Varsheeni Raghupathy '17
Varsheeni Raghupathy is the founder and CEO of Ikwetta, East Africa’s first female-led footwear and fashion brand. Through Ikwetta, Varsheeni has trained and hired over 172 artisans and produces 100% of her designs in Kenya using locally sourced sustainable raw materials. With over 70% of her team made up of women, her brand of ethically produced footwear, handbags, and fashion accessories are sold in more than 20 countries.
An engineering graduate and basketball player from India, Varsheeni found her true calling and inspiration as a volunteer in Kenya in 2015. Shortly after she did her Masters in Entrepreneurship at Brown University, she was running a training program in Nairobi in partnership with Mastercard Foundation and CAP-Youth Empowerment Initiative, during which she witnessed the struggles hundreds of youth face finding jobs and putting food on the table for themselves and their families. This inspired her to quit her job in Portland, USA, and start Ikwetta that same year.
Initially operating out of a 100 square feet shed with 7 artisans in Kenya’s largest slum, Kibera, Varsheeni and her team currently produce 200,000 pairs of footwear each year. In addition to having their own retail stores, Ikwetta also supplies specialized safety footwear to Kenya’s National Defense Forces. Keen to not downsize during the pandemic, Varsheeni converted her fashion production facility to a mask manufacturing unit, supplying masks to healthcare workers, volunteers and farmers in America and across East Africa. In 2021 Varsheeni also founded African Lifestyle Hub, a brick and mortar store that enabled small scale African designers and artisans who could not afford retail space to showcase and sell their products. Today, African Lifestyle Hub has 2 locations and supports over 75 African brands.
In addition to all her achievements as a young entrepreneur, Varsheeni’s greatest pride is her family, which includes her husband and two lovely children who she loves reading books to and going on hikes with. Varsheeni is eager to tell her story to young entrepreneurs with the hope that they will learn from her mistakes, get inspired by her journey, and especially instill confidence in young women who doubt if they can strike a balance between career and family. Varsheeni lives in Kenya.