Aanchal Gupta – Turning Curiosity into AI Solutions That Matter

How a love for problem-solving and a deep understanding of business and technology shaped Agents Stack! 

Some people are content with answers. Others keep searching for better ones. Aanchal Gupta belongs to the second kind. Her curiosity began early, in childhood, when she found joy in asking questions and figuring out solutions on her own. That restless need to understand “how” and “why” eventually led her to pursue Computer Science, a field that was growing rapidly and full of possibilities. Among all the subjects, Networking and Cybersecurity stood out. They were complex, layered, and demanding, exactly the kind of challenges she loved to solve. 

Her career began at McKinsey, where she stepped into the role of solving business problems with the power of technology. Whether it was boosting revenue or improving efficiency, she saw firsthand how well-placed technology could transform outcomes. This was where she discovered her unique strength, operating at the intersection of business and technology, where strategy meets innovation. 

Years of experience in digital transformation reinforced one lesson: the best solutions often begin with the right questions. When Artificial Intelligence started reshaping industries, she recognised a rare opportunity. AI was no longer a promising idea; it had become a powerful force capable of addressing complex, real-world problems. 

This vision gave rise to Agents Stack, a platform where Aanchal could bring together her skills, insight, and problem-solving spirit to create AI-driven tools that matter. Her focus is not only on improving business performance but also on helping industries evolve and adapt to the future. 

Today, her work reflects the same curiosity that sparked her journey. For Aanchal, technology is never the destination, it is the path to solving problems that truly make a difference. 

Let us learn more about her journey: 

A Journey Defined by Diversity and Drive 

Since her early days at McKinsey, Aanchal has often been the youngest and only female in the room. She has taken functions and businesses from zero to one in male-dominated industries such as technology, energy, oil and gas, chemicals, cybersecurity, and manufacturing. She never set out to become a “woman leader” but worked to bring diversity into every team she built. Her hiring approach has always been intentional — bringing in talent from varied genders, nationalities, and professional backgrounds to create stronger, more innovative teams. 

She believes diversity is not just a value, it is a performance driver. At Agents Stack, over half of leadership roles are held by women, and the team reflects more than 70% diversity across industries, functions, and countries. 

Leading with Accountability through Trust 

Aanchal Gupta has always tried to hire owners who take accountability for what they do, fail fast, and learn fast. She gives tough love when it is needed for learning but mostly leaves the team to work on their own until they come and ask for anything.  

It is the same approach she follows for customers in solving problems. When there is a problem and something is breaking, the team comes and asks, and she tries to solve it. 

Breaking Barriers for Young Women Leaders 

Aanchal is unsure if she has faced biases as a woman leader necessarily, but she has always been upfront about what she thinks about business in any meeting. Being the youngest person in leadership has probably been a bigger challenge, as the managers hired above in Sales roles did not know how to work with high-performing young leaders and women in general. She believes men struggle to network with women, as it has never been a natural practice and is something they are never taught from childhood. 

She feels the one place where there is the biggest bias for women is the investor community. The VCs and PEs have not often seen young, ambitious women building businesses and taking risks for big visions. The numbers are very clear that women-led businesses have far higher performance, so it appears to be a staged setting to limit funding for women rather than an inherent bias. She believes it needs a systematic change to bring more women into investing. 

Driving Diversity Through Intentional Leadership 

Aanchal holds a strong inclination towards hiring for diversity. In every role, she has built teams that reflect a wide range of genders, nationalities, and prior experiences. As a manager, she has consistently promoted and recruited young and diverse talent, ensuring that representation and inclusivity remain central to her approach. 

Balancing Ambition with Family First 

Aanchal’s love for children and the joy of learning with them has always shaped her priorities. Time with family stands above everything else for her. She ensures that a quarter of every year is spent with her parents, and her travels have taken her to over forty countries. 

However, when she began building Agents Stack, the journey demanded immense effort. Achieving a state of work-life balance required patience and perseverance. Over time, she has managed to create a rhythm that allows her to pursue professional ambitions while staying deeply connected to her personal life. 

Strength in Conviction and Community 

Aanchal has always believed in asserting herself when supported by strong data and clear business intuition. At the age of 28, she held a leadership role at a Fortune 100 industrial company, working in a foreign country alongside a team of men who were significantly older, with only a few women in leadership. 

Her direct approach led her to raise concerns about processes she felt were overly political and slow. These views were not well received within the organisation. Eventually, she chose to move on, carrying with her an important realisation, she thrives in fast-moving organisations with a culture that values openness, community, and progress, free from barriers created by hierarchy or delayed alignment. 

Guiding Through Experience 

Aanchal has never officially had a mentor, although she deeply understands the value of having one. Many of her managers naturally became mentors, offering valuable guidance whenever she sought it. She believes finding the right mentor is a challenge, especially in the environment she comes from, where the concept is less familiar. 

For her, an ideal mentor is someone who has navigated life at a fast pace, worked in male-dominated industries, and balanced professional demands with family responsibilities. Such individuals are rare to come across. 

Having faced demanding situations in her own professional journey, Aanchal feels a strong responsibility to mentor those she can relate to, guiding them to avoid the mistakes she once made. She approaches each such interaction with genuine intent, aiming to offer the best possible direction. Over time, she aspires to devote even more of her efforts to this meaningful role. 

Strength in Community 

Aanchal believes resilience and confidence grow stronger with the right community. For her, it has always been her parents, along with a few trusted mentors and friends who understand her deeply.  

She observes that many women lose this sense of community over time while managing family, work, and children. She feels this must change through an equal sharing of responsibilities at home and in the workplace. The shift is gradual, yet it is steadily taking place. 

Breaking Barriers for Women in Leadership 

Aanchal believes that leadership, particularly in industries such as cybersecurity or manufacturing, carries too many inherent biases in favour of men. In her view, the fastest way to address this is by increasing the presence of women in leadership positions and within the investor community, as they can identify and address these biases quickly. 

Building Inclusion Through Talent and Diversity 

With two young children and the demands of building a company, Aanchal believes the most effective way to foster inclusion is by hiring exceptional talent. At Agents Stack, women hold over 50% of leadership roles, and the team reflects more than 70% diversity overall.  

These individuals are highly skilled and ambitious, contributing across marketing, consulting, accounting, and ML/AI. They represent a wide range of industries, functions, and countries, bringing fresh perspectives and continuous learning to the organization every day. 

Calm Leadership in Challenging Times 

Aanchal reflected on the phase when she was raising two young children while helping build a rapidly growing organization as one of the early members in the Asia Pacific region. It was a time marked by several high-pressure moments. 

Each time she had a child, the reporting manager changed, requiring her to adapt to a new leadership style while ensuring that customers, the team, and the business continued to run smoothly. This constant adjustment, combined with personal responsibilities, created significant challenges. 

She believes that in many high-pressure situations, the most effective response is to remain calm and silent, allowing matters to settle naturally. This approach has been her way of navigating demanding circumstances, and it has served her well in most cases. 

Guiding the Next Generation of Women Leaders 

Aanchal advises aspiring women leaders to focus on their strengths and build upon them. She encourages finding a mentor at the earliest stage possible and seeking inspiration from multiple role models by learning about their journeys.  

She emphasises the importance of choosing the right manager, as this decision can shape the course of a career. Aanchal also suggests avoiding the pursuit of titles and instead excelling in areas where one’s skills align with genuine passion. 

In Her Own Words 

I am a wanderer who is most happy in the mountains and the jungles and would love to contribute to bring back humans and wildlife together like it used to be. My career story is also of a wanderer having travelled to more than 40 countries and lived and worked in 6 different countries across Industries like BFSI, Energy, Utilities, Chemicals, O&G, manufacturing and cybersecurity. I have usually been the youngest woman in leadership in all companies and have enjoyed working with a mix of nationalities across the world. 

Solving new tougher problems everyday keeps me excited with always some outcomes in mind as the goals to make a positive impact. If we can’t measure the impact of our efforts, it’s not as fun, solving the problems along with a great team working towards a common vision and goal is what keeps me excited. 

Reading as much as I can across different media and journals, listening to customer problems and staying involved in life with kids is what keeps me updated on trends and challenges to solve for.