At 64, She Built a Platform for Mothers: Henchu’s Startup Story
At 64, Gayathri Mruthyunjaya started a company: a platform for mothers who cook. We made a short film about how that happened for Bharat Ki Startup Story, the storytelling challenge run by Startup India and DPIIT. Here it is.
It began with one thought
Almost every Indian home has a mother whose food is good enough to sell. She has fed her family for years, from recipes she never wrote down. Gayathri’s thought was simple: the world should get to taste that too.
Her children kept telling her, “Amma, take this to the world.” She didn’t want to do it alone.
Women with talent, who never had a platform
What stops a mother from earning from her cooking is rarely the cooking. It is everything around it: the licence, the packaging, finding customers, collecting payments. So Henchu takes care of that part. She brings her recipe and cooks. We handle the kitchen, the packing, the delivery, the customers and the payment. Her name stays on the dish.
With her son Karthik, Gayathri started Henchu in 2025. Today 15 mothers cook with us. The menu changes every day, because a different mother is in the kitchen every day, and every plate carries her name.
A new home at GM Rejoyz, Malleshwaram
Henchu’s home is now GM Rejoyz in Malleshwaram, a 24,000 sq ft venue with an auditorium and banquet halls. That means the same mothers now cook for weddings, celebrations and corporate events, not just for the daily kitchen. If you are planning something there, see the halls and events page.
Recognition so far
- DPIIT recognised startup (Startup India, DIPP256105).
- Universal AI Awards 2026: AI Startup of the Year, and AI in Food & Beverage (F&B) sector. Both are for the technology that runs the business around the kitchen. The cooking is still done by hand. You can read the full story of those awards here.
- HerZindagi Womenpreneur Awards 2026: Gayathri was named Food & Beverage Entrepreneur of the Year.
- NDTV called Henchu “The Coolest Startup”. More coverage is on our press page.
400 mothers have already asked to join
After one of our reels went out, about 400 mothers wrote to us asking how they could cook with Henchu. That is the part of this story we care about most. Every mother who joins brings recipes nobody else has, and a chance to earn from a skill she has had all her life.
If you are a mother who cooks, from any corner of India, or you know one who should, start here: henchu.life/collaborate.
हर माँ के पास एक रेसिपी है, जो दुनिया तक पहुँचनी चाहिए।
The film was made by Henchu for Startup India’s Bharat Ki Startup Story challenge. It is in Hindi, with English subtitles.
