The 2000 AWIB Entrepreneurial Achievement Award Winner - Bhana Grover
Founder and CEO
Chaitime.com
Phlair
Chaitime.com, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the premier gathering place on the Web for South Asians living at home and abroad - a spot to network, access information, go shopping, debate issues and build community ties. Like "chai", a heady brew of black tea, cardamom, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, milk and honey, the South Asian community is a diverse mix of consumers that spans the glove. The term South Asia encompasses seven countries: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, the Maldives and Bhutan. Chaitime.com targets South Asians worldwide. The site features culture-specific "Chai- channels" such as Astrology, Bollywood, Careers, Education, Cricket, Greeting Cards, IndieCulture, Music, News, Relationships, Singles' Scene, Young and Desi, weddings as well as free e-mail, chat and discussion groups.
Bhana Grover founded Chaitime.com in 1999 and served as its CEO until this past month. A serial entrepreneur, she started her first business at 12 years old when she sold musical Christmas cards. She used her savings to buy 1,000 cards but since she was Hindu and not Christian, she had to enlist all her family members to help and made a profit. To this day, when Christmas rolls around, her brother sends her the same musical card.
Born in New Delhi, India and Bhana was raised in the United States by a single mother. Bhana attributes her success to her mother who taught her the value of being a survivor (not the TV series survivor). Bhana's career has been dedicated to preserving her Indian heritage and Chaitime.com is a reflection of her vision.
After graduating from Drexel University in 1990 with a degree in retail management and design, she spent one year at the Sorbonne and fell in love with the potential of computers. She dreamt about combining art with technology in her own business and finally, in 1994, she embarked on her first entrepreneurial venture when she founded Niche Media Inc., a multimedia company that produced high-quality CD-ROM applications to educate Indian children about their culture.
Under Bhana's leadership, Chaitime.com received a total of $25 million in venture capital. The second round financing is to be used to expand the company into India and to build out the Chaitime.com brand globally. Last month, Bhana decided to serve on board of Chaitme.com and continue her commitment to the South Asian and to Chaitime while exploring other entrepreneurial options to add to her portfolio of accomplishments. Her passion is evident as her love for chai!
Bhana's advice to other women entrepreneurs is "be passionate, and remember there are many people who will help you on the path to success. It is not the venture capitalists, but your family, your friends, and your work colleagues who provide the infrastructure for you to grow as a person and as a business owner".
Bhana is married and as of the date of the award ceremony, 3 months pregnant with her first child.