in culture. Like, I'll give a simple example. Anytime I see an adult, I touch their feet.

[Rahul Tandon]

It's a real sign of respect in India.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

Exactly. And I think it just. It's just you're seeking blessings. It's so beautiful. Right. And it's a good way to acknowledge your elders. So I've got that from him, you know, And I think. And I think that's what's really, you know, defining any of us as individuals. That what is it good you take out of culture and take forward.

[Rahul Tandon]

So there you are. You're not sure what you're gonna do. I'm sure at that stage, as you're reaching 1920, your parents are talking about marriage.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

The day your daughter is born. It revolves around, you know, how well you will get her married, which is

[Rahul Tandon]

there for many communities in India.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

Absolutely. In my case, I think there was, you know, I had never dated anyone in my life because I. Since I had grown, since I was born, the only thing I was told was, we're going to find you the right guy. And we. Arranged marriage. And arranged marriages in Marwadi households are more exchanges of balance sheets.

[Rahul Tandon]

So when you have the conversation and say, maybe I don't want to get married yet, not an easy conversation, and I want to go and study and study abroad, what. What does your dad say?

[Kanika Tekriwal]

So he says, you can go and study, but study finance. And I was like, why? So he says, if you study finance, you can acceptable to a Marwari family because they don't want people going and studying marketing and sales, where they have to deal with outsiders. Finance, you can work in the family office.

[Rahul Tandon]

Taking her father's advice on board, Kanika moved to the UK in 2009 to study for an MBA in Finance. Alongside her studies, she began working for an aviation services company.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

I used to wake up at like 4am, take a bus from my house to Coventry train station, take an overground train to Houston, take an underground to Victoria, take an overground to Sutton, and then take a taxi to my office. All of that would take about four and a half hours, roughly four and

[Rahul Tandon]

a half hours travel and then work

[Kanika Tekriwal]

the entire day and then do the same damn thing back. I think what I learned was a lot of patience. I think I learned a lot of things about life overall. And I think where aviation was concerned, the experience was absolutely phenomenal. We did everything between building planes and manufacturing planes.

[Rahul Tandon]

A lot of people used to think to be successful you needed to go to university.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

For my child, if I had to choose between education and real life experience, I would rather spend the hundred thousand dollars that education would cost me on getting him real life experience. You know you're losing out on four to six years of your life, of your best years. You know where you're sitting in a classroom listening to people who don't know anything about what's happening in the real world.

[Rahul Tandon]

Now you're listening to Business daily from the BBC World Service.

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[Rahul Tandon]

I'm Rahul Tamdon and in Meet the Founders today I'm talking to to aviation entrepreneur Kanika Tekriwal, founder and CEO of Jet Set. Go about how she set up her business despite facing sexist attitudes, opposition from her family and a serious health diagnosis. At 21, Kanika had finished her studies in the UK. She then flew back to India to convince her parents to let her stay and continue her work there. But before she could have that conversation. She received some news that would change her life.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

My mother said, you know, you've got a pain in your arm. Let's go to the doctor. And within one hour, from a pain in the arm, it was diagnosed to be cancer. And I think that's when, you know, everything turned around in my life.

[Rahul Tandon]

Kanika was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic nodes, which is part of the body's immune system. At just 21 years old, she was told she had only months to live. Then she met one doctor who made an impact on her.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

So I kept meeting doctors. I kept meeting doctors. And I met the best doctor then who was very patient with me and very kind to me. And then he said, kanika, don't worry. 40 years later, we'll have a drink with each other.

[Rahul Tandon]

After being told by numerous doctors that a cancer was likely terminal, this specialist in Mumbai was the first doctor to give her some hope. Kanika had 12 rounds of chemotherapy and one round of radiation and eventually went into remission. She credits the doctor with giving her the confidence that recovery was possible.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

I think that's what did it for me. Right. And so after finding the right doctor, I think life obviously became a little 0.1% easier.

[Rahul Tandon]

And I suppose from everything in life, we learn, don't we? And what do you think you learned from that difficult, horrible period of your life that has helped you be the successful businesswoman that you are today?

[Kanika Tekriwal]

You call it horrible. I call it the best thing that ever happened to me.

[Rahul Tandon]

Really?

[Kanika Tekriwal]

Yeah. And I'll tell you why I say that. See, if it wasn't for cancer, I'd probably be married in some small town in India, sitting with 16 kids, not sitting here in front of you for sure. You asked me a question when we started that. When your father said, you can't become a pilot, what was your reaction? I accepted it. After cancer, I didn't accept these things. You know, it taught me how to stand up for what I believe in. It made me believe I was invincible, you know, which is very rare. At 21 or 22, you don't believe nothing in the world can stop you. I had nothing. I had zero knowledge, zero money, zero anything. And I went away from home to start my company only because I was like, if I survive cancer, I can survive anything in the world. I was not scared of anything. Today, if I had cancer, I'm telling you, I wouldn't have been able to fight it the way I fought it then. And the World literally became my canvas and I said, I can do whatever the hell I feel like. So I think while the journey that one year was horrible in terms of the medical treatments, the chemotherapy, the needles pricking you, losing your hair and all of that, but I think mentally it gave me strength nothing else in the world could have.

[Rahul Tandon]

And with that new sense of purpose, in 2014, Kanika launched her own aviation business. She founded Jetset Go, India's first marketplace for private jets and helicopters. The company connects customers with charter flights across the country and manages aircraft on behalf of their owners.

[BBC Advertisement Voice]

We are jet set Go.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

I moved to Delhi, no money in my pocket, lived with friends, hustled my way through and I was very clear this is what I wanted to do. Failed, failed, failed. You know, there were times when I didn't have money to feed myself food, but I wasn't going to give up. You know, for me it was many things at one time. It was the day I recovered from cancer, my father telling me that you've become so dark and fat. Who's going to be your friend? Who's going to marry you? For me it was finding a way to live the life I wanted to live. For me it was not going back to Bhopal, living under my parents roof. For me it was all the aunts echoing in my ears that once you get cancer, who will marry you? You know, for me it was proving a point to myself that I'm worth living. I think what had happened to me before cancer and during this journey was everyone has told me after cancer, life's not worth living. I had no support groups outside of India. You have a lot of support groups, you have help centers. You don't have that in India?

[Rahul Tandon]

No, it's a very personal thing. People don't want to talk about it.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

Exactly. And it's considered taboo. So I remember my father's first words to me was, don't tell anyone you have cancer because no one will marry you. And the first thing I did was went on Facebook and wrote, hell yeah, I've got cancer. Because why should I hide something? Yeah, I didn't do anything wrong. So I think, you know, for me when I went out to start that company, it was about proving to my mother that I can be on the COVID of Forbes. It was about proving to my mother that I can do you know, what she stood up for before? And every day was a fight. So like, like you said, I had no money at 5,600 rupees, which is less than 50 pounds now in today's exchange rate, I think. And with that money I, you know, when registered, the company isolated advances from customers, take credit from suppliers, supply planes to people. I, I never dreamt that we could own a single plane. Today we own 11 or 12, I think. But I, when the first plane came, I was like, wow, we're getting a plane. Yahoo. Hee ha ha. But I was like, only one. That's all it took. And then we got five. Only five. That's all it took.

[Rahul Tandon]

But that's what you need, isn't it? That constant desire to be bigger.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

You always got to have that fire going. If you don't have the fire going,

[Rahul Tandon]

then God bless you, you had that fire. But sometimes that's not enough, is it? You have to have a good idea. You have to be good at what you do as well. And also this was a sector that's very male dominant.

[Kanika Tekriwal]

Yeah. One of the first pictures, I went to this industrialist in India and he pointed his finger at me and said, excuse me miss, can you ask everyone if they want some tea or coff days. And there, you know, I was, I thought that tears were just flowing down my face and I'm going to go completely crazy. And you know, it took me all my courage to keep that pitch going and I had to convince that man. I said, I'm not going to walk out of this room without this man sitting on my plane. And he did sit on my plane. He always tells people it's because of Kanika. I got women into my C suite.

[Rahul Tandon]

Are you seeing that change in India at the boardroom?

[Kanika Tekriwal]

I get a lot of offers to sit on boards. And I remember asking this person the last time that you ask, offering me the seat because of my skirt or because of my brain. So the government's doing a lot. You know, there are a lot of regulations around having independent directors or women or directors or women, etc. But how much is really translating into reality is yet to be seen. I think things are getting better, much better. And the current government is very, very woman centric. I think there is no better time to be a woman than now. But I think India is at a place now where when you go ask for funding, gender is no longer a decision maker. I know it's a very big statement to make, Rahul, because I remember when I tried to raise money, no one gave me money. Literally, you know, apart from a handful. The couple of people who helped us out, they were, I remember people asking me, you'll get married, you'll lose interest, you'll have Kids, you lose interest. Like they asked me everything apart from what they should be asking me about my business. And you know, I had a little combination. I was young, I was a girl, I was in an industry like aviation, which is a very male dominated industry. And I was unmarried. Right. So nobody literally wanted to back you. Now if you look at it like, you know, I'm the newest shark on the Indian shark tank and we had more women pitches this season than male pitches from what I remember. You know, and I think that's what's changing in the country.

[Rahul Tandon]

Can I talk to you about your clients? Cause whenever I go to India and I go a lot, and I lived in India for 10, 12 years recently, what gets me is the energy. It's such a young country. Are you seeing your clientele getting younger?

[Kanika Tekriwal]

Rahul, when I started out in the industry, my average clientele age was about 58 years, you know, and today it's about 42, which is a massive shift. When I was younger or when I was in college, my parents focus was on saving money for buying land, buying jewelry. Right. Today my friends were in about the same age as my parents or a little younger. Their focus is not on buying jewelry, buying land. Their focus is on living life experiences. You know, you've got this new India of young people, you know, who don't have to take approvals from anyone and are spending money on living their life. The best way is who's spending money on improving their quality of life.

[Rahul Tandon]

A successful business is about solving problems. And India has progressed a lot. But there's still, because of the scale of the country, the number of people, there are still problems, lots of them that need to be resolved as there are in many parts of the world. And is that great business opportunities then?

[Kanika Tekriwal]

I was gonna tell you, you call them problems, we call them opportunities. Right? And I think the way I look at it, India's gonna be the next big thing. You know, we are gonna be the next big superpower.

[Rahul Tandon]

When you say big thing, you know, we have the US and China way above everybody else. You know, when your kid's 30, 40 years old, will India be up there with them?

[Kanika Tekriwal]

They're gonna be way below India.

[Rahul Tandon]

Can I ask you now, what does your dad say to you about your business?

[Kanika Tekriwal]

Well, I think my dad's so proud of me now and he loves me and I think, you know, has he

[Rahul Tandon]

changed his opinion on girls and business?

[Kanika Tekriwal]

Absolutely. I think, you know, more than him. I think it was always society around him which influences you to do things. Now every time he goes out, people like, oh, you're Kanika's father. And I think that's what does it for him, right? It says it all.

[Rahul Tandon]

And what have you learned on the way? You know, you are pregnant when your child grows up and they say, mum, what did you learn when you were setting up your business? What would you do differently? What would you say to them?

[Kanika Tekriwal]

And I wouldn't undo a single thing. I think, you know, God's been very kind and put me through a lot of things most people would not have gone through but to give me the strength I would have. I just think the one thing I would change along my journey is I would be a lot more kinder than I was to people. But there come points in life where you start thinking you know everything. And I've come to those points and very quickly realized I know nothing and gone back down to where I was. It's very, very important to be kind to people who helped you get where you are and take your teams with you. So I think I would just be a little more kinder than I was.

[Rahul Tandon]

Maybe that was Kanika Teqriwal. That's it for this week's edition of Meet the Founders with me, Rahul Tandon. The producers were Amber Mahmood, Ahmed adan and Neet McDermott. To listen to more conversations like this, search and subscribe to Business Daily. Wherever you get your podcasts and you can get in touch with the team. Our email address is business dailybc.co.uk thank you so much for listening.

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