# Karishma Vijay
**Karishma Vijay** (born 1997) is a British-Indian beauty entrepreneur from [Ashford, Surrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashford-surrey), who founded the skincare-infused cosmetics brand Kishkin and won the twentieth series of the BBC's *[The Apprentice](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-apprentice-british-tv-series)* in April 2026, securing a £250,000 investment from Lord Alan Sugar.[1](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/0gdiFDI4zKLA3SyKgl3rEAc8n2g/appointments) • [2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/CDjNVdgBPgJc6jPBCJxFxy/karishma-vijay) • [3](https://www.globalindian.com/youth/from-basement-startup-to-lord-sugars-backing-karishma-vijay-wins-season-20-of-the-apprentice/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Identity | Karishma Vijay, born 1997, British, resident in England; Companies House identity verification complete[1](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/0gdiFDI4zKLA3SyKgl3rEAc8n2g/appointments) |
| Business | Kishkin, a skincare-infused "luxury organic" beauty brand; hero product Rose Hip to the Rescue, a 100% cold-pressed rosehip-seed oil[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/CDjNVdgBPgJc6jPBCJxFxy/karishma-vijay) • [4](https://living360.uk/kishkin-karishma-vijay-apprentice-winner-products/) |
| Launch funding | About £100,000 of personal savings, accumulated from a content and social-media career that included a role starting at £80,000 and ended on a six-figure salary[5](https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/money/saving-and-banking/won-apprentice-went-extreme-poverty-yearly-sales-4382302) |
| Early revenue | £50,000 turnover in the first five months after the 1 November launch[6](https://podscan.fm/podcasts/dont-work-harder/episodes/the-most-impressive-apprentice-candidate-in-20-years-why-she-won-the-show) • [7](https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/why-karishma-is-set-to-make-millions-from-the-apprentice/) |
| Apprentice win | Series 20 winner, announced 17 April 2026; £250,000 from Lord Sugar for a business stake[3](https://www.globalindian.com/youth/from-basement-startup-to-lord-sugars-backing-karishma-vijay-wins-season-20-of-the-apprentice/) • [8](https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/international/2026/04/17/british-indian-entrepreneur-karishma-vijay-wins-major-investment-on-uk-reality-show.html) |
| Post-win sales | £250,000 in 72 hours from 7,000 customers; over £400,000 in sales since the final[9](https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/250k-of-sales-in-72-hours-the-rise-of-brand-karishma/) • [5](https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/money/saving-and-banking/won-apprentice-went-extreme-poverty-yearly-sales-4382302) |
| Registered entities | KISHKIN LTD (15610693, director from 2 April 2024), KISH INVESTMENTS LTD (16841598, from 9 November 2025), KISH & CO LTD (17392363, incorporated 11 August 2026, 75-100% ownership)[1](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/0gdiFDI4zKLA3SyKgl3rEAc8n2g/appointments) • [10](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/Nrz4vfzk4BGyaOVmUA6i1wXRMds/appointments) • [11](https://ch.borsoi.co.uk/c/17392363) |
## Who she is
[Companies House](https://www.edgepedia.org/companies-house) lists Karishma Vijay, born 1997, British and resident in England, as an active director of KISHKIN LTD, appointed on 2 April 2024, with her identity verification marked complete and a correspondence address at Amshold House, Goldings Hill, Loughton.[1](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/0gdiFDI4zKLA3SyKgl3rEAc8n2g/appointments) The same officer record appears in registry mirrors for KISHKIN LTD.[11](https://ch.borsoi.co.uk/c/17392363)
Her own account fills in the background. She was born in Ashford, Surrey, into a British-Indian family with a history of entrepreneurship, and describes herself as the first businesswoman of her bloodline.[3](https://www.globalindian.com/youth/from-basement-startup-to-lord-sugars-backing-karishma-vijay-wins-season-20-of-the-apprentice/) In her BBC candidate profile she says she has supported her whole family financially since she started earning, and that her life's dream is to build her dad a home.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/CDjNVdgBPgJc6jPBCJxFxy/karishma-vijay) In a Surrey Live interview she describes a very traditional Punjabi family in which a woman's expected fate was marriage and children.[12](https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/bbc-apprentice-finalist-karishma-vijay-33777767)
## The business she built
Kishkin is a skincare-infused beauty brand that the BBC profile describes as creating "powerful and potent products that simplify a lengthy trend-driven skincare routine", positioned explicitly against overconsumption of heavily marketed but ineffective products.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/CDjNVdgBPgJc6jPBCJxFxy/karishma-vijay) Living360 calls it a luxury organic skincare brand and identifies the hero product as Rose Hip to the Rescue, a 100% cold-pressed rosehip-seed oil targeting uneven skin tone, scars, and irritated skin; later launches include a Mandelic Acid Miracle Mask and a matcha milky toner mist, under the tagline "defined by science, designed by nature".[4](https://living360.uk/kishkin-karishma-vijay-apprentice-winner-products/)
The founding story is bootstrapped and personal. She has said she struggled with acne, which led her to formulate her own products.[4](https://living360.uk/kishkin-karishma-vijay-apprentice-winner-products/) In an interview she says she knew at 18 that she wanted to launch Kishkin, teased the brand from April, and put it live on 1 November, five months before leaving for filming.[6](https://podscan.fm/podcasts/dont-work-harder/episodes/the-most-impressive-apprentice-candidate-in-20-years-why-she-won-the-show) Global Indian dates the build to November 2024, from a warehouse basement, without external funding.[3](https://www.globalindian.com/youth/from-basement-startup-to-lord-sugars-backing-karishma-vijay-wins-season-20-of-the-apprentice/) The capital came from her own career: paid £500 for a piece of social media content at 24, she negotiated a role starting at £80,000, worked three days a week for five years, left on a six-figure salary, and saved around £100,000, which funded Kishkin.[5](https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/money/saving-and-banking/won-apprentice-went-extreme-poverty-yearly-sales-4382302)
Three registered entities sit behind the brand: KISHKIN LTD (company number 15610693, incorporated with her as director on 2 April 2024), KISH INVESTMENTS LTD (16841598, director appointed 9 November 2025), and KISH & CO LTD (17392363, incorporated in London on 11 August 2026), in which a filing records her holding 75 to 100 percent of shares and voting rights, and the right to appoint and remove directors.[1](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/0gdiFDI4zKLA3SyKgl3rEAc8n2g/appointments) • [10](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/Nrz4vfzk4BGyaOVmUA6i1wXRMds/appointments) • [11](https://ch.borsoi.co.uk/c/17392363)
## By the numbers
- **Launch capital and early months.** She launched with £7 in her personal bank account and barely £2,000 in the business account when filming began.[12](https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/bbc-apprentice-finalist-karishma-vijay-33777767) In the first five months the brand turned over £50,000, with every order packed by hand with her family and Instagram lives at 3 am to make a sale.[6](https://podscan.fm/podcasts/dont-work-harder/episodes/the-most-impressive-apprentice-candidate-in-20-years-why-she-won-the-show) • [7](https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/why-karishma-is-set-to-make-millions-from-the-apprentice/)
- **Before the finale.** She reported hundreds of orders daily, six-figure turnover, about £250,000 in cumulative sales, and 350,000+ social media followers.[12](https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/bbc-apprentice-finalist-karishma-vijay-33777767)
- **The investment.** £250,000 from Lord Sugar for a business stake, confirmed in the final boardroom; Sugar called her "a proper grafter" with "entrepreneurial spirit".[3](https://www.globalindian.com/youth/from-basement-startup-to-lord-sugars-backing-karishma-vijay-wins-season-20-of-the-apprentice/)
- **After the win.** £250,000 of sales in 72 hours from 7,000 customers worldwide; over £400,000 in sales since the final, which was filmed a year before broadcast; about £40,000 spent in the days after winning on stock and staff.[9](https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/250k-of-sales-in-72-hours-the-rise-of-brand-karishma/) • [5](https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/money/saving-and-banking/won-apprentice-went-extreme-poverty-yearly-sales-4382302) The Kishkin Eyelixir product sold out within six weeks of launch.[7](https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/why-karishma-is-set-to-make-millions-from-the-apprentice/)
- **Headcount.** Her LinkedIn claims a team of 10+ staff; the podcast account of the early operation describes family members packing orders by hand.[6](https://podscan.fm/podcasts/dont-work-harder/episodes/the-most-impressive-apprentice-candidate-in-20-years-why-she-won-the-show)
## How it compares with its peers
The one parallel drawn in the business press is with Susie Ma, founder of Tropic Skincare, another Apprentice-backed beauty founder, who BusinessCloud estimates has a personal fortune of £73m after buying back Lord Sugar's stake in her company; the comparison is offered as a template for what an Apprentice beauty winner's equity can eventually be worth, not as a current ranking.[7](https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/why-karishma-is-set-to-make-millions-from-the-apprentice/)
## Operating approach and public voice
Her stated philosophy is efficacy over marketing-driven overconsumption: Kishkin exists, in her pitch, to simplify lengthy trend-driven routines with products that "work wonders - or as I like to say, miracles".[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/CDjNVdgBPgJc6jPBCJxFxy/karishma-vijay) • [13](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/reality-tv/the-apprentice-2026-karishma-vijay-contestant/) On management she is explicit: "nobody is on a permanent contract until they've earned it. That's how I work."[6](https://podscan.fm/podcasts/dont-work-harder/episodes/the-most-impressive-apprentice-candidate-in-20-years-why-she-won-the-show) She says she now speaks to Lord Sugar almost every day, and her expansion targets include Sephora, Harrods, Selfridges, and travel retail, alongside shifting Kishkin from a founder-led identity to a standalone commercial entity.[6](https://podscan.fm/podcasts/dont-work-harder/episodes/the-most-impressive-apprentice-candidate-in-20-years-why-she-won-the-show) • [3](https://www.globalindian.com/youth/from-basement-startup-to-lord-sugars-backing-karishma-vijay-wins-season-20-of-the-apprentice/) After the win, Andrew Bloch, a long-time associate of Lord Sugar, was appointed to handle her PR, and her website was rebranded around her Apprentice appearance.[9](https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/250k-of-sales-in-72-hours-the-rise-of-brand-karishma/)
## Recent developments
The company incorporations run from April 2024 (KISHKIN LTD) through November 2025 (KISH INVESTMENTS LTD) to August 2026 (KISH & CO LTD).[1](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/0gdiFDI4zKLA3SyKgl3rEAc8n2g/appointments) • [10](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/Nrz4vfzk4BGyaOVmUA6i1wXRMds/appointments) • [11](https://ch.borsoi.co.uk/c/17392363) The brand launched in November 2024, she entered the Apprentice's twentieth series, and was named its winner on 17 April 2026 with the £250,000 investment.[3](https://www.globalindian.com/youth/from-basement-startup-to-lord-sugars-backing-karishma-vijay-wins-season-20-of-the-apprentice/) • [8](https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/international/2026/04/17/british-indian-entrepreneur-karishma-vijay-wins-major-investment-on-uk-reality-show.html) Since the broadcast, sales have surged, her social following has grown to nearly one million, a PR operation has been professionalized, and the Eyelixir launch sold out within six weeks.[9](https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/250k-of-sales-in-72-hours-the-rise-of-brand-karishma/) • [7](https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/why-karishma-is-set-to-make-millions-from-the-apprentice/)
## References
1. [Karishma VIJAY personal appointments, Companies House (GOV.UK)](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/0gdiFDI4zKLA3SyKgl3rEAc8n2g/appointments)
2. [Karishma Vijay, BBC The Apprentice candidate profile](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/CDjNVdgBPgJc6jPBCJxFxy/karishma-vijay)
3. [From basement startup to Lord Sugar's backing: Karishma Vijay wins Season 20 of The Apprentice, Global Indian](https://www.globalindian.com/youth/from-basement-startup-to-lord-sugars-backing-karishma-vijay-wins-season-20-of-the-apprentice/)
4. [Inside Kishkin: Best products from The Apprentice winner, Living360](https://living360.uk/kishkin-karishma-vijay-apprentice-winner-products/)
5. [I won The Apprentice, I went from extreme poverty to £400,000 yearly sales, The i Paper](https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/money/saving-and-banking/won-apprentice-went-extreme-poverty-yearly-sales-4382302)
6. [The most impressive Apprentice candidate in 20 years, Don't Work Harder podcast](https://podscan.fm/podcasts/dont-work-harder/episodes/the-most-impressive-apprentice-candidate-in-20-years-why-she-won-the-show)
7. [Why Karishma is set to make millions from The Apprentice, BusinessCloud](https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/why-karishma-is-set-to-make-millions-from-the-apprentice/)
8. [British Indian entrepreneur Karishma Vijay wins major investment on UK reality show, The Week](https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/international/2026/04/17/british-indian-entrepreneur-karishma-vijay-wins-major-investment-on-uk-reality-show.html)
9. [£250k of sales in 72 hours: The rise of Brand Karishma, BusinessCloud](https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/250k-of-sales-in-72-hours-the-rise-of-brand-karishma/)
10. [Karishma VIJAY personal appointments (KISH INVESTMENTS LTD), Companies House (GOV.UK)](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/Nrz4vfzk4BGyaOVmUA6i1wXRMds/appointments)
11. [KISH & CO LTD, companieshouse.watch registry mirror](https://ch.borsoi.co.uk/c/17392363)
12. [BBC The Apprentice finalist Karishma Vijay reveals life-changing transformation, Surrey Live](https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/bbc-apprentice-finalist-karishma-vijay-33777767)
13. [Who is Karishma Vijay? The Apprentice 2026 candidate, Radio Times](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/reality-tv/the-apprentice-2026-karishma-vijay-contestant/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Economics and business › Founders, operators, and investors › Consumer, industrial, and services founders › Europe: Mittelstand and owner-managers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 10, 2026 · Edited: Oct 10, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 10, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license