About Us
The etymology of "juggernaut"
Derived from the Sanskrit word "Jagannath," juggernaut means a massive force, campaign, movement, or object. The story of Jagannath, a Hindu god, was brought to Europe in the 14th century and used in American newspapers as early as 1864. As the lore of Jagannath, “lord of the world,” spread, the word juggernaut came to refer to any “enormous entity with powerful crushing capabilities.” In naming ourselves The Juggernaut we honor the word’s South Asian roots and the unstoppable force we believe South Asia(ns) to be.
What we do
The Juggernaut is a media tech company and community that publishes well-reported stories about South Asia and South Asians. We call it “smart journalism for the South Asian diaspora,” though we welcome all readers who are curious about our stories.
We publish one new story a weekday and have now published well over 1,000 features, covering everything from politics to culture to business to tech. Our goal is to celebrate our heritage but also challenge what our history books and community have gotten wrong.
We are thoughtful in everything we do — from choosing fonts created by South Asians to paying our writers and illustrators responsibly — and have been featured in TechCrunch, Axios, Forbes, CNBC, Harvard Business School blog, and Yale.
Ownership and funding
We're funded by Y Combinator, Precursor Ventures, Backstage Capital, New Media Ventures, Old Town Media, and several other investors who are supportive of our mission and do not have editorial input. We're also funded by our readers, who pay monthly, annual, or lifetime subscription fees. Lastly, we are currently owned by our team. Read more on our editorial independence here.
How we got here
South Asians are the fastest growing demographic in the United States and the world’s largest diaspora but when Snigdha, The Juggernaut’s founder, was growing up in New York, being Indian wasn't cool. Western media focused largely on South Asia's poverty and stereotypes but that didn’t compute.
To make sense of what was going on in South Asia, and with South Asians globally, Snigdha wrote a weekly email newsletter with analysis on the news about South Asia(ns) people needed to know. But linking to other publications wasn't enough. She wanted coverage she wasn't seeing. So she dove into figuring out what it would take to start a new media company with original stories. She called it The Juggernaut.
Why we have a paywall
Media is difficult. People like free. But free, ad-supported content often leads to clickbait articles that are low quality. Ad revenue doesn’t responsibly support the costs associated with publishing an article (not even The New York Times survives on ad revenue alone). We launched a paywall because it allows us to pay our writers and artists responsibly. It also allows us to invest in better journalism. If you have additional questions about this, please don’t hesitate to email support@thejuggernaut.com. We’d love to hear from you.
The team
Snigdha Sur, Founder & CEO
Snigdha has worked at McKinsey and advised BuzzFeed, Quartz, Amazon Studios, Scroll.in, and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine. She got her MBA at Harvard, studied Economics & South Asian Studies at Yale, and spent five months coding at Flatiron School. She was born in Chhattisgarh, India; grew up in the Bronx and Queens, New York; and has worked and lived in Mumbai, India. She can speak Hindi, Bengali, and Mandarin. She loves Bollywood and reading novels.
Kriti Sehgal, Head of Business Development and Community
Kriti has worked in investment banking and dabbled in all things politics and venture capital. She majored in computer science and economics from the University of Virginia and serves on the board of Bluebonnet Data and American India Foundation NY. She was born in Delhi, India; spent many years in southern Virginia; and now lives in New York City. She loves convening people and hosting events. Outside of work, find her listening to the same five Bollywood songs on repeat and being chronically online.
Mehr Singh, Staff Writer
Mehr Singh is a food and culture writer. She is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School and has written features, recipes, and restaurant reviews for Bon Appétit, Eater, and Food52, among others. She is a devoted hot sauce enthusiast who procrasti-bakes, and will always offer unsolicited tips to up your kitchen game. She starts the day with a large black coffee and a long walk.
Allana Akhtar, Staff Writer
Allana Akhtar is a New York City-based reporter. She most recently worked at Insider for four years, where she reported on health and breaking business news. She's written for numerous local and national media outlets, including USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Michigan Radio, and MONEY Magazine. She graduated from the University of Michigan with an Honors in Political Science (go blue)! She's won several awards for her work and has appeared on ABC, NBC, and SiriusXM to discuss her reporting. In her free time, she's often listening to R&B music, working out, watching sports, or experimenting with daring makeup looks. You can follow her on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok.
Suyash Kothari, Full-Stack Engineer
Suyash Kothari graduated from Brown University, where he studied computer science with a focus in design and artificial intelligence as well as international relations, focusing on human development. He enjoys playing the saxophone, competing in Starcraft II tournaments, and playing Catan. His favorite dish is dal chawal mandiya. Suyash is from Bangkok, Thailand and Jaipur, India.