Meet Mona Patel, The Entrepreneur Making Waves With Her Met Gala Debut

Mona Patel founded the non-profit organisation, Couture for Cause.

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Mona Patel recently made heads turn at the Met Gala 2024. Styled by the renowned Law Roach, Ms Patel stunned attendees with her elegant nude gown, aligning with the Gala’s theme “The Garden of Time”.

The floor-length dress, created by designer Iris Van Herpen’s team in India, had a stunning butterfly-shaped corset and a trailing train affixed with mechanical butterflies that fluttered their wings with her every step. She designed the 3D butterflies herself with the help of kinetic motion artist Casey Curran.

Who is Mona Patel?

1. Mona Patel was born in Vadodara, Gujarat, and later moved to the United States for higher education at Rutgers University in New Jersey in 2003. However, she came back to India to complete her undergraduate studies. 
2. She moved to Dallas, Texas at the age of 22 and founded eight companies across industries like healthcare, tech and real estate which included the health-tech startup radXai, CareFirst Imaging and the community group Haute Mindset. 
3. Ms Patel has an impressive college background, having attended prestigious institutions such as Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and MIT Sloan School of Management, according to her Instagram. 
4. Mona Patel is an advocate for gender equality and founded the non-profit organisation, Couture for Cause, through which she aims to empower women and girls worldwide by providing access to education and healthcare resources. The organisation has positively impacted over 4,000 girls till now.
5. In 2021, Mona Patel was listed in Forbes’ The Next 1000 list.