Meet Rashmi Prakash, RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards Ones to Watch Recipient

Rashmi Prakash is a 2025 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards finalist and the co-founder and CEO of Aruna Revolution, a Halifax-based startup transforming menstrual health through sustainability and innovation. A biomedical and electrical engineer by training and a finalist in the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards, Rashmi launched Arunawith a vision to create compostable pads made from natural plant fibres and agricultural by-products, offering an eco-friendly alternative to disposable products that too often end up in landfills.

Under her leadership, Aruna has developed groundbreaking patent-protected processes that ensure waste-free fibre extraction and sustainable product design. Beyond innovation, Rashmi is dedicated to empowering people to make responsible choices and advancing systemic change in the menstrual health industry.

Meet Rashmi and discover how she is reshaping the future of menstrual health, one product at a time.

I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur when…

I realized that the systems I wanted to change weren’t going to change fast enough—or even in the right direction—from the inside of the healthcare industry.

Entrepreneurship is made for me because…

I’ve never been afraid to ask “why not?” and build from scratch. I care deeply and work relentlessly.

The impact I hope to make through my work is…

To show people that doing good and doing well aren’t mutually exclusive, and that regenerative, inclusive systems are possible in every industry—and need to be prioritized.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned on my entrepreneurial journey is…

You have to hold vision and vulnerability at the same time. Leading is not about having all the answers, but about staying rooted in your values and having a good group of people around you to not only support you, but hold you accountable.

My proudest accomplishment is…

Turning agricultural waste into a high-performance, compostable material and seeing it used in real products. Also, seeing the joy and hope people experience from the changes we’ve made in the system.

The biggest risk I took that paid off was…

Leaving a stable path in engineering to start Aruna with no roadmap, no funding, and no guarantees.

My biggest setback has been…

Navigating difficult situations that nearly shut down the company.

I overcame it by…

Staying anchored to the mission, leaning on my support system, and learning how to lead through hard conversations.

The best advice I’ve received as an entrepreneur was…

 Listen more than you speak, and never believe someone when they ask, “Is that realistic?”

I surprise people when I tell them…

Our pads are made with agricultural waste and break down in garden compost—no landfill required.

If I had an extra hour in the day, I would use it to…

Walk outside, breathe deeper, and remind myself that we’re playing the long game.

If you Googled me, you still wouldn’t know…

How often I’ve doubted myself, how challenging this entire process has been, and how many times I’ve kept going anyway.

The future excites me because…

There’s a new generation of leaders building not just for profit, but for repair, for justice, and for people.

Connect with Rashmi Prakash on LinkedIn.