De la compétition étudiante à la création d'une startup

From Student Competition to Building a Startup India Needs

When the Centre for Net Positive Business recorded its first podcast episode, the choice of guests was deliberate.

Khushi Tivary joined the conversation alongside Lesly Kana and Cypris Remond, following their win at the Entente Cordiale competition, their presentation at the Élysée, and the continued development of their agroforestry project beyond the academic setting.

We caught up with Khushi afterwards to understand what this experience has actually changed, and where it is taking her. While Lesly and Cypris are currently building experience through internships in France, Khushi chose a different direction during her gap year.

She started a company.

Being invited onto the podcast didn’t feel like an arrival point.

“It honestly felt like a continuation,” Khushi says. “Not a conclusion or a ‘we’ve made it’ moment. Just the next step.”

What she describes is less a breakthrough than a shift in trajectory.

“Before EDHEC, I knew I wanted to create impact, but I had absolutely no idea how. It was ambition without execution.”

Looking back even a year, the change is hard for her to grasp.

“A year before EDHEC, I wouldn’t have been able to imagine where I am now.”

What has changed most is not that she has the answers, but that she is more comfortable moving without them.

“I think I’m much more open to risk now.”

From recognition to responsibility

Since the competition, things have continued to move.

Khushi was invited to the House of Lords in the UK by Lord Soames of Fletching, where she received the 2025 Entente Cordiale Day Alumna of the Year Award.

At the same time, the agroforestry project is still in motion. The team is currently waiting for the Élysée to connect them with the embassies of India, Cameroon, and French Guiana to explore how the project can develop further.

From competition to company

While her teammates chose to gain experience inside organisations, Khushi used her gap year to build something herself.

“I’m currently building a startup in India.”

The idea came from a contradiction she couldn’t ignore.

India is the most vegetarian country in the world, and at the same time one of the most protein-deficient. This is particularly true for women.

“There’s a real trust issue with whey protein,” she explains. “It’s often poorly regulated, or simply doesn’t suit people’s digestive systems.”

Her response is not another supplement, but a product people would actually want to eat. Fjör is a high-protein, skyr-inspired dessert positioned as a healthier alternative to ice cream.  

“We’re aiming for 15 grams of protein per cup, with no added sugar and close to zero fat.”

Why food, and why this?

Food, for Khushi, is a practical entry point.

Skyr is common in Europe. In India, the category barely exists.

“There’s one startup in the north, but availability is inconsistent. We’re starting in the south, from Bangalore. India is huge, you have to be strategic.”

What she is building sits somewhere between health, accessibility, and trust.

Asked whether it feels like work or passion, she doesn’t hesitate.

“Both. I’m not just the CEO of a company. I’m the CEO of my entire schedule. My life. Everything.”

Learning to take the shot

The competition already pushed them to operate beyond their comfort zone.

“That the higher the risk, the higher the reward,” she says. “We learned that during the competition.”

They had to balance exams, field interviews with farmers, expert outreach, and constant cold emailing.

“It taught me how to reach out to people. How to pitch myself. How to explain what I’m doing and why.”

That mindset now carries into her day-to-day decisions.

She recalls approaching an angel investor who had just publicly stated he would never invest in health and wellness in India.

“I met him outside the building and said, ‘Let me change your mind.’”

From ‘impact’ to ‘unleashing’

EDHEC’s shift in baseline, from Make an Impact to Unleash Tomorrow, resonates with her.

“‘Unleash’ feels more active,” she says. “Making an impact can be momentary. Unleashing something means starting a chain reaction.”

It is about doing something now that continues to play out over time.

For her, this is also where net positive business starts to make sense.

Not as a label, but as a direction. Choosing to build in a way that leaves people and ecosystems better off. 

L'épisode du podcast du Centre for Net Positive Business, avec Khushi Tivary, Lesly Kana et Cypris Remond, est désormais disponible : https://open.spotify.com/episode/4c4FPKdT8QHZfxijQmEhgm