Given only four months to live, Kanika Tekriwal turned her life around with courage and determination. She overcame cancer and went on to build JetSetGo, now a Rs 420 crore private jet company, starting with just Rs 5600. Her journey is a powerful story of resilience, ambition, and never giving up.
New Delhi: Here’s a story that sounds like it’s straight out of a movie. Meet Kanika Tekriwal, the founder and CEO of JetSetGo. She started her company with just ₹5600, and today, it’s a massive ₹420 crore empire. Her journey is a huge inspiration for anyone who feels like giving up when things get tough.
In 2021, Kanika was named India’s youngest self-made woman billionaire. She has also been featured on Forbes’ ’30 Under 30′ list in both 2016 and 2017. You might have even seen her as a judge on the popular show, Shark Tank India Season 5.
A Tough Fight with Cancer and a Grand Comeback
Kanika was born into a traditional Marwari family and was always interested in business. After finishing her degree from Coventry University in England, she was planning to start her own venture. But life threw a massive curveball at her. At just 21, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Around 40 doctors gave her a grim prognosis: she had only four months to live. But Kanika, with her incredible willpower, refused to give up. She found a doctor in Mumbai, underwent treatment, and fought her way back to life. “It was only after surviving cancer that I realised life is very short, and I must live for my dreams and fly as high as I can,” Kanika later recalled.
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Breaking Barriers to Launch JetSetGo
In 2014, she laid the foundation for JetSetGo. Stepping into the male-dominated aviation industry wasn’t easy. She faced a lot of ridicule, and some people even told her to sell cupcakes instead of getting into the airline business. But Kanika didn’t listen. Without raising any money from outside, she invested her own ₹5600 and started what would become the country’s largest private jet network.
Today, JetSetGo has a strong presence in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, New York, and Dubai, and operates India’s largest fleet of private jets and helicopters. The company also has the backing of big names like industrialist Puneet Dalmia and former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh.
The ‘Uber for Jets’ Business Model
Kanika smartly identified the gaps in the aviation market. Instead of spending crores on buying her own planes, she came up with an ‘asset-light’ model. She created a digital platform to bring together unused private jets and helicopters, basically like an ‘Uber for jets’.
This model, which she started with just ₹5600, cut out the middlemen and ensured full transparency with digital booking. Customers could see the exact price and book jets directly. With reliable service and punctuality, she quickly won the trust of corporate clients and high-profile individuals. Her company also took care of maintaining the planes for the owners, making it a simple process for them to rent out their aircraft.
Initially, the company only aggregated planes owned by others. But as it grew profitable, JetSetGo started managing its own fleet of aircraft and helicopters.
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Personal Life and Happy Moments
Kanika is married to P. Sarath Chandra Reddy, a businessman from Hyderabad and the Non-Executive Director of Aurobindo Pharma. While achieving great success in the business world, the couple welcomed a baby boy on May 28, 2026.
Kanika Tekriwal’s life proves that if you have a dream and the determination to chase it, you can overcome any challenge and touch the sky.