Vineeta Singh is an entrepreneur, a business executive, and the co-founder to one of the fastest growing cosmetics company in India, Sugar Cosmetics. She is also an angel investor and a judge in the popular reality show, “Shark Tank India”, since it premiered in SonyLIV program in 2021.
The Early Life of Vineeta Singh
Vineeta Singh was born in 1983 in Anand, Gujarat, India. She is the daughter of Tej P. Singh, who is her father is a renowned Biophysicist at the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences. Her mother also attained a Doctorate Degree; thus, Vineeta came from a family of scientists. Vineeta pursued her studies at Rama Krishna Puram, a public school in Delhi, where she finally completed her studies in 2001. She then enrolled at the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-M) in the same year, to study a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. She then graduated with her degree in 2005, then she proceeded to Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad) to pursue her studies. She undertook her Masters in Business Administration, and even got the opportunity to undertake her externship at Deutsche Bank in 2006. Vineeta was able to secure employment as the Director for Quetzal Verify Private Limited, where she held this position for five years. Her hardwork and determination impressed the management in one of the most prominent multinational investment organizations, who decided to offer her a full-time job with an annual salary of Rs 1 crore. To everyone’s surprise, Vineeta turned down the offer, as she had set her sights on running her own company in future. She finally graduated from the institution in 2007, having completed her MBA successfully. Vineeta set her sights on starting a lingerie business, but it could not materialize because she lacked adequate funds to launch the project.
Vineeta Singh’s Road to Success
Vineeta Singh had no easy start to her business venture, but her determination and perseverance really helped her to become successful in the end. After her graduation in 2007, Vineeta decided to launch her first startup company, Quetzal. This startup company provided background checks on potential employees to various recruiters in India, but the company did not progress as Singh had envisioned. She then launched her second startup, Fab-Bag, in the year 2012. This company had leaned towards the cosmetics industry which Vineeta fancied, as it was a subscription platform which offered monthly deliveries of cosmetic products to clients. This too did not go as planned, and that is when Vineeta co-founded her third startup company, Sugar Cosmetics.
Vineeta decided to team up with her husband, Kaushik Mukherjee, to launch the company together in 2015. Sugar Cosmetics was first started as a D2C (direct-to-consumer) brand. This company was created to avail cosmetic products to clients in the country, and it leaned toward fulfilling the Indian market. It had only two products on its production list, but Vineeta later expanded the products on offer to suit the dynamic Indian market. Sugar Cosmetics produces products which cater to the face, lips, eyes, nails, and skin tones of women across India and beyond. Coming from a family of scientists, Vineeta took the bold decision to focus on producing cosmetics which served the specific needs of women in society. This move attracted young women of the modern generation, who are her main clients to date.
The couple were later able to land a prestigious USD 50 million deal with L Catterton, a private equity company. Vineeta brought a new perspective on the Indian market, where this company produced goods that served women with different skin tones. Sugar Cosmetics made a profit of INR 52 Lakhs in 2015, and this outcome really surprised the co-founders. Its sales grew to INR 11 crores in 2017, before jumping to INR 105 crores in 2020. Her company received another major boost in September 2022, when Ranveer Singh, a Bollywood actor, chimed in an undisclosed amount to bolster the company. He was even appointed to be the “Brand Evangelist” of the the company. Later in 2023, Kareena Kapoor Khan joined forces with the power couple, Kaushik and Vineeta, to commission Quench Botanics, a skincare brand from Korea, in India. The biggest competitors to Sugar Cosmetics in the cosmetics industry are Kay by Katrina, Nykaa Cosmetics and Starlust.
Vineeta Singh’s Family Life.
Vineeta had also a successful life in athletics, and she had even won several awards in the 10 years of running she enjoyed. It was when she was pursuing her Masters in Business Administration at Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad), that she met Kaushik Mukherjee. Kaushik was by then a very good swimmer, and it is then that they decided to form a team to compete in triathlons together. There bond grew stronger as time passes by, and they decided to tie the knot in 4th December, 2011. The couple has been blessed with two adorable boys, Vikrant Mukherjee and Ranveer Mukherjee. Vineeta and Kaushik therefore decided to team up and launch Sugar Cosmetics in 2015, a company which they run together until today. They mutually agreed to run different departments in the company, making it one of the biggest companies in India and the region to date.
Personal Life.
Vineeta Singh first discovered she loved badminton, while she was studying in Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-M). She even won several awards in various competitions in the same sport. She later moved to Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad), where she also had a very fruitful time as a triathlete and a marathon runner. She participated in 20 marathons and 12 half-marathons, with the most significant one being the 89 kilometers Comrades Marathon between 2012 to 2014. She also participated in the Ironman Triathlon in Austria in 2017, and she was able to run the 21-kilometer Marathon in Mumbai in 2018. The remarkable thing about this race is that, Vineeta ran while she was six months pregnant. Vineeta enjoys her hobbies which are swimming, cycling, and traveling, when she is away from the glare of the media. Vineeta also has a YouTube channel, Sugar Cosmetics, which has more than 423k subscribers.
Kaushik Mukherjee
Kaushik Mukherjee is the beloved husband of Vineeta Singh, and the couple are blessed with two adorable sons. Kaushik was born in 17th June, 1983 in Kolkata, India. He came from a middle class family in Bengali, and he pursued his studies in Don Bosco School. He then enrolled at the Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences (BITS) Pilani, to pursue his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. He later joined Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, to pursue his Masters in Business Administration. Kaushik was an Applications Engineer at Oracle Corporation, Hyderabad between 2004 to 2006. He later joined McKinsey and another company based in Mumbai, India. He first launched Fab-Bag in 2012, before officially co-founding the Sugar Cosmetics company in 2015.
Vineeta Singh’ Net Worth.
Vineeta Singh is an entrepreneur, CEO, and an angel investor, which clearly gives you a context of the lavish lifestyle she enjoys. Vineeta has a net worth of INR 300 crores, according to reports across India. She co-founded Sugar Cosmetics company with her husband in 2015, and the company is estimated to be worth INR 4,100 crores. Vineeta knows hot to enjoy her lavish lifestyle, which includes her fleet of high-end vehicles. She brags of having a Skoda Octavia which is valued at Rs 30.45 Lakh, a Mercedes-Benz E Class which is worth Rs 88 Lakh, a Volvo XC90 which is valued at Rs 98.50 Lakh, and a Mercedes-Benz GLS which is valued at Rs 1.29 Crore.
Vineeta Singh’s Role in the Entertainment Industry.
Vineeta has not contributed directly to the entertainment industry in India, but she has been hosted in various business shows across the country. She accompanied other Shark Tank judges to the Kaun Banega Crorepati, where she appeared as a VIP contestant. Vineeta was also featured on The Kapil Sharma Show in 2022, together with her fellow judges from Shark Tank India.
Shark Tank India.
Shark Tank India is the Indian version of the American Shark Tank, which premiered in SonyLIV reality program in 2021. Vineeta Singh is an angel investor, and one of the judges in the show. She has inspired many young entrepreneurs, that they can take a different path and still achieve their dreams and aspirations. Singh is a very influential businesswoman in India; therefore, she has attracted a huge following to the show. In season one, Vineeta invested a total of INR 1 crore in several startups. She then increased her investment to INR 10 crores, where she invested in over 15 startups.
Challenges Faced by Vineeta Singh.
Vineeta Singh was featured in the cover of Business Today magazine, which was huge for her. However, she states that funding from the magazine would only be released to her, if her husband joined the company on a full-time basis. She viewed this as gender discrimination, and it was one of the huge setbacks she faced in her career journey.
Vineeta Singh’s Achievements in Life.
Vineeta Singh is an accomplished businesswoman, and she has received several accolades in her remarkable business journey. Some of the achievements which Vineeta received are:
- Two gold and two silver medals she won for( IIT-M) during the sports events held between 2001 – 2005.
- She was awarded the Dulari Mattu Award for the finest female all-rounder at IIM Ahmedabad in 2007.
- She was awarded the Start-up of the year award by Entrepreneur Awards in Delhi, India, in 2019.
- She was awarded the BW Disrupt 40 Under 40 Award by Businessworld in 2021.
- She was given the Fortune’s 40 Under 40 award in 2021.
- She was given the W-Power Award by Forbes India in 2021.
- She has also appeared on the cover of several business magazines including Business Today, Forbes India, and Businessworld.
The Latest News on Vineeta Singh.
Vineeta Singh has recently posted a video on social media, where she is imitating Raju’s mother from the famous Bollywood film, Three Idiots. Vineeta has faced criticism and stereotyping in her business journey, as it was not easy making it in a male-dominated venture. She still faced challenges even when her ventures finally took off the ground, but she never allowed these negative comments to weigh her down. Vineeta Singh has been an inspiration to most young women in India, who are hoping to make it in the business world. She has openly shared her struggles while on the reality show, Shark Tank India, to inspire women to push through the obstacles facing them.
Vineeta has also come up with inventive ways to calm her mind every morning, before the stressful day starts. She engages in her hobbies, where she dedicates one hour every morning for exercise. Even though her days as an athlete are behind her, she still dedicates enough time to keep fit. Balancing between work and family, has also been one of the success stories of Vineeta Singh. She still finds enough time to spend with her family, especially her two sons. Vineeta surprised everyone around her when she and her colleague rejected a well-paying offer, from one of the most prominent global investment companies. She had her sights in starting her own company, and she wasn’t deterred after her first two startups disappointed her. She then teamed up with her husband, to launch one of the fastest growing cosmetics company in India, Sugar Cosmetics.
After this company was founded, it could only offer a few services to its clients, and that prompted Vineeta to look at the bigger picture of the cosmetics industry in India. She ensured that her company had its own app, and her role in Shark Tank India also served well in marketing her brand. She has also encouraged other upcoming entrepreneurs, by investing wisely in promising business startups. Sugar Cosmetics now brags of having surpassed some of the starter cosmetics companies in India, and it has expanded its branches to other countries.