Shalu Mitruka - Cofounder & CBO at GrowthPal

Shalu's journey as a startup founder coincided with the birth of her daughter a couple of years after founding Growthpal, presenting a unique set of challenges. Even as her daughter needed time and staying up through the night and juggling the demands of a rapidly growing company leading a team of 50 people, which requires much more time compared to a job, it has been an emotional battle. The clash between the demands of late-night U.S. sales and the desire to be present for her daughter has been a battle of managing the emotional toll and the importance of effective time management. The emotional battle of not always being seen as the top priority by her daughter while also striving for success in the competitive startup landscape highlights the sacrifices and challenges that many women face in similar situations.After graduating from IIT Kharagpur, she did her MBA from IIM Lucknow, and worked at  Mindtickle and Deloitte and was consulting with 20 startups across various verticals including healthcare. During her college days as well, she tried her hand at starting up and learned multiple things even though they did not work out and believes that they helped her get here. Shalu's journey into entrepreneurship wasn't without its challenges. As a co-founder of Growthpal, she faced the unique challenge of navigating a startup landscape with no set guideposts unlike when one is in a job where one is told what to do. Wearing multiple hats, from team building to strategic decision-making, she embraced the chaos and considers it a valuable opportunity for personal growth.