IT Engineer’s Dream Journey Begins with Rs 50,000 and Approaches Rs 6 Crore in Baby Wellness Venture

Think about a girl from the Tier-2 city of Jamnagar in Gujarat, who was more into sports than academics, but still managed to get her IT degree from G H Patel College of Engineering & Technology, Vidyanagar.

Meet Riddhi Sharma, a state-level volleyball, badminton, and table tennis player under 19, who found her true passion in entrepreneurship following her marriage to Ripul Sharma.

Riddhi Sharma started WebPixel Technologies in 2011 along with her husband with an investment of Rs 50,000 (Photos: Special Arrangement)

Today, this power couple runs not one but two successful businesses. At age 25, Riddhi, along with her husband Ripul launched their first venture, WebPixel Technologies, in 2011 with just Rs 50,000 of their savings.

Following the birth of her child, Riddhi discovered the specific needs of infants and launched BabyOrgano, an exclusive Ayurvedic health and wellness brand for babies, with an initial investment of Rs. 2 lakh in March 2020.


Their first company, WebPixel, is successfully running with a revenue of Rs 70 lakh and employs 40 people, while BabyOrgano has quickly grown, closing the last fiscal year with Rs 2 crore in revenue and aiming to finish at Rs 6 crore this year.

Riddhi recalls her humble beginnings with a smile, "When I first started working after college, my salary was just Rs. 2500 a month. Though it was not much, it was sufficient for me. It gave me my financial independence. I never had to ask for money from my parents again, which I am really proud of."

Riddhi, who graduated with a BE in IT from G H Patel College of Engineering & Technology, Vidyanagar in 2008, initially started her career as a coder in an IT firm located in the same city.

However, her career took a turn when she discovered her passion for marketing, prompting her to switch roles within the company after about four months.

Riddhi was working as Team Leader when she decided to leave her job and focus on her business fulltime

Her dedication and skill in the marketing domain led to her promotion and the chance to work directly with the IT firm's founders.

It was during her time at this firm that Riddhi's path crossed with Ripul Sharma, who was working at OpenXcel in Ahmedabad. They were introduced by a mutual friend for work reasons, but they fell in love and got married.

By 2011, both reached good positions in their respective companies—Riddhi as a Team Leader and Ripul as a Senior Developer & Team Leader.

That year, they started WebPixel Technologies, a company that is into website design and development, mobile application development, SEO services, and web maintenance and hosting.

"Initially, Ripul and I put together Rs. 50,000 from our savings to start WebPixel. We began working out of a small 500 sq ft office in Paldi, Ahmedabad,” says Riddhi.

“At first, it was just the two of us, but soon we brought on board two developers and a designer to help out—two of whom are still with us.” In the first of year of business, they made revenue of Rs 20 lakh.

"In the beginning, Ripul and I were balancing full-time jobs while trying to grow WebPixel,” says Riddhi. “We got some clients from the USA, which meant our workdays extended into the night to cater to our clients during their daytime. This rigorous schedule left us with only 3 to 4 hours of sleep."

The idea for BabyOrgano was birthed after her son was born

As the business grew, so did their team. "Now, we have a strong team of 40 employees at WebPixel Technologies, serving clients from all over the world," say Riddhi proudly.

In 2018, Riddhi took a break for maternity leave as she welcomed a baby boy into her family. Being a new mom, she was keen on choosing the right health and wellness products for her newborn.

"I was quite sceptical about the ingredients in the health and wellness products available for babies from well-known brands. Luckily, my grandmother, who stayed with me for a while, prepared homemade Ayurvedic products for my baby," Riddhi shares.

Her 89-year-old grandmother prepared Ubtan powder, a mixture of turmeric, chickpea flour, and sandalwood, known for its benefits to the baby's skin.

This powder is applied by mixing it with water, curd, or milk for massaging the baby's body. She also made a homemade baby massage oil from a combination of olive oil, wheat germ oil, almond oil, and sesame seed oil.

Riddhi's journey into ayurvedic wellness for babies began when her son, Kayaan, suffered from colic at 4-5 months old. Her grandmother's remedy of applying diluted Asafoetida (hing) on the navel worked wonders, helping him sleep.

After her grandmother went back home six months later, Riddhi, who had started working again, found herself in a tough spot. She didn't have time to make these homemade products for Kayaan.

She looked for Ayurvedic baby care products but couldn't find any Indian brands that catered specifically to babies. Spotting this gap, she decided to take action.

In March 2020, Riddhi launched BabyOrgano, an Ayurvedic brand dedicated to babies, with an initial investment of Rs. 2 lakh, operating right from her home. She introduced the Hing Roll On as the brand's debut product, designed to soothe tummy pains with a blend of hing oil, ginger oil, and sowa oil.

Riddhi with Ripul, her husband and partner in business

Partnering with a manufacturer, Riddhi supplied all the necessary ingredients for BabyOrgano's products, which started with 13 different items.

Some of these include Baalprashan Swarnaprashan Drops for better immunity and memory, Herbal Chocovita for nutrition, and Natural Ubtan for skin care, with prices ranging from Rs. 150 to Rs. 600. These products do not require prescriptions and are readily available over the counter.

During the first six months, the business was making around Rs. 10,000 a month, mainly from Gujarat and Maharashtra. By the end of their first year in 2020-21, BabyOrgano made Rs. 8 lakh.

The following year, the revenue shot up to Rs. 37 lakh, and in the last fiscal year, they finished at Rs. 2 crore. Riddhi is projecting Rs. 6 crore in revenue for the current fiscal year.

90% of their sales come from their own website, with the remaining 10% from platforms like Amazon and Flipkart.

In late August 2023, BabyOrgano received funding of Rs. 1.25 crore from DevX Venture.

Riddhi loves to read self-help books and believes in the power of manifestation

Riddhi, a voracious reader of self-help books, attributes much of her success to the power of manifestation.

She says she has been inspired by books like "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind" by Joseph Murphy, "The 5 AM Club" by Robin Sharma, and "Eat That Frog" by Brian Tracy.

“While self-help books motivate you, they also give you a different perspective for a better life. Such books encourage you to think big, adapt discipline and work hard to succeed in life,” says Riddhi.- ©TWL