Quick Facts
Biography
Dr. Shruti Kapoor (born 25 September) is an Indian economist, women's rights activist, and social entrepreneur. She is the founder of Sayfty, an initiative that aims to educate and empower young women and girls against all forms of violence.
Background
Born in Kanpur, India Kapoor moved to the United States in 2000. After earning a master's degree in Economics from Marquette University, she worked as an economist for the World Bank in Washington, DC for two years. Following this, she moved to California to complete her PhD in Economics, and remained a consultant for the World Bank. After graduating with a doctorate degree, Kapoor taught Economics at Occidental College for a year.
Activism and social entrepreneurship
Kapoor founded Sayfty in June 2013 as an initiative to educate, equip and empower women and girls against all forms of violence. The initiative aims at training young women and girls in self-defence, the use of safety tools including pepper-spray, awareness of laws and legal rights, and creating dialogue around safety and what makes women feel unsafe. Sayfty was awarded the People's Choice Award by Femvertising in 2015.
As an activist, Dr. Kapoor has addressed many public forums including the Youth Assembly at the United Nations in August 2016.
List of awards received
- Finalist, Social Media 4 Empowerment Award, 2016
- Story Awards Winner (World Pulse) June 2016
- Story Awards Winner (World Pulse) August 2016
- Rising Stars of India Award (We Are The City India) 2016
- Story Award Winner (World Pulse) January 2017
- World Pulse Voices of the Future Participant 2017