Shows
The Innovation ConversationAhana Banerjee- Founder & CEO at Clear (YC W21) | Forbes 30u30 | The Sunday Times Young Power ListIn this episode of the Innovation Conversation, Ahana Banerjee, founder and CEO of Clear, shares her journey from studying physics at Imperial College London to launching a beauty tech startup. She discusses the challenges of entrepreneurship, the impact of privilege, and her experience with Y Combinator. Ahana reflects on her personal struggles with skincare, which inspired her to create an app that helps users track their skincare routines. She also delves into the complexities of fundraising as a female founder and the decision-making process that led her to focus on Clear over other ideas. In...2025-02-2755 min
Founders FutureBuilding a Data-Backed Skincare Revolution: Ahana Banerjee’s JourneyIn this episode of *Founders Future*, Laura Skinner interviews Ahana Banerjee, CEO and co-founder of Clear, a data-driven app revolutionizing the skincare industry. Ahana shares her deeply personal journey that inspired Clear, stemming from her struggles with cystic acne and the lack of reliable skincare solutions. Clear empowers users to track skincare progress through data-backed tools and unbiased product recommendations while partnering with brands to offer clinical-style consumer testing and actionable feedback. Ahana discusses Clear’s innovative monetization strategies, the challenges of building trust in a saturated market, and her disciplined approach to achieving product-market fit before scaling. She al...2025-01-0830 min
30 & Thriving with Alberto ZandiThe Skincare Enthusiast: How To Come Up With A $19M Idea In A Week - Ahana BanerjeeBuilding a business is not always about finding an external gap in the market. Ahana Banerjee looked inward to what mattered to her to come up with a business idea while at university.After experiencing severe acne through her teenage years, Ahana deleted her Instagram account and was determined to develop a platform for people to share their experiences with acne without being judged.She developed Clear, a first-of-its-kind app that allows you to track your skincare routine and connect with other users who might be experiencing similar issues. Within two years, it...2024-09-1258 min
The Startup Journey Podcast#9 Navigating the Skincare Revolution with Forbes 30 Under 30 and Clear's CEO Ahana BanerjeeIn this episode, Ahana Banerjee, CEO of Clear, recounts her journey from a physics student at Imperial College London to founding a social commerce app for skincare.
Her hard work on the project led her to Y Combinator, and a Forbes 30 under 30 award, despite all the struggles she had as a female founder who was, as she put it “often dismissed due to her gender.”
In this conversation, we delve into:
The genesis and evolution of Clear
Strategies for overcoming startup challenges
Insights on securing venture capital and recognition
Balancing the demands of entrepreneurship with...2024-07-311h 14
VenturesAhana Banerjee: Lessons from Raising Money in YC - Women are Under-represented in Startups | Ep01Ahana Banerjee is the Founder of Clear a beauty tech startup that lets users track and share their skincare routines and buy products. Valued at $15 million, Clear has partnered with more than 2,000 brands, has 9,000 users on the app and about $1 million in VC funding. Clear also the 2022 L'Oréal Beauty Tech for Good winners, selected by Beiersdorf for the Beauty Tech Innovation Summit 2023, and were featured under "Best New Apps and Updates" on the iOS App Store in 2023.
In Today’s Episode with Ahana Banerjee, We Discuss:
1.) Ahana Background
2.) Yc exp...2024-03-2741 min
The LifeboatEmpower Your Startup with Ahana Gautam | Lifeboat | Vinayak Burman ~ VBJoin us for a captivating episode of 'The Lifeboat' featuring the dynamic Ahana Gautam, Founder and CEO of Open Secret. Dive into a world of entrepreneurial wisdom and innovative hacks essential for every aspiring entrepreneur.
Ahana Gautam, renowned for her determination, resilience, and confidence, shares her inspiring journey and practical insights that make her a force in the business world. This episode is an absolute must-watch for anyone seeking motivation and guidance on their entrepreneurial path.
In the 7th episode, Ahana addresses key business concepts like balancing tangible and intangible capital, adopting a founder’s mindset, and the transformational ro...2024-01-132h 07
The LifeboatEmpowering Women in Business: Ahana Gautam's Story | Vinayak Burman ~ VBPrepare for an insightful entrepreneurial journey on the upcoming 7th episode of The Lifeboat! Join us for a special conversation with #entrepreneurshipgoals as we welcome Ahana Gautam, the visionary Founder and CEO of Open Secret. #womeninbusinesss #entrepreneurship #startupindia
Ahana is on a mission to transform the Indian junk food industry with her innovative un-junk snacks while empowering women. #HealthySnackingTrends #WomenEntrepreneurs
In this podcast episode, we delve into crucial topics such as the importance of gratitude in the business world, Ahana's unique entrepreneurial approach, and her insights on mentorship and investment. #MentorshipInBusiness #InvestmentInnovation
She also provides valuable advice for job...2024-01-1301 min
the talktankAhana Banerjee - Y Combinator in 4 daysThe Bits & Bytes Series - Ahana Banerjee
Hosted by Ksenia Kutuzova
Today we are speaking to the extraordinary Ahana Banerjee - the founder of the Clear skin social app, which assists you with your skincare routine. Clear was featured under Best Apps in App Store. 📈🌟
Join the skincare social scene!
Check out Clear
At just 21, Ahana embarked on her entrepreneurial journey while studying at Imperial College London. Ahana's remarkable achievements include being accepted into Y Combinator and being...2023-11-2447 min
1947 Rise76: From Factories to Boardrooms: Empowering Women | Ahana Gautam, Open Secret | 1947 RiseAhana Gautam is the CEO & Co-Founder at Open Secret.
India’s leading Food and Beverages company
Through Open Secret she is looking to Unjunk India.
0:00 - Early Life & Shaping Ahana: Ahana's upbringing and influences.
03:17 - Mother's Values: Development of Ahana's mother's values.
05:44 - Learning in the US: Ahana's experiences and lessons abroad.
09:11 - Conviction to Return: What inspired Ahana to move back from the US.
12:39 - First Believer in Funding: Ahana's initial support in funding.
14:31 - Rise of Homegrown Brands: Why Indian consumers prefer local brands.
17:57 - Open Secret's Vision: The future plans for Open Secret.
19:43 - Key Turning Po...2023-09-1437 min
Karishma KonnectEp 56: Karishma Konnect with Ahana Kotibhaskar, Founder, SaathiAt 16 all we knew was I had to pass that exam the next day but here’s a brilliant teen driving purpose and impact through her unique initiative - Saathi. Studying in England, Ahana Kotibhaskar discovered the impact of period poverty on one of her trips to South Asia where she saw women often being constrained to their homes for a cycle that was very natural and humane, at the cost of affordability. She decided to launch reusable period underwear to support these women. Every Saathi underwear you buy is priced at AED 40. You buy one and Saathi donates one wi...2023-07-2318 min
Bae HQ Podcast41. Raising Almost $1M And Completing Y-Combinator For Skincare App at 23 w/ Ahana Banerjee | Clear👉🏽 Take Bae Startup Foundations free: https://www.thebaehq.com/courses/bae-startup-foundations👉🏽 Join Bae HQ: https://www.thebaehq.com/joinAmardeep Parmar from Bae HQ welcomes Ahana Banerjee, the Founder and CEO of Clear. Amardeep Parmar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amardeepsparmarBae HQ: https://www.thebaehq.comAhana Banerjee : https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahana-banerjee/Clear: https://getclearapp.com/2023-03-0834 min
RangManchEp.41 Ahana Kumra's Rangmanch StoriesYou have known Ahana Kumra for her work in webseries, films, and TV shows, but her journey began in the theatre at Prithvi. Ahana Kumra's professional stint with theatre began with Akvarious Productions and she went on to do several plays with Naseeruddin Shah's theatre company - Motley - where she played leading roles in productions such as 'By George' and 'Arms and the Man'. Her strong passion for theatre continues and she is part of the acclaimed production 'Sir Sir Sarla' since 2012 which is still running to house full shows. On this episode of Ra...2023-01-3035 min
Startup BlueprintFounder at 21, Forbes 30 Under 30 - Ahana Banerjee (E21)What problems do female entrepreneurs face? How can I maximise my chances of success as a founder? How should I even go about fundraising if I don’t have a network?
We discuss all this and more with Ahana Banerjee, founder of Clear skincare social app, who at just age 21 was accepted into Y Combinator while still at university. An inspirational story on the power of diligence, resilience and self-belief!
Follow Ahana here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahana-banerjee/
Follow James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/
Follow Suraj here: ht...2023-01-101h 03
Atom CTO PodcastsAccelerate Yourself - A Young Entrepreneur's Journey with Ahana Banerjee from ClearIn this week's podcast we are talking to Ahana Banerjee, the founder of Clear
https://getclearapp.com/
Ahana has quite the founder's story, she decided to join an existing startup whilst at university and during that period realised that instead of working on someone else's idea, she wanted to work on her own and so set up her first startup at the age of 21
She applied to YCombinator with that startup and was told "We like you, but not your idea, come up with a new one" and within a week she had a new business and had already proved...2022-11-2047 min
The One Percent ProjectEpisode 47: Ahana Gautam-Un-Junking the Indian snack industryAbout Ahana Gautam:Indians love their snacks. We have grown up having our samosas, chaats, namkeens and mithais. There are hundreds of local and national snack brands in India. The Indian snacking industry crossed an annual sales of $14 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow by $2.88 billion from 2022 to 2026. While snacks do magic for our tastebuds, they dont always work wonders for our health. Today on The One Percent Project, I am speaking to Ahana Gautam. She is the CEO & Co-Founder of Open Secret, a Harvard Business School and IIT Bombay alum. Open...2022-08-2829 min
Founder StoryAhana Banerjee and the story of ClearOn this episode of Founder Story, we’re stoked to present you the brilliant go-getter Ahana Banerjee. Ahana is the co-founder and CEO of Clear – an app that aims to revolutionize the skincare industry by helping people buy and track their skincare.2022-04-2350 min
Raw Culture#2 - Thriving Thursdays Third Culture Kids with Ahana Banerjee2022 Sietar Austria theme "Between and Beyond the Borders"TCK (third culture kids) expert talk project conceptualized and moderated by Weirong Li with Raw Culture in collaboration with Sietar AustriaExpert: Ahana Banerjee is the co-founder and CEO of Clear. Having been accepted to Y Combinator during the final year of her Physics degree at Imperial College London, Ahana decided to turn down her graduate jobs in finance, leave her degree, and work to innovate in the skincare space with her startup, Clear. Clear is the integrated social commerce app for skincare - they’re bringing tr...2022-04-0849 min
Think with LucieEpisode 28 - Female Founder Series with Ahana Banerjee (Founder of Clear)Episode 28 features Ahana Banerjee, cofounder of Clear, the integrated social commerce app for skincare. She is only 22 years old but has achieved more than most people double her age. She graduated from Imperial in BSc Physics last year, started 2 companies, went through the Y Combinator accelerator and has recently raised $800k preseed round.
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahana-banerjee/
https://getclearapp.com/
https://www.ycombinator.com/2022-03-261h 25
The ChoubeySahab PodcastEp 4 - Raising $800k pre-seed💰 at 22y/o🤯 - Ahana Banerjee, Co-founder of Clear | The ChoubeySahab PodcastIn this episode, Ahana Banerjee, Co-founder of Clear shares: 0:00 - intro 1:32 - Ahana's story 11:40 - Clear V/s Quill - Picking One 17:09 - Getting the first set of users for Clear 19:20 - On being raised internationally 24:53 - YC Experience 29:45 - Enduring rejections 34:36 - Raising $800k as pre-seed at 22 36:57 - Working on birthdays 42:54 - Crazy stories while building Clear 45:25 - Ahana's typical day 48:35 - Rapid fire round 50:00 - Links and plugs
🔗Links shared in the episode:
Clear website- https://www.getclearapp.com/
Clear on Twitter- https://twitter.com/getclearapp
Clear on Instagram- https...2022-02-0651 min
The Climb ChroniclesAhana Banerjee | Clear: From an undergrad in Physics to building an integrated social commerce appLast week I had an amazing conversation with Ahana Banerjee, CEO and Co-Founder of Clear, an integrated social commerce app and rewards card for skincareWe spoke candidly about Clear's origins and Ahana's jump into entrepreneurship from a STEM background.Here's a list of all the topics we touched on:- Ahana's background in Physics and why she made the jump into entrepreneurship- Her experience being a part of Y Combinator's esteemed accelerator programme- Building a team and the importance of making the right hiring decisions2022-01-3153 min
masterclass with leap.clubhow to build & scale d2c brands - ahana gautamahana is the ceo & co-founder of open secret. an iit and harvard graduate, she noticed the struggles families face in providing healthy and convenient snacking options for children. ahana has also worked at p&g in the early years of her career. in this masterclass, she will guide us through the process of building a d2c and how she scaled open secret to a healthy success.2021-11-2556 min
Building the Backend: Data Solutions that Power Leading OrganizationsArchitecting a Modern Data Lake with Dipti Borkar from AhanaIn this episode of Building The Backend we hear from Dipti Borkar cofounder @ Ahana a managed service for Presto on AWS, where we talk all about the data lake, how it should be structured and where the industry is going. Below are top 3 value bombs: Presto is an open source distributed SQL query engine originally created by Facebook, mainly used to run SQL queries on data lakes but can be connected to relational data stores as well. Ahana is a managed Presto service on AWS with 3x price/performance. When optimizing your data lake, it’s...2021-11-0939 min
Rise And Be Rich ShowEpisode 21 - Interview with Morry Zelcovitch from The Morry Method Brainwave Technology Part 2In this episode of Rise and Be Rich Ahana interviews Morry Zelcovitch from The Morry Method Brainwave Technology. Make sure you are signed up for our Inner Circle list at https://www.ahanalara.com/highpayingpackages. If you wish to chat with us, contact us here - http://bit.ly/chatwithahana2021-11-0625 minRise And Be Rich ShowEpisode 20 - Interview with Morry Zelcovitch from The Morry Method Brainwave Technology Part 1In this episode of Rise and Be Rich Ahana interviews Morry Zelcovitch from The Morry Method Brainwave Technology. Make sure you are signed up for our Inner Circle list at https://www.ahanalara.com/highpayingpackages. If you wish to chat with us, contact us here - http://bit.ly/chatwithahana2021-11-0620 minRise And Be Rich ShowEpisode 19 - Interview with Sharon Carne from Sound Wellness Part 2In this episode of Rise and Be Rich Ahana interviews Sharon Carne from Sound Wellness. Make sure you are signed up for our Inner Circle list at www.ahanalara.com/highpayingpackages. If you wish to chat with us, contact us here - http://bit.ly/chatwithahana2021-10-2023 minRise And Be Rich ShowEpisode 18 - Interview with Sharon Carne from Sound Wellness Part 1In this episode of Rise and Be Rich Ahana interviews Sharon Carne from Sound Wellness. Make sure you are signed up for our Inner Circle list at www.ahanalara.com/highpayingpackages. If you wish to chat with us, contact us here - http://bit.ly/chatwithahana2021-10-2017 min
The Indianaut PodcastOpen Secret CEO Ahana GautamJoin our WhatsApp Community here: https://bit.ly/IndianautWA1 ~ Ahana Gautam is the co-founder and CEO of Open Secret, a Mumbai-based food and beverages startup that makes healthy snacks for families and children. She is a Harvard Business School and IIT Bombay Alum with close to a decade's experience in working with renowned FMCG organizations. In this episode, Ahana walks us through her incredible journey, from her personal childhood experiences with junk food, to IIT Bombay and Harvard Business School, to working with P&G, before launching Open Secret. Ahana talks about her vision of...2021-09-1626 min
Data Engineering PodcastPresto Powered Cloud Data Lakes At Speed Made Easy With AhanaSummary
The Presto project has become the de facto option for building scalable open source analytics in SQL for the data lake. In recent months the community has focused their efforts on making it the fastest possible option for running your analytics in the cloud. In this episode Dipti Borkar discusses the work that she and her team are doing at Ahana to simplify the work of running your own PrestoDB environment in the cloud. She explains how they are optimizin the runtime to reduce latency and increase query throughput, the ways that they are contributing back...2021-09-021h 00