'Full circle' moment: Meet Ragini Das, once rejected by Google, now leading its startup wing

Life has indeed come full circle for Indian entrepreneur Ragini Das, who has just been appointed as the Head of Google for Startups, India.

Das, best known as the co-founder of the women-focused professional network Leap.club, announced the news on LinkedIn, calling it a “full-circle” moment in her career. She revealed that over a decade ago, in 2013, she had interviewed at Google but didn’t make it past the final round.

Now, more than ten years later, she’s returning to the tech giant, this time to lead one of its key initiatives that supports early-stage founders.

So, who exactly is Ragini Das? And what has her journey looked like from being rejected by Google to now heading its startup wing in India? Here’s a closer look.

More from Explainers

ChatGPT rolls out parental controls: Do these restrictions work? How Trump's social media ban became a million-dollar penalty for tech companies

All about Ragini Das

-Born in Gurugram, Ragini Das completed her schooling at Chettinad Vidyashram in Chennai, where she also served as the Cultural Secretary. She later pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Lancaster University, UK.

-During her studies, she interned with Standard Chartered Bank and other organisations, working on market research and creating business plans for the Indian market.

-In 2012, she began her career at Trident Group India as a frontline entrepreneur in domestic marketing and was later promoted to handle Europe and US marketing. Her work involved managing accounts for home textile clients, analysing sales performance, and supporting logistics operations.

-A year later, she interviewed with both Google and Zomato. While she didn’t make it past Google’s final round at the time, she landed a role at Zomato, where she spent the next six years across sales, growth, and international expansion roles.

Editor’s Picks

1

Meet Agastya Goel, the Indian-origin Physics wizard seen with Trump after Olympiad win 2

5 Indian-origin CEOs, Elon Musk absent: Inside Trump’s dinner with powerful tech leaders

-In 2017, she joined the Zomato Gold founding team, working on user growth, engagement, and product marketing. She helped launch Zomato Gold in 10 international markets, including Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Qatar, and Lebanon.

-Talking about that experience, Das said, “Zomato helped me identify my career moat, gave me lifelong friends, an incredibly steep learning curve and the resilience to eventually take the leap and co-found Leap.club.”

-In 2020, she co-founded Leap.club, a professional network and community for women to connect, collaborate, and grow. The platform offered networking, curated events, and interest-based groups for thousands of members.

Calling Leap.club her “most defining chapter,” Das said it gave her “purpose, an identity and changed lives for thousands of women.”

-After her website paused operations in June 2025, Das took time off to travel, focus on personal projects, and spend time with her pet dog, Jimmy.

-In August 2025, she came across the Google for Startups India role, which she said “perfectly aligned” with her experience. “The role sat at the intersection of 0–10, founders and everything I’ve built over the years. It kinda felt like destiny iykwim (If you know what I mean),” she said.

-Now, as the Head of Google for Startups India, Das is focused on helping early-stage founders by connecting them to the right people, resources, and mentors. “We’re on a mission to support thriving startups around the world by connecting them to the right people, products and best practices to help them grow,” she said.

-Outside of her corporate role, she serves as Chair of the Women in Startups Committee at FICCI, where she continues to advocate for better visibility and access to capital for women-led venture.

With input from agencies