🍂 Namaste, Brown Girl.
The sparkle came early this Diwali season (and spoiler alert, it’s not from the diyas). It’s coming from you - because this community is glowing brighter than Diwali fireworks.
Welcome back to Brown Girls, Money Moves—your monthly roundup of the wins, headlines, and hustle fueling the Brown girl founder and investor ecosystem.
Here’s what’s brewing in this issue 👇🏽
💄 Brown girl beauty brands winning awards, celeb hearts and headlines
🪔 Diwali magic—everything you need to gift, glam, and glow this season
💰 New funding rounds and bold raises
🍴 IRL magic with the BGA community
🎙️ New episode drop of your favorite new brown girl business podcast
Grab your chai (make it extra spicy this week) and let’s dive in. 🔥 ☕
spicy money moves
👑
🍂 Fall’s supposed to be cozy season—but Brown girls? We’re booked, busy, and breaking news. From GMA shoutouts to Target takeovers, our community’s writing the kind of headlines we want to read. Here’s what’s making moves this month:
👑
📺 POV: your brand makes celebs like Mindy Kaling swoon on national TV. Deepica Mutyala’s Live Tinted gets some major love on GMA.
🪔 From living rooms to Target shelves. Akruti Babaria’s Kulture Khazana is officially nationwide in 282 stores this Diwali—representation in the aisles, not just the hashtags.
💄 Mascara goals unlocked. Priyanka Ganjoo’s Kulfi Beauty just won Allure’s Best of Beauty Award for Best Tubing Mascara. Cue the clump-free victory lap.
👶🏽 Tahira Dosani (GP + Co-Founder of ResilienceVC) is out here rewriting the rules: leading Parento’s oversubscribed $5.9M raise to bring paid parental leave to working parents everywhere.
👜 From e-commerce to legacy — Dagne Dover, co-founded by Deepa Gandhi, just got the Forbes spotlight for building more than bags — they’re building culture, community, and a blueprint for modern retail.
Check out all of this month’s brown girl wins here.
We love celebrating brown girl wins ✨ Got a recent win, milestone, or shoutout you want us to know about? 📩 Submit your win by filling out this form and let the BGA community hype you up. 🤎
the brown girl founder’s club
In honor of World Mental Health Day this month, we’re shining a light on inspiring brown girl founders who are transforming mental health care in South Asian communities.
For too long, mental health has been a taboo topic, but these trailblazers are breaking down barriers and making mental health resources more accessible and relevant to traditionally underserved communities. 🤎
brown girls, bold moves podcast
Many people assume I had a finance background when I started angel investing.
Spoiler alert: I had to Google my first investment term mid-call with a founder. 😅
My angel investing journey started after my divorce - when I was looking for a way to turn the page and pay it forward to other women.
For me, it’s always been about impact. Since writing that first check, I’ve seen the true value of women-led businesses, and why it’s time for more of us to take a seat at the cap table.
🎙️ Tune in to the latest episode of Brown Girls, Bold Moves to learn more about what inspired me to create a space for South Asian women to talk money, risk, and entrepreneurship.
🎧 Listen to the full episode here
👉🏽 Watch the full episode here:
BGA in the wild
💰 Women’s Venture Summit 🎤
If you needed proof that the world of investing is changing — the Women’s Venture Summit, hosted by Stella Foundation is it.
Speaking at Women’s Venture Summit this year was a true full-circle moment. I shared the stage with three incredible fund managers (and recommended our very own BGA VC member, Shruti Shah, to join the conversation 🤎). Together, we unpacked how to channel capital into growth opportunity markets and encourage more women to start investing.
My biggest takeaway? Synchronicity > FOMO. Not chasing. Not forcing. Just trusting the right conversations to happen when they’re meant to. And they did.
This was more proof that the landscape is shifting — and that more women investors means more capital flowing where it’s needed most.
💡 If you’re a South Asian woman who’s been curious about investing but never thought it was accessible, our first angel investing course of the season was designed with you in mind.
Learn more below.
🙋🏾♀️ Brown Girls, Desi Dinners🍴
Turns out, we’re not the only ones craving connection - because the response to our Brown Girls, Desi Dinners series has been unreal. Clearly, there’s a hunger for spaces where ambitious South Asian women can slow down, show up, and speak freely.
Our first dinner in Toronto was magic. Brown women from across industries - founders, execs, dreamers, and doers - filled the room with real talk, laughter, and stories that hit home. We came for conversation, stayed for community, and (of course) shut the restaurant down.
The best part? We’re just getting started. More cities, more stories, more seats at the table - coming your way this fall. Make sure you’re on the waitlist. ✨
🗓️ Upcoming Dinners:
🍽️ Hong Kong
🍽️ Austin
🍽️ Toronto
An espresso shot for your brain
The problem with most business news? It’s too long, too boring, and way too complicated.
Morning Brew fixes all three. In five minutes or less, you’ll catch up on the business, finance, and tech stories that actually matter—written with clarity and just enough humor to keep things interesting.
It’s quick. It’s free. And it’s how over 4 million professionals start their day. Signing up takes less than 15 seconds—and if you’d rather stick with dense, jargon-packed business news, you can always unsubscribe.
bhar’s picks
🪔 Forget the laddoos — impress your Diwali host with one of these unique gifts from brown girl-founded brands. From chic kitchenware and South Asian-inspired home goods to sustainable wine, luxury flowers, and even a desi party board game, our guide has something for every host.
👗 Need help picking out the perfect Diwali outfit? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Whether it’s a casual family get together or a fancy party sharty, these brown girl-founded apparel brands will have you looking festive and fab.
GUPSHUP
Because no brown girl gathering ends without a little gupshup. Here’s what’s coming up and what you don’t want to miss:
📣 Calling all Toronto brown girl besties!
We’re thrilled to share that BGA is an official Community Partner for the Immigrants in Tech Summit 2025 hosted by Scale Without Borders. 🎉
📍 The ROM | October 20, 2025
This summit is the go-to event for immigrant tech talent—spotlighting immigrant-led innovation across industries, from Pre-Seed to Series B.
✨ Bonus: our very own Bhargavi Varma will be a judge as founders pitch live on stage to investors, partners, and media.
Are you currently raising? 👉🏽 Apply here to pitch.
🎟️ Secure your ticket with our community discount code: BGA
call to action
📣 SPREAD THE LOVE
📩Got a brown girl founder or product you love? Submit their info
🙋🏾♀️We love celebrating brown girl founders who are building bold, brilliant, and inspiring companies. Got something in the works or looking to raise soon? We’d love to hear from you.
🫱🏽🫲🏾If you’re looking to get your brand, product or service in front of a community of South Asian women who love to uplift, invest, and support each other—this is your sign. Reach out to learn more about our sponsored content opportunities
If you missed our poll last time, let us know now what you’re interested in!