Welcome to my corner of the internet!
AVNEET KOHLI
A seasoned Entrepreneur, Growth Catalyst and passionate Advocate for
women's economic participation.
My journey unfolds from the Arabian sands of Abu Dhabi to the bustling streets of Mumbai, where I delved into the vibrant world of media and events Over nearly a decade, I hosted over 400+ live events for renowned organizations like Samsung, Apple, and Google to carve a niche for myself as a presenter and public speaker in the spotlight.
I was living the dream.
Alongside the glitz and glamour I embarked on my first entrepreneurial venture - a boutique image consultancy where I worked with CXO's on their personal brand and workforce development.
The relentless hustle as a self taught and woman entrepreneur led me to burnout and later a platform called Encubay a cross border business and investment platform enabling women to Scale, Raise capital and Grow Global.
I've engaged with more than 7,500 woman entrepreneurs across the UAE, India, Singapore, New York offering them access to mentorship, capital pathways, strategic networks, and opportunities for global expansion.
I understand what it takes and aim to help you reach your dreams faster.
Watch my TED Talk
The 2 Lovers That Kill Dreams
Growth is never linear. Neither was mine,
2004
Got appointed as the school head girl where reading the morning prayer served as my initiation into the world of public speaking.
2007
Moved to the city of dreams, Mumbai, to pursue my higher education in Business Management where destiny had something else lined up for me.
I landed a career in media as an Event Assistant.
The job title sounds fancy but essentially I would usher celebrities to their greenrooms, iron their clothes, and manage food, beverages, and tantrums.
2008
An emergency required me to step in to make a voice-over announcement to an audience of nearly 3,000 people in concert. Luck by chance, I got noticed by the organizer and landed my first opportunity as an Emcee (Presenter).
2010
The corporate ladder was not for me. I decided to focus on growing a career in media, studying image consulting and started my first entrepreneurial venture - iOpener - a boutique image and brand consultancy helping CXO's with personal branding, workforce development and SME's with marketing communications.
2012
Crossed the mark of hosting 400+ live events for renowned brands such as Samsung, Apple, L’Oreal, Adani, Google, and the Reliance group across 4 continents and shared the stage with the likes of Amitabh Bachhan, Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Mahender Dhoni, and Donald Trump to name a few.
2015
Awarded Best Female Emcee in India by the Apex live talent recognition platform - Live Quotient Awards.
2015
Just when I thought I had arrived, my high-pressure glam profession and non-stop hustle as an entrepreneur transformed overnight when I got diagnosed with mental health issues.
2016
Moved back to Abu Dhabi.
Battled depression.
2017
I got obsessed with the human mind and delved deep into psychology and spirituality.
On my sabbatical, I explored different modalities for personal development, listened to numerous self-help gurus to find meaning in why I had gone through what I did, deepened my yoga practice, and accidentally met with a coach who opened my eyes to the world of coaching.
2018
Married my best friend.
2019
Faced an audience after 2.5 years, talking about the importance of Mindset
Gave my First Motivational Talk at E-Summit, IIT Mumbai.
Gradually started building myself back to the front.
2020
Gave a TEDx Talk named
"The 2 Lovers That Kill Dreams
- Mindset & Confidence."
2021
Launched Encubay Middle East, a cross border business and investment platform aimed at enabling women entrepreneurs with access to mentorship, capital pathways, strategic networks and opportunities for global expansion.
2022
Authored the Life Planner and designed the Visioneering methodology coaching numerous women founders to build clarity on their life and business vision and achieve their goals.
2023
Expanded across 6 cities in India - Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune setting the foundation for the SHEcosystem of Change.
2023
Became the first UAE X India corridor for early stage startups looking for structured growth in the Middle East.
Exclusive diversity partner across GITEX, Step, Seamless, Eureka, Womenpreneur ME.
2024
Evolved into a premium cross border business and investment platform that connects ambitious women founders to global markets, builds capacity with entrepreneurship programs and amplifies their voices across the world's biggest stages like Clinton Global Initiative in New York, Money 2020 Singapore, Davos during World Economic Forum, Abu Dhabi Finance Week and more.
2025
Launched the Wealth Shift movement in Davos during World Economic Forum.
Recognized by YourStory as the "Top 100 Emerging Leaders Globally" and awarded for being the “Most Influential Woman in Women Empowerment” courtesy Filmfare Middle East.
2026
One of the only 10 Global Indian women to spoke at the prestigious World Woman Davos stage on the 2030 Wealth Transfer and what it means for the next generation of capital for women.
2026
My current focus: the intersection of women, wealth, and what the next decade of impact capital allocation in MENA and beyond looks like and Produce Wealth & Innovation events uniting ecosystems across borders.
