Not everyone has the privilege to say that Saina Nehwal shared her journey of grit, resilience, and success with them, but at 21BY72, we had that honor.
During a wonderful and motivating Fireside Chat with Saina Nehwal mediated by Mehul Shah and Vipasha Shah at 21BY72’s Leading Startup Summit Season 4, she shared what it is like to be a top athlete and what it takes to reach there.During a wonderful and motivating Fireside Chat with Saina Nehwal mediated by Mehul Shah and Vipasha Shah at 21BY72’s Leading Startup Summit Season 4, she shared what it is like to be a top athlete and what it takes to reach there.
Saina Nehwal isn’t just a badminton player but also an inspiration to millions, especially women. Giving them the courage to dream and achieve them with hard work and the winning mindset. Winning the first Olympic medal for India in badminton, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Arjuna Award are just a few of Saina Nehwal’s achievements that make her the best person to learn about discipline and motivation.
This blog isn’t just another Saina Nehwal biography, but insights from Saina Nehwal herself on how she achieved her dreams and how we, as entrepreneurs and investors, can learn from her story.
Her story starts with something common, something that most entrepreneurs go through: an interest in their field. When Saina moved to Hyderabad due to her father’s transfer, she was looking for a sport to keep her engaged after school. While her father was a scientist, her mother was always interested in sports and Saina was no different; she, too, was always interested in sports.
Young Saina wasn’t as interested in badminton as in other sports. However, she did end up playing and training for badminton and fell in love with the training. She had only one goal: to give her absolute best in each training session. Isn’t it the same with entrepreneurship? To provide our best in what we are doing.
And this was one of many insights that we got from her. The many stories she shared with us were not just about badminton, but about life, resilience, and the mindset needed to turn challenges into opportunities.
Be consistent and disciplined
When we see the Olympic games, we see the performance and the medal, we don’t ever see what kind of dedication and work goes into reaching that level. She stresses how, despite the lack of women’s inspiration from Indian sports culture, she had the support of her parents and coaches, which made her train hard and keep up the motivation. She shares how she trained hard but carefully not to injure herself and to beat the competition. And losing games just made her push herself harder. Thus, we should learn to get up after a loss and be consistent and disciplined with our efforts.
Build mental strength: the winning mindset
When our moderator, Vipasha Shah, asked Saina about her take on how first-generation entrepreneurs (who are still building their business and network) can learn from players who grew with comparatively lower infrastructural and coaching support, she focused on mental resilience.
She shares how she kept training and performing despite the lack of proper training gear, infrastructure, and coaching. Because, she says that, when you do find the support and coaching, you will thrive and stand out from the rest, who often gave up after a few losses.
Setbacks are part of your journey, don’t give up!
Saina Nehwal, like any other sportsperson, faced many career threatening injuries. When asked about how she kept her spirits up and what she would suggest to the entrepreneurs who often face failures in their journey, Saina shares how setbacks are part of the journey.
How, in her career, she has had many injuries and how she has often felt down. However, she emphasises that having setbacks is a part of the journey. You must have your lows to appreciate your highs. Giving up is never an option. Keep training hard and do what you love. Feeling down about a setback is okay, but you should be focused on overcoming those and staying focused on your future.
She also shares how people supported her throughout her career and the injuries. Her parents were one of the consistent support systems in her career. She adds that if you don’t have that support system, tell yourself that the wins would be sweeter and keep doing the hard work. She firmly believes you are your only motivator and should trust yourself to achieve your dreams.
Further in the Fireside chat, she focused on the ‘never give up and keep trying’ mindset. While answering a question from the audience, she shares how people often give up after certain failures. While failures are harsh and often heartbreaking, you must keep trying to achieve success. You must not let your thoughts take over you when you are working. Stay disciplined and focused; once you succeed, all the struggles won’t affect you as much.
Keep getting better with the help of mentors
One of our attendees asked how they can become better if they are failing against someone who is as good as they are. Saina Nehwal answers the importance of doing something extra and getting help from someone who is better at it. She suggests that the person can get a mentorship to learn and improve their skills and win over.
Mentorship can help startup founders learn and understand the patterns to overcome the challenges and make better decisions. 21BY72’s Leading Startup Summit allows you to connect with mentors and industry leaders to get insights. Keep an eye out for Season 5 of our Startup Summit in 2026!
Saina and her Investment Journey
Saina has been investing in diverse businesses in the apparel and food industries. However, she has invested in Naarica, a startup that creates reusable and sustainable sanitary products like period panties and menstrual cups. Saina was impressed with their products as they were very useful to women, especially women in sports. She is a strategic investor and brand ambassador for Naarica. She is open to investing and collaborating with brands that make an impact and facilitate the sports people.
Saina Nehwal shared many stories and tips that can help new entrepreneurs stay focused on their path. You can watch this insightful Fireside chat on YouTube here.
21BY72 is dedicated to helping startup founders and investors connect and build the Indian startup ecosystem. Whether you’re looking for investment or startups, or want to gain insights from industry experts, Bharat’s Leading Startup Summit is the perfect place for you. You can exhibit your startup, raise funding, or learn from experts through our Fireside chats! Stay tuned for Season 5 in 2026.
