Kanika Tekriwal founded JetSetGo in 2014, transforming India's private aviation industry with a technology-driven platform for transparent aircraft charter, leasing, and management services.
From overcoming cancer at 22 to building a successful aviation startup, explore Kanika Tekriwal’s inspiring journey of creating JetSetGo and redefining private air travel in India.
Written by TFN Research Desk | covering startups, technology, venture capital, and business strategy.
Table of Contents
- Who is Kanika Tekriwal?
- Early Life and Education
- Career Before JetSetGo
- How JetSetGo Started
- Funding History
- Revenue and Recent Challenges
- Public Recognition
- JetSetGo vs Competitors
- Investor Perspective
- Founder Timeline
- Key Takeaways
- FAQs
- Sources
Who is Kanika Tekriwal?
Kanika Tekriwal is the founder and CEO of JetSetGo, a private aviation platform she built into one of India’s largest non-scheduled aircraft operators after being told, at 22, that she had cancer. She started the company with a modest personal investment and no outside funding for its first two years, turning private jet charter, an industry long dominated by opaque pricing and older male operators, into a technology-driven, transparent business.
Early Life and Education
Tekriwal was born into a Marwari family in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. She completed part of her schooling at Jawaharlal Nehru Senior Secondary School in Bhopal and attended Lawrence School, Lovedale, before moving to the United Kingdom, where she studied commerce and finance-related subjects and later graduated from Coventry University.
Career Before JetSetGo
Tekriwal developed an interest in aviation from around age 16 and went on to work in aircraft sales and charter services before starting her own company, gaining first-hand exposure to how fragmented and opaque India’s private aviation market was. At 22, while her business idea was still forming, she was diagnosed with stage-2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She has said she told her doctors during chemotherapy that she would return to see them in 40 years, and continued planning her company through treatment rather than pausing her ambitions until recovery was certain.
How JetSetGo Started
Tekriwal founded JetSetGo in 2014 with co-founders Sudheer Perla and Nag Manohar, launching with a modest personal investment and relying on client advances and vendor credit to fund operations for the first two years rather than outside capital. The idea was to build an “Uber for the skies,” a digital marketplace connecting aircraft owners with charter customers through transparent pricing rather than the phone-call-driven, opaque booking process that dominated the industry. Early investor meetings were often dismissive, with some questioning the market size before ending conversations, but Tekriwal’s decision to bootstrap and prove the model through client trust became the company’s founding proof point.
Funding History
| Round | Year | Amount | Lead Investor(s) |
| Angel round | Jul 2015 | Not publicly disclosed | Individual angel investors including Puneet Dalmia |
| Seed round | Feb 2018 | Not publicly disclosed | YWC Venture Capital and other investors |
JetSetGo has raised a total of $4.39 million across four funding rounds from around 10 investors, according to Tracxn, a modest sum for an aviation business, reflecting Tekriwal’s preference for retaining founder control; founders still own the majority stake in the company.
Revenue and Recent Challenges
JetSetGo’s legal entity, JetSetGo Aviation Services, reported revenue of ₹352 crore for the fiscal year ending March 2025, according to Tracxn, with a roughly 1 percent year-on-year revenue growth rate. The company operates in a capital-intensive industry with strict regulatory requirements and high fixed costs, and building trust with aircraft owners wary of a young, women-led startup managing high-value assets was an early and persistent challenge. JetSetGo has since diversified into aircraft leasing, ownership advisory, and more recently, urban air mobility partnerships exploring eVTOL aircraft for future city transportation.
Public Recognition
Tekriwal has been recognized on Forbes Asia’s 30 Under 30 list, BBC’s 100 Women list, and as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. She received the National Entrepreneurship Award from the Government of India and, more recently, joined Shark Tank India Season 5 as one of the youngest investors on the panel.
JetSetGo vs Competitors
| Brand | Founded | Positioning |
| JetSetGo | 2014 | Transparent private jet and helicopter charter, management, and leasing in India |
| Club One Air | 2012 | Private jet and helicopter charter, Indian market |
| VistaJet | 2004 | Global private aviation, subscription-based membership model |
JetSetGo differentiated itself in the Indian market through technology-driven transparency and asset management services rather than aircraft ownership, while global players like VistaJet compete on international membership-based access.
Investor Perspective
Tekriwal’s willingness to build through a serious health diagnosis, rather than delay her venture until fully recovered, reflects unusual founder resolve. Her strength lies in professionalizing a historically opaque, relationship-driven industry through technology and transparent pricing, while retaining founder control by avoiding heavy dilution. The risk is that private aviation remains a capital-intensive, low-margin, and highly regulated business, and JetSetGo’s revenue growth has been comparatively modest in recent years. If its expansion into urban air mobility and eVTOL partnerships materializes at scale, JetSetGo could open a genuinely new market rather than simply compete harder in its existing one.
Founder Timeline
- Birth — Born in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, into a Marwari family
- Schooling — Jawaharlal Nehru Senior Secondary School, Bhopal, and Lawrence School, Lovedale
- Higher education — Studies commerce and finance in the UK, graduates from Coventry University
- Age 22 — Diagnosed with stage-2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- 2014 — Founds JetSetGo with Sudheer Perla and Nag Manohar
- 2015 — Raises first angel funding round
- 2018 — Raises seed round; acquires Indo Pacific Aviation
- Recent years — Expands into aircraft leasing, ownership advisory, and eVTOL partnerships
- Season 5 — Joins Shark Tank India as one of its youngest investors
Key Takeaways
- Building a company through a cancer diagnosis, rather than waiting for full recovery, reflects a founder mindset that treated adversity as a catalyst rather than a delay.
- Bootstrapping through client advances and vendor credit preserved founder control in a capital-intensive industry where outside investors were initially skeptical.
- Professionalizing an opaque, relationship-driven industry through transparent technology can be a durable differentiator even without large funding rounds.
- Diversifying into adjacent categories like leasing, advisory, and urban air mobility gives a niche aviation business more paths to long-term growth.
FAQs
Who founded JetSetGo?
Kanika Tekriwal, along with co-founders Sudheer Perla and Nag Manohar, in 2014.
How much funding has JetSetGo raised?
About $4.39 million across four rounds, according to Tracxn.
What is JetSetGo’s revenue?
Its legal entity reported ₹352 crore in revenue for FY25.
Where did Kanika Tekriwal study?
Lawrence School, Lovedale, and later Coventry University in the UK.
What health challenge did Tekriwal face?
She was diagnosed with stage-2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 22, before recovering and building JetSetGo.
What awards has she received?
Forbes Asia’s 30 Under 30, BBC’s 100 Women, WEF Young Global Leader, and India’s National Entrepreneurship Award.
Is Kanika Tekriwal on Shark Tank India?
Yes, she joined as an investor in Season 5.
What makes JetSetGo different?
Its focus on transparency, technology, and asset management rather than pure aircraft ownership.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Kanika Tekriwal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanika_Tekriwal
- BIGSTORY Network — Kanika Tekriwal profile: https://www.bigstorynetwork.com/content/kanika-tekriwal-how-a-bold-idea-took-indian-private-aviation-to-new-heights
- Forbes — Kanika Tekriwal profile: https://www.forbes.com/profile/kanika-tekriwal/
- The Logical Indian — Kanika Tekriwal’s Shark Tank India journey: https://thelogicalindian.com/from-cancer-survivor-to-shark-tank-india-investor-how-kanika-tekriwal-built-jetsetgo-against-all-odds/
- Tracxn — JetSetGo company and funding profile: https://tracxn.com/d/companies/jetsetgo/__aLH8WgaGxNJSMRUdgjugAdAkCjrTq1ZXIArX9QuLx9s
- Tracxn — JetSetGo Aviation Services financial profile: https://tracxn.com/d/legal-entities/india/jetsetgo-aviation-services-private-limited/__OTZ-Uv4BWQ3ynO9oKyK6ij1y23DnKxK8qRf4ceW_dUc
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