How Anooja Bashir Is Helping Bridge The Gap Between Technology And Women

Anooja Bashir's journey is a testament to how life can lead us to unexpected destinations. Originally a civil engineer, she later become a professor but soon found her calling as an entrepreneur.

Anooja Bashir has received numerous recognition for her contributions to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. She has been featured in prestigious platforms such as Forbes, Fortune India, Entrepreneur India, Times Now, India Today, and many other portals.

Bashir has received multiple awards for entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership.

In an interview with SheThePeople, Anooja Bashir talks about her journey as an entrepreneur and a leader, the challenges she faces as a woman in the tech industry and how she is helping to bridge this gap between women and technology.

Interview With Anooja Bashir

Can You Tell Us About Your Journey From Being A Civil Engineer To Becoming An Entrepreneur?

I am an accidental entrepreneur and my journey has been a real roller coaster ride. After working as a civil engineer, I became a professor, but I found that helping my students find their paths was more fulfilling than teaching in the classroom.

This led me to develop Learning Innovative Key Learning Skills (LIKES), which aimed to teach practical skills that could be applied in real-life situations. Although LIKES didn't yield the results I had hoped for, I persevered and founded my first business venture, Ourea, which was an advertising agency. From there, I discovered my passion for strategic marketing and eventually co-founded a branding and IT company with Vinod Chacko.

How Did The COVID-19 Pandemic Impact Your Business?

When the pandemic hit and businesses shifted towards digital solutions, we encountered technical hosting issues with our own business. It was then that we decided to combine our expertise and create a shared innovative hosting solution, FlexiCloud, which can help the digital business to scale up.

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Can You Tell Us More About FlexiCloud And How It Came About?

FlexiCloud is a shared innovative hosting solution that helps startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and server message blocks (SMBs) transition to the cloud. Additionally, the platform ensures that end-users have access to guaranteed backups, 99 percent uptime, and server security. It has become a valuable resource for individuals in digital business, particularly in e-commerce and high-traffic businesses, to ensure that their operations run smoothly.

Have You Faced Gender Biases In The Tech Industry? If Yes, How Did You Overcome Them?

Yes, unfortunately, women in the tech industry are a rare sight in society, and I've faced gender biases that often stereotype women as being confined to certain business fields. Despite these struggles, I remain determined to empower and promote inclusivity in our workplace.

You Are Known For Your Work In The Diversity Sector, Whether It Be LGBTQIA Or Differently-Abled People. Tell Us More About That.

I believe that diversity is key to success, and I'm committed to creating opportunities for women, the LGBT+ community, and differently-abled individuals to join the corporate and entrepreneurial world, particularly in the tech industry. My latest endeavour, NEED, is focused on promoting diversity and providing opportunities through networking events, mentorship, and training sessions.

Can You Tell Us About Your Latest Endeavour, Pocket CFO?

Pocket CFO is a digital accounting platform that provides accounting and finance services to businesses. It allows business owners to manage their financial records, generate invoices, and track expenses on the go. The platform is designed to be user-friendly, affordable, and accessible to SMEs and SMBs.

What Inspired You To Start NEED?

Throughout my journey, I realised that women in the tech industry are a rare sight in society. I have faced gender biases that often stereotype women as being confined to certain business fields such as cooking or handlooms. Despite these struggles, I have remained determined to empower and realised that diversity is key to our success.

This led me to start NEED, which is an initiative that attempts to foster, enrich, and enable the multifarious sector. The programs of NEED are specifically designed to uplift the diversified groups, including women, LGBTQ+ and differently-abled individuals through networking events, mentorship and training sessions.