When Abhishek Vyas opened this episode of The Founder’s Dream by asking why women are still on the sidelines of Indian real estate, he wasn’t looking for a diplomatic answer. Pooja Tyagi and Veni Thakur, co-founders of Estate Queens, gave a direct one instead — built on 22 years of ground-floor experience, hundreds of women they now train, and a hard bet on Dholera Smart City in Gujarat. Their conversation is one of the more grounded success stories of women entrepreneurs in India, precisely because it doesn’t skip the difficult parts: builder payment fights, sales floors climbed one flight at a time, and the discipline of telling clients the truth even when they don’t want to hear it. This Pooja Tyagi and Veni Thakur interview traces two very different entry points into the same company — one built over two decades, the other over six years.
Success Stories of Women Entrepreneurs in India Start With Estate Queens
The Estate Queens founder story begins not in a boardroom but on construction sites: Pooja Tyagi has spent 22 years in real estate, starting from literally standing on plots to receive clients before showing them around. Veni Thakur’s entry came through Dholera itself — a short stint in corporate real estate before she met Pooja, whom she calls “didi,” and found her way into a director’s role within six years.
Pooja’s decision to build a company for women wasn’t sentimental — it came from what she didn’t get for two decades.
“For 20 years I saw one difficulty after another in this industry. I decided I would build a company where women get the support I never fully got — and today my team doesn’t have to face the problems I faced.”
That company now runs on two tracks: 40 women working directly with Pooja, and roughly 250 more operating under a freelancing model Estate Queens built specifically for women who want flexible, commission-based work in real estate without upfront investment.
Why Getting Paid on Time Became the Estate Queens Business Model
Before Estate Queens existed as a brand, Pooja’s biggest professional frustration wasn’t the physical grind of showing ten flats to ten families — it was builders delaying payments after the work was done.
“Getting payments from builders was a real struggle. That’s why I decided I would one day build a company where my team wouldn’t have to face what I faced — the effort is hard enough on its own.”
That single grievance shaped how the Estate Queens business model now structures client relationships and builder partnerships — a theme worth tracing across other entrepreneurial journey stories from The Founder’s Dream.
What Is Dholera Smart City and Why Investors Are Watching It
Dholera spans over 900 square kilometres in Gujarat — bigger than Singapore, as Pooja points out — and sits about 110 km from Ahmedabad. It was master-planned by the same global infrastructure planning group associated with Dubai’s development, under what Veni describes as an Act-based city that falls under the Ministry of Commerce, with the DICDL authority overseeing execution.
The pitch isn’t speculative demand — it’s sequencing. Airport, expressway, industrial zones and command-and-control infrastructure were built first, before residents arrive.
“Dholera’s infrastructure was built differently — the airport is ready, industries are coming in, and industries bring big premiums. Six years ago there wasn’t even a proper road; today it has an expressway. Land that sold for ₹2,000 per square yard back then is now around ₹20,000 per square yard.”
Both founders were careful to separate hype from fact. Veni was blunt that this is land, not a finished Dubai skyline: 3D renders on social media shouldn’t be mistaken for ground reality, and location, legal documentation, and the developer’s track record matter far more than a polished ad.
The Legal Checklist Before You Buy in Dholera
This is the part of the conversation aimed squarely at first-time investors tempted by small-ticket plots advertised online. Pooja laid out five checks, in order:
- NA (Non-Agricultural) status of the land
- NOC clearance
- Approved building/layout plan
- Search report and clear title
- The development timeline for that specific patch
She also flagged a distinction most retail buyers miss entirely — the difference between TP (Town Planning) zone land, which is largely sold as undivided shares of a larger government-planned parcel, and land outside the TP zone, which can be bought as clearly divided, smaller plots. Buying into the wrong category, she warned, is where “Dholera” ads sometimes point to land 40 km away from the actual city, sold cheap precisely because nothing will develop there for years.
“Dholera itself isn’t a fraud — but fraud can happen in Dholera’s name. Please don’t invest based on a beautiful ad with green visuals. Go and see the ground reality yourself, even if it’s just ₹5 lakh, because that’s hard-earned money for a common person.”
Big Investors vs Retail Investors — Different Mindsets, Same Market
Pooja described a clear split in how clients approach Dholera. Investors putting in ₹15–25 crore usually arrive with their own research already done — they’ve made money in Noida and Gurugram before, and they ask about hold periods and five-year returns, then commit to holding. Retail investors with ₹5–10 lakh often don’t even know what questions to ask, which is exactly the gap Estate Queens tries to fill through site visits, checklists, and group trips where the team takes 15-20 clients to Dholera at a time in a rented mini-bus to walk the actual plots before anyone signs anything.
This pattern of first-generation and next-generation real estate wealth is a recurring thread across founder interviews on The Founder’s Dream, which similarly hinge on patience over hype.
Women, Risk, and Why Independent Research Matters
Asked whether women make smarter financial decisions than men, Pooja avoided a sweeping claim but pointed to a real pattern she’s observed: women tend to take less risk and, informally, show stronger financial discipline even without formal financial education. Her core message to women listening wasn’t about gender superiority — it was about ownership of the decision itself.
“Why should you depend on your male partner, your brother, or your father to check an investment for you? You can check it yourself, you can see it yourself. I want women to do their own research and decide for themselves whether to invest.”
Veni added a comparison to Dubai, where women are far more visible in real estate than in India today, and framed Estate Queens’ freelancing model — offered free of cost to working women looking for side income — as a direct answer to that gap. It’s a theme worth hearing in full, alongside other self-growth stories from founders on the site.
Real Estate vs Gold, Crypto and Stocks
Veni was asked directly whether real estate is the safest wealth-creation option right now compared to gold, crypto or the stock market. Her answer favoured tangibility: real estate gives you a key, documentation, and a visible asset, while stock markets were “going down” at the time of the conversation and crypto demands a level of global economic knowledge most retail investors don’t have. That doesn’t mean Dholera is risk-free — both founders repeated that legal verification and developer track record decide whether a plot becomes a premium asset or a stalled piece of paper.
Watch the full conversation with host Abhishek Vyas on The Founder’s Dream YouTube channel and subscribe for new founder interviews every week.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dholera Smart City?
Dholera is a planned smart city in Gujarat, roughly 110 km from Ahmedabad, developed jointly by the central and state governments through the DICDL authority, with infrastructure like an airport, expressway and industrial zones built before population moves in.
What legal checks should I do before buying property in Dholera?
Pooja Tyagi recommends checking NA status, NOC, approved plan, a clear title with a search report, and the builder’s development timeline before investing any amount in Dholera.
What is the difference between TP zone land and land outside TP zones in Dholera?
TP zone land falls under government-planned development and is typically sold as undivided land shares rather than individual plots, while land outside the TP zone can be bought as smaller, clearly divided plots.
Who founded Estate Queens?
Estate Queens was founded by Pooja Tyagi, a 22-year real estate veteran, along with Veni Thakur, who joined the company and rose to Director after starting her real estate career in Dholera.
Is real estate a good investment compared to gold, stocks or crypto?
Veni Thakur said real estate offers visibility, documentation and physical ownership that gold and crypto don’t, and that many investors currently prefer it while stock markets are volatile.
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