Our Story

Ney-thri

[nay-three] sanskrit noun

A female leader and guide
A shining light

The Story of Neythri

Neythri co-founders Mythili Sankaran, Sruthi Ramaswami & Chitra Nayak reminisce about the origin and evolution of Neythri

Mythili

Neythri was not a “Eureka” moment - the idea came from a very personal place for me. From my early days as a solo engineer in a research lab to a product leader leading large teams to an executive managing board rooms later in my career, I was accustomed to being the lone woman in the room and most times the only woman of color. I was so busy pursuing a career and managing a growing family, I didn’t even realize the need and importance of a professional network, let alone a women’s network.

But as a startup entrepreneur navigating the venture ecosystem, I became acutely aware of the lack of representation, explicit gender bias and lack of support networks. Not only were there limited resources available, a female entrepreneur that looked like me was rarely in sight!

I believe we are products of both our environment and experiences. The aspiration to create this platform springs from my own professional and personal experiences and challenges. As a mother of two young girls, I became passionate about advocating for representation, role modeling and mentorship. As a first-time female entrepreneur I experienced the frustrations of raising my series A funding round and bore the brunt of the traditional ecosystem’s biases during that time. It was my husband, Shekar, who challenged me into channeling my frustrations into an impact-creating idea at the intersection of my professional and personal network – a powerful one that represented an untapped opportunity. As I reflected on the incredible women that were part of my personal and social network - South Asian women who were mighty leaders building products, services, businesses and companies - I realized that we rarely conversed about our professional aspirations and how we could leverage our collective strengths, advise, motivate and “lift” each other. As I reached out and dialogued with scores of South Asian women in my extended network it became increasingly clear that while South Asian women are making amazing strides in various industries from technology to politics to arts, we did not have a common forum to come together as a community and support our professional aspirations and cultivate leadership.

Among the many women that I met during this time, two individuals who I had known for a long time resonated deeply with the idea and raised their hands to join me as co-founders - Chitra Nayak, a highly respected and seasoned corporate executive who had embarked on a portfolio career primarily serving on corporate boards, and Sruthi Ramaswami, a young professional in venture capital who I have actually known since she was one week old! Chitra, Sruthi and I began ideating Neythri in September 2019 in our living rooms and backyards, united by the belief that our voices are stronger together.

Chitra

For me, co-creating and growing Neythri has always been about give-back; however, in addition to the amazing tales our members tell of how they benefit from our community, I have been so gratified and rewarded by deep, authentic relationships I have been able to build personally with so many.

We relied on an astounding 100+ women in our Neythri community in the first three years to shape all aspects of Neythri. Right from the start, skilled leaders worked to develop the brand identity and design principles. And then our community members created our programming, whether it was the Neythri Salon playbook, or our stellar Board Readiness program, our Board Candidate databook or our social impact events, to name a few. Neythri volunteers led the way, working with each other to strategize, plan, execute, and deliver the high-quality programming Neythri has become known for. And today, our Leadership Circle members continue to lead our Salons, our Industry Roundtables, and our Board programs, as well as provide advice and support to others in the community through our Advisor Network, for which we are grateful. We really could not have done it without this group.

We find it deeply gratifying to hear about how Neythri enables our South Asian female community to rise to greater heights. We have women who are beginning to serve on boards after participating in our Board Readiness program. We hear stories of women finding their leadership roles based on referrals and relationships made at Neythri. We learn that some women gain the confidence from others at Neythri to ask for that well-deserved promotion and to negotiate to successfully recognize their true worth when they take on new roles. These are just a few examples of the wonderfulness that is Neythri. As one woman said, “It’s the golf course we never had”.

Sruthi

My journey to Neythri is a blend of serendipity, a love for community, creative expression, and a great deal of luck. I began my career in investment banking at a large financial institution, where about half of my analyst class consisted of women. However, that representation looked very different at the more senior levels.

As I reflected on where I could find role models in my field, I increasingly noticed South Asian women ascending to leadership positions across various industries—CEOs, entrepreneurs, designers, athletes, actresses, and politicians. This sparked a deep curiosity in me to uncover their stories and explore the connection between South Asian culture and leadership identity.

I first began exploring this curiosity by launching with my cousin Shakti Collaborative, a digital collection that showcased the narratives of South Asian women. Our goal was to highlight our collective accomplishments and create a space for perspectives on topics that are often overlooked in our community. About a year after we started Shakti Collaborative, Mythili reached out, and we caught up over coffee in San Francisco. Little did I know then that our conversation would spark such a strong resonance about the immense opportunity to create a community for South Asian women. Mythili then brought Chitra into our discussion, which led to a series of brainstorming sessions and informal events at our homes, where we ideated and dreamt up the vision for Neythri.

To me, Neythri represents an opportunity to build close connections among like-minded women, cultivate a sense of belonging and appreciation for our South Asian roots, and be inspired by those who are trailblazing paths for the next generation. The Neythri community has been a listening ear, a cheerleader, and an immense support system, helping me feel and be my best. I am excited to continue expanding the cross-generational nature of Neythri for many years to come and to create the destination for South Asian women leaders - current, rising and aspiring. As one of our fellow members put it, “Neythri truly feels like home”.

Since our official launch in March 2020, Neythri has quickly grown from the small gatherings in our living rooms and backyards to a vibrant, leading global organization of 3200+ amazing South Asian professional women of diverse backgrounds and professional experience coming together to forge connections, share, support, and learn from each other.