“When I saw issues that needed addressing, I chose to take the lead and tackle them myself, which naturally steered me into entrepreneurship,” she adds. Growing up, Budholiya was also used to hearing people tell her parents how “sad” it was only to have two daughters and no sons. “This discrimination fuelled my passion to work towards gender equity and help marginalised communities.”

Having already obtained a patent for Gaia, she is now enhancing it for space applications. Incorporating an incinerator and optimising the tool for use by astronauts, she envisions a future where menstruation no longer poses logistical challenges—whether on Earth or beyond.      

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“One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that I am not the user, and the user is not me,” she remarks. “Testing Gaia in diverse communities highlighted the need for empathy and adaptability, especially around topics like menstruation, which can be sensitive or even taboo.”

“Conversations with soldiers revealed a unique challenge—finding menstrual products that support their active, on-the-go lifestyles,” Budholiya adds. “This feedback has been foundational in shaping Gaia’s design to be both portable and reliable for users who can’t always count on easy access to hygiene products. Listening closely to each community’s specific needs has been essential in refining Gaia to meet real-world challenges.”   

Budholiya’s ability to communicate Gaia’s mission to investors and stakeholders has been instrumental. “The story behind a product truly drives its message home,” she asserts. Her efforts earned her critical support, including mentorship and funding from the Swarovski Foundation’s Creatives for our Future programme, which helped bring Gaia to life.

But her innovation doesn’t stop at Gaia. Together with Agnieszka Doczynska, a Polish graphic designer and fellow alumnus of the Swarovski Foundation programme, Budholiya co-created Menstrupedia. This open-source educational kit aims to dismantle the stigma around menstruation, offering universal guidance to ensure inclusivity. “Menstrupedia’s digital format allows the guide to be easily forwarded worldwide to reach the largest possible audience. It is a universal, wordless guide to ensure everyone has access to information about menstruation,” she says. 

Budholiya’s eye for design and resolve to address the needs of ‘invisible’ communities has resulted in several fascinating projects. In 2022, she designed a game called Taal (meaning ‘rhythm’ in Hindi) as a tool to teach dance to visually impaired children. She also co-founded an organisation called Project Neysa, which aims to empower underprivileged young people in rural areas through dance workshops and performances. Importantly, these workshops offer an avenue to distribute the Gaia tool and Menstrupedia to the women and girls who need it most. “I believe it is absolutely preposterous that the menstrual hygiene gap and the gender data gap still exist in the market,” she says.

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Budholiya’s fascination with outer space remains a key influence in her work as Asia Pacific regional executive secretary at the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). “Joining SGAC opened doors to a global network of people who are as passionate about the space industry as I am,” she says. Her work with SGAC has included gender-equity projects and even a children’s book introducing space exploration to younger audiences. “Being part of this community reaffirmed my belief in a non-traditional route to outer space exploration,” she adds.

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Budholiya’s accomplishments extend to academia, where her research addresses the gender data gap. Through her work, she aims to highlight how gendered biases shape experiences and opportunities for women in STEM. “Turns out, ‘data gap’ is a polite way of saying, ‘We forgot half the population!’” she remarks.

Between mastering dance, authoring a children’s book about outer space, and pursuing her master’s in Strategic Product Design at Delft University of Technology, Budholiya is continually turning the tables on what it means to have a thriving, fulfilling career today. 

“Whether I’m deep diving into data or perfecting pirouettes, both involve balance, precision and a bit of creative flair!” she says. “This mix keeps me on my toes—sometimes literally—and constantly inspired to blend structure with spontaneity.”

Front & Female Changemakers celebrates the extraordinary journeys of inspiring women who have emerged as powerful changemakers in a range of fields, offering a glimpse into their lives and showcasing their courage, vision and relentless pursuit of change and progress. From social entrepreneurs and business leaders to educators, artists, activists and scientists, Front & Female changemakers exemplify the ability to challenge the status quo and demonstrate the power of women to effect change.

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