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At Tokyo Paralympics this year, India put up its best show yet, winning an unprecedented 19 medals despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic — all because of the hard work of para-athletes.

Among them were Avani Lekhara and Ekta Bhyan who rose above disability to help India post a formidable medals’ haul. 

For Avani, a 19-year-old rifle shooter, training was a massive challenge amid the lockdown as shooting ranges were closed. Despite the difficulties, she became the first woman to win two Paralympic medals by winning gold and silver.

“I went in there, gave my 100 percent with full focus and came first, winning a berth in the Tokyo Paralympics,” she recalled.

In a conversation with HerStory, Ekta, who participated in the club and discus throw events, talked about her experiences at the Paralympics and why advocacy for inclusivity and more women in para-sports matters.

“We also need to break the mental barriers surrounding the disabled. Give them more opportunities,” she added.

The Interview

Vikram Sathaye covers a wide range of topics with the co-founders of Delhivery – Suraj Saharan and Kapil Bharati. Listen in as these industry leaders discuss everything from farming, to fatherhood, to the freedom that comes from working with a reputed organisation like AWS.

Editor’s Pick: Product Roadmap

A virtual cyber fusion centre orchestrates people, processes, and technologies to boost threat intelligence sharing, accelerate threat response velocity, and reduce the risk of cybersecurity breaches, while improving cybersecurity posture risks.

Anuj Goel and Akshat Jain founded Cyware to build a Virtual Cyber Fusion Center (vCFC) platform that provides a collective defence security strategy for large enterprises across industry sectors. Read more.

Startup Spotlight

How COVID-19 turbocharged EnKash 

Founded in 2017, EnKash solves finance-related pain points of business  — bills, payments, loans, business credit and prepaid cards, purchase orders, and more —  with a quaint, centralised platform.

Over the last year, EnKash claims its revenue has grown more than 100 percent, year on year, with COVID-19 accelerating its growth. Read More. 

News & Updates

• SoftBank Vision Fund has elevated Sumer Juneja to the role of managing partner. The year 2021 has been the busiest in terms of number of deals in India for the fund, which has deployed a little over $3 billion across Indian startups.

• Myntra, India’s biggest fashion marketplace, has forayed into social commerce at scale amid the ecommerce boom in India and the rise of online shopping.

• Retailers Association of India (RAI) on Tuesday urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, state governments, and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council to reconsider the proposed hike in GST rates on textiles and apparel items.

Before you go, stay inspired with… 

“The billion-dollar valuation is definitely a milestone for us, and it certifies that the mission we’re on is credible. It’s still just the start for us though.” 

— Akhil Gupta, Founder and CTPO, NoBroker

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