In the vibrant corridors of India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, where ideas often stumble between conception and execution, one name stands tall Jyoti Sudhir. A visionary, entrepreneur, strategist, TEDx speaker, mother, and mentor, Jyoti has spent more than two decades redefining what innovation means for India and beyond.
Her journey, which started with academia and human development, has today blossomed into one of India’s most compelling stories of design-driven innovation, leadership, and resilience. As the co-founder of InventIndia Innovations Pvt. Ltd. and executive director of On2Cook India Pvt. Ltd., Jyoti has not only built globally recognized organizations but also nurtured a culture that encourages creative problem-solving, first-principle thinking, and value-driven entrepreneurship.
This is the story of a woman who has turned possibilities into products, ideas into impact, and challenges into change.
Early Foundations: From Academia to Aspirations
Jyoti’s journey began with a background in human development at Delhi University, where she pursued both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in science. At first glance, it may not have seemed like a conventional foundation for a future entrepreneur in design and innovation. But that is precisely where her story becomes remarkable.
Human development taught her not just about learning and psychology but also about understanding people their needs, aspirations, and challenges. This people-centric lens would later become the cornerstone of her design philosophy.
Further, her educational path took a transformative turn at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), where she participated in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program. The exposure added layers of business acumen, strategy, and leadership to her already strong foundation in human understanding.
“It wasn’t just about solving problems anymore. It was about showing people what was possible,” Jyoti often reflects.
The Spark of Innovation: Co-Founding InventIndia
In 2011, Jyoti co-founded InventIndia Innovations Pvt. Ltd., a design-led product development company headquartered in Ahmedabad. At a time when the Indian innovation ecosystem was still taking shape, Jyoti dared to reimagine the role of design and product strategy in building scalable businesses.
InventIndia quickly rose to prominence as a globally recognized industrial design and development firm, working with industry giants like Reliance, Godrej, Wipro, Invixium, and more. The company became known for taking bold ideas and shaping them into successful, market-ready products.
Her role at InventIndia spanned strategy, operations, governance, and employee engagement each carried out with equal rigor and passion. Under her leadership, InventIndia didn’t just create products; it crafted experiences that delighted customers while driving commercial success.
“At InventIndia, we don’t just build prototypes. We build possibilities.”
Today, the company stands as a testament to how Indian entrepreneurship, fueled by creativity and discipline, can compete on the global stage.
On2Cook: Reinventing the Way the World Cooks
While InventIndia was scaling new heights, Jyoti co-created another disruptive venture On2Cook India Pvt. Ltd., where she now serves as executive director and board member.
On2Cook emerged from a simple yet profound question:
Why does cooking have to be slow, or why does faster cooking always compromise taste and nutrition?
By applying first-principle thinking, Jyoti and her team redefined the problem. Cooking, at its core, is nothing but heat transfer and flavor infusion. Instead of tweaking existing stoves or microwaves, they asked, “Why not combine flame and microwave together?”
The result was revolutionary: On2Cook, the world’s fastest cooking device, which reduces cooking time by 70% while preserving taste and nutrition.
This innovation not only disrupts kitchens but also reflects Jyoti’s larger philosophy refusing to accept limits that never really existed.
Recognitions and Global Influence
Jyoti Sudhir’s leadership has not gone unnoticed. Over the years, she has been celebrated with 40+ national and international awards, including:
- National Entrepreneurship Award
- German Innovation Award
- iF Design Award
- A’ Design Award
- International Design Awards
- Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 by Amazon Sambhav
- India SME 100 Award 2022
Her impact has also been recognized by platforms such as The CEO Magazine, which named her among India’s Top 30 Women Entrepreneurs.
Beyond awards, Jyoti has served as a jury member for four international innovation platforms, bringing an Indian perspective to global conversations. She has also represented innovation on platforms like TEDx, where she has inspired thousands with her clarity, conviction, and courage.
Leadership Beyond Business: Boards, Mentorship & Governance
Jyoti’s influence extends far beyond entrepreneurship. She serves as an independent director on the boards of three companies, where her insights in corporate governance, communication, and innovation strategy shape organizational futures.
She also actively contributes to national platforms such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Ahmedabad Management Association, and multiple innovation task forces. Through these roles, she champions policies and practices that strengthen India’s innovation ecosystem.
As a certified independent director from the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Jyoti exemplifies governance with integrity and foresight.
The Coach and Mentor: Shaping People, Not Just Products
Behind the entrepreneur and innovator lies another powerful dimension of Jyoti the coach and mentor.
As a faculty member and certified life coach with the Image Consulting Business Institute (ICBI), Jyoti has trained countless professionals in leadership, negotiation, emotional intelligence, team management, and design thinking.
Her colleagues and mentees consistently describe her as passionate, articulate, and deeply inspiring. Testimonials from professionals highlight how her mentoring combines clarity with empathy, enabling people to unlock their potential.
Whether coaching individuals or leading teams, Jyoti has always placed people at the center of her approach. After all, innovation is not just about technology, it’s about people and possibilities.
Philosophy of First-Principle Thinking
One of the recurring themes in Jyoti’s leadership is her embrace of first-principle thinking. Instead of accepting assumptions, she strips problems down to their fundamentals and rebuilds solutions from scratch.
This philosophy has guided both InventIndia and On2Cook and continues to inspire her teams. In her words:
- “Don’t inherit problems; strip them down.”
- “Don’t chase small fixes; challenge the assumptions.”
- “Don’t confuse how things are with how they have to be.”
It is this mindset that has enabled Jyoti to not only create award-winning products but also inspire a generation of entrepreneurs and innovators.
Balancing Roles: Motherhood and Leadership
Amidst all her professional achievements, Jyoti proudly embraces her role as a mother. She often credits motherhood for shaping her empathy, patience, and resilience qualities that deeply influence her leadership style.
Her ability to balance demanding roles, from boardrooms to family rooms, makes her journey relatable to countless women striving to make their mark in leadership without giving up on personal aspirations.
Building India’s Product Innovation Ecosystem
At the heart of Jyoti’s vision lies a mission larger than her companies building India’s product innovation ecosystem.
She believes India has immense untapped potential in design and product development. With the right mix of creativity, infrastructure, and strategic thinking, the country can emerge as a global hub for innovation.
Through InventIndia, On2Cook, and her contributions to policy and mentorship, Jyoti continues to fuel this ecosystem, ensuring that Indian ideas don’t just remain on paper but turn into globally competitive realities.
Lessons from Jyoti Sudhir’s Journey
Jyoti’s story offers lessons for entrepreneurs, leaders, and dreamers alike:
- Start with People – Understanding human needs is the foundation of meaningful innovation.
- Challenge Assumptions – Progress comes from questioning limits, not accepting them.
- Balance Purpose with Profit – True leadership lies in building sustainable businesses that create value beyond revenue.
- Lead with Empathy – People are not just resources; they are partners in the journey of innovation.
- Think Global, Act Indian – India has the potential to lead globally if its innovators embrace both local context and global ambition.
The Road Ahead
As Jyoti looks to the future, her goals remain rooted in her philosophy of innovation with purpose. She envisions scaling On2Cook globally, strengthening InventIndia’s impact, and mentoring the next wave of entrepreneurs.
With over two decades of experience, countless accolades, and an unshakable commitment to possibility, Jyoti Sudhir continues to inspire as a leader who doesn’t just adapt to the future but actively builds it.
Conclusion
Jyoti Sudhir is more than an entrepreneur; she is a builder of ecosystems, a nurturer of ideas, and a beacon for purposeful leadership. Her story is proof that innovation is not about having the best technology or resources but about having the courage to question, the clarity to reframe, and the conviction to build.
In her own words:
“Real progress isn’t about faster tweaks. It’s about refusing to accept limits that were never real in the first place.” And with leaders like Jyoti Sudhir at the helm, India’s innovation journey is not just promising; it is unstoppable.
Next: Akanksha Kulkarni: Awakening Consciousness and Redefining Leadership in a Modern World
