“Not Australia, but India rejected me for being a woman”: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw clarifies how gender bias led her to build Biocon in viral post

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the billionaire Indian entrepreneur who built one of India’s biggest biotech companies, Biocon, had to face discrimination when she was starting her career. In a viral post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the story of her struggle days was revived. But she stepped in to correct it herself.

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The post claimed Australia told Kiran Mazumdar back in 1978 that she “could not become a master brewer because she was a woman.” But Kiran Mazumdar Shaw replied with a sharp correction: “Not true. India told me you cannot be hired as a master brewer, so I started Biocon.”




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The account that made the original post later acknowledged the correction and wrote that it made her story “even stronger” — because the rejection came from India itself, and yet she still went on to build Biocon into a global biotech giant.

Biocon, a prominent, innovation-led biopharmaceutical company based in Bengaluru, was founded by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw in 1978. Shaw’s booming drug business started not in a laboratory but in a tin-roofed shed in Bengaluru.

Kiran Mazumdar was rejected because of her gender

Encouraged by her father, Kiran Mazumdar chose a career path that very few women in India pursued at the time. She moved to Australia to study brewing at Ballarat College under the University of Melbourne — a decision that would eventually change her life.

When she returned to India in 1978 with a master’s degree in brewing, she was eager to begin her career. But one brewery after another turned her away — not because she lacked qualifications or talent, but simply because she was a woman.

"Back then, I was working out of my garage-turned office. I advertised job openings, but many rejected the offer as they didn't want to work under a woman," she told The Better India.

"They admitted that hiring a woman as a brewer was something they would not be comfortable with," she recalled.

This turned out to be a turning moment in her life. With Rs 10,000 and a garage, she built Biocon, India’s first biotech startup. But the hurdles did not stop- because she was a woman.

"I was 25, a woman, & in a field no one understood. They saw me as a huge risk," she stated. Even hiring was nearly impossible—neither men nor women wanted to work for her.

"Even women hesitated, assuming I was just a secretary," she said. Men outrightly refused to work under a female boss. After 40 rejections, her first hire was a retired garage mechanic—the only one willing to take a chance on her vision.

Building India’s Biotech Giant

What started as a small enzyme-making company slowly grew into one of India’s biggest biotech success stories.

Today, Biocon works in areas including:

Biopharmaceuticals
Diabetes treatments
Cancer research
Biosimilars
Healthcare innovation

The company now has a global presence and has played a major role in putting India on the biotechnology map.

How social media reacted

Social media had mixed reactions with many netizens praising Biocon for its services. "I will always be grateful for receiving free enzymes from Biocon as a research scholar when getting chemicals/enzymes fast & free was like getting a lottery . Thank you once again," a user commented.

A user asked, "Did they specifically deny that opportunity because you were a woman or is the post making it up?" To this, Shaw replied, "Yes".

"Brave lady, madam Mazumdar, we all admire and appreciate you," said another.