Return on investment isn’t just a metric—it’s a mindset, says Ananya Birla. The 31-year-old entrepreneur and artist told the India Today Conclave that ROI drives every decision she makes, whether she’s steering a financial powerhouse or writing songs in the studio. “I mean ROI is everywhere. It’s in my music as well,” she said. “I’m a Marwari. It’s in my blood.”
At 17, Birla launched Svatantra Microfin, a bold move for someone so young—and from a family as prominent as the Birlas. “I had guilt about the privilege I was born into,” she admitted. “I wanted to do something by myself to feel like I was worth it.”
That motivation has paid off. Svatantra is now the second-largest microfinance institution in India by disbursement. The company not only survived the recent microfinance crisis but emerged stronger. “If we hadn’t acquired Chaitanya when we did, it would’ve shut down,” she noted. “We’ve maintained our ROI and opex through one of the toughest periods in the industry.”
Birla attributes that resilience to more than just business acumen. “I believe that if I work hard with good intentions, the universe will take care of the rest,” she said. It’s a philosophy inked on her skin—literally—with a tattoo that reads “God.”
Her second act as a pop-R&B artist might seem at odds with her corporate identity, but Birla insists the two worlds inform each other. “I knew I wouldn’t have a linear path,” she said. “Music began with a love for poetry. When I picked up the guitar, it became cathartic—an outlet for everything I felt.”
Still, balancing both roles hasn’t come easy. “People weren’t sure how to take me—a woman running a financial company by day and performing on stage by night,” she said. “But I’ve put in the work on both ends. I do meetings from 9 to 9, then I’m in the studio from 9:30 to 2 a.m.”
She describes songwriting as “mini therapy” and admits the vulnerability can be uncomfortable. “But I believe in being real. I can’t live any other way.”
Asked whether business or music is harder, she shrugged. “It’s contextual. Running a company is 24/7, 365. But music puts your face out there. It’s like asking me to choose between my mom and dad.”
