Top 20 Young Entrepreneurs In India
Sr.no | Young Entrepreneurs | Businesses |
1 | Ritesh Agarwal | |
2 | Bhavish Aggarwal | |
3 | Vijay Shekhar Sharma | |
4 | Byju Raveendran | |
5 | Kunal Shah | |
6 | Nithin Kamath | |
7 | Raghav Chandra | |
8 | Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal | |
9 | Kavin Bharti Mittal | |
10 | Tilak Mehta | |
11 | Phanindra Sama | |
12 | Upasana Taku and Bipin Preet Singh | |
13 | Shashank ND | |
14 | Rajan Anandan | |
15 | Alok Kejriwal | |
16 | Dhiraj Rajaram | |
17 | Sandeep Aggarwal | |
18 | Trishneet Arora | |
19 | Sreelakshmi | |
20 | Zishaan Hayath |
1. Ritesh Agarwal - Founder of OYO Rooms
Ritesh Agarwal is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder of OYO Rooms (now known as OYO Hotels & Homes), one of India’s largest and fastest-growing hospitality chains. He was born on November 16, 1993, in Cuttack, Odisha, India.
Ritesh began his entrepreneurial journey when he was young and he left college to follow his aspirations. He started Oravel Stays in 2013, when he was just 19 years old, and it later became OYO Rooms.
The purpose of OYO was to offer travelers in India uniform and reasonably priced lodging. In order to sell these rooms to customers through its platform, the company’s creative business plan entailed collaborating with hotels and other businesses, upgrading their facilities, and then doing so.
OYO developed rapidly not only in India but also in other international countries as a consequence due its rapid increase in popularity and consistent, affordable hotel experiences. Ritesh has received praise and admiration for his entrepreneurial success with OYO both in India and throughout the world.
Ritesh Agarwal’s achievements and entrepreneurial journey have inspired many aspiring entrepreneurs, making him one of the most prominent young business leaders in India.
2. Bhavish Aggarwal-Founder of Ola Cabs
Bhavish Aggarwal is an Indian entrepreneur and the co-founder of Ola Cabs, which is now known as Ola, one of India’s leading ride-hailing companies. He was born on August 28, 1985, in Ludhiana, Punjab, India.
While initiating his entrepreneurial path, Bhavish Aggarwal pursued a degree in computer science and engineering and worked at Microsoft Research India. During a trip in 2010, Bhavish had a difficult interaction with a taxi driver that gave rise to the idea for Ola. He came to the conclusion that India needed a trustworthy and effective taxi-hailing service, which inspired the creation of Ola Cabs.
Bhavish along with co-founder Ankit Bhati introduced Ola Cabs in December 2010 in Mumbai, giving customers access to a smartphone app for booking rides with authorized drivers. Due to the company’s user-friendly software and emphasis on customer satisfaction, it quickly became well-known. Ola expanded its services to a number of cities in India before expanding into other forms of transportation like electric cars, bikes, and auto-rickshaws.
Bhavish’s entrepreneurial journey and the success of Ola have earned him recognition as one of India’s top young entrepreneurs. He has been featured on various lists of influential business leaders and has become an inspiration to many aspiring entrepreneurs in the country.
3. Vijay Shekhar Sharma-Founder of Paytm
Vijay Shekhar Sharma is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder of Paytm, one of India’s leading digital payment platforms and e-commerce marketplaces. He was born on July 8, 1978, in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma launched his first business, XS Communications, when he was a college student, he began his entrepreneurial adventure. After establishing One97 Communications Limited in 2000, which eventually evolved into the parent company of Paytm, he went on to launch a number of profitable companies.
When Vijay Shekhar Sharma and his team discovered an opportunity to capitalize on mobile technology for cashless transactions and mobile recharges in 2010, they came up with the concept for Paytm. Paytm initially focused on providing mobile recharging services, but over time it expanded its lineup of services to include bill payment, money transfers, and online shopping.
Especially after the Indian government’s decisions to demonetize currency in 2016, which sparked an increase in the adoption of digital payments in the country. Paytm expanded quickly. Having millions of users and businesses as consumers, Paytm evolved into one of the most popular digital payment platforms in India.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma continued to be the CEO and driving force behind Paytm’s growth and innovation.
4. Byju Raveendran-Founder of Byjus
Byju Raveendran, commonly known as Byju Raveendran, is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder of BYJU’S – The Learning App, a prominent edtech platform in India. He was born on August 29, 1980, in Azhikode, Kerala, India.
With the goal to help students in preparation for various competitive examinations, Byju started providing live coaching knowledge in 2011. This marked the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey. Students began to embrace his teaching strategies and customized approach, and as demand grew, he made the choice to increase his efforts by developing a mobile learning app.
Byju launched the BYJU’S – The Learning App in 2015, which provided extensive educational materials for kids in kindergarten till grade 12. The software used enhanced methods of instruction and interactive video courses to make the subjects more interesting and understandable for students. Byju’s learning app swiftly gained popularity and emerged as the go-to resource for students seeking extra help with their academics or preparation for examinations.
Byju Raveendran has become known as one of India’s top edtech entrepreneurs due to his innovative approach to education and passion for democratizing access to education. He has earned recognition on numerous popular lists of strong business figures and has inspired many driven entrepreneurs and educators.
Byju Raveendran continued to be actively involved in leading BYJU’S and shaping the future of education through technology.
5. Kunal Shah-Founder of CRED
Kunal Shah is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder of CRED, a fintech startup based in India. He was born on January 23, 1983, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Starting with his initial startup, PaisaBack, an online platform that provided cashback and benefits to consumers for making purchases through the platform, Kunal Shah has had an outstanding entrepreneurial journey. Later, one of India’s top e-commerce firms, Snapdeal, purchased PaisaBack.
Kunal co-founded FreeCharge, a platform for mobile payments and recharges that allows customers to pay for utility bills, prepaid and postpaid mobile recharges, and DTH recharges. FreeCharge, which Kunal managed, rose to popularity as one of India’s most widely used digital payment systems and was renowned for its innovative advertisements and offers.
CRED rapidly grew in popularity in India, and the website attracted a large number of users, including people with great credit. The startup also got significant funding, which helped it become one of the nation’s fastest-growing fintech businesses.
Kunal Shah’s entrepreneurial journey and innovative ideas have earned him recognition as one of the notable figures in the Indian startup ecosystem. He is known for his insights into consumer behavior and his ability to create products that resonate with users.
6. Nithin Kamath-Founder of Zerodha
Nithin Kamath is an Indian entrepreneur and the co-founder of Zerodha, one of India’s leading and largest retail stockbroking platforms. He was born on November 5, 1980, in Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
By launching a discount brokerage platform, Zerodha changed the well-established brokerage business in India. The company offered free of commissions equity delivery trades and aimed to offer affordable trading solutions to retail investors and traders. It became well-liked among young, proficient technology investors because of its openness and dedication to innovation.
One of the largest stockbroking companies in India, Zerodha expanded quickly and now has a significant share of the market for retail trading. The website also increased the range of financial products it offers by adding commodities trading and mutual funds.
He is considered as a key player in India’s startup ecosystem because of his contributions to the fintech sector and his involvement in expanding access to financial markets for individual investors. He is known for promoting clarity, simplicity, and technologically based solutions.
Zerodha’s success has been a testament to Nithin Kamath’s entrepreneurial vision and his commitment to empowering individual investors with easy and cost-effective access to the stock market.
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7. Raghav Chandra- Co-founder of Urban Company
Raghav Chandra is an Indian entrepreneur and the co-founder of Urban Company, a prominent home services marketplace in India.
Abhiraj Bhal, Varun Khaitan, and Raghav Chandra created Urban Company in 2014. The objective of the platform was to provide customers with trustworthy professionals for services like cleaning, maintenance, beauty, plumbing, and more by offering a one-stop shop for diverse home services.
The Urban Company utilized technology to accelerate the service booking process and ensure the quality of service providers. It became a popular choice for customers looking for trustworthy and effective home services.
The platform offered by the Urban Company enabled both users and service providers, who could now more easily access services and engage with potential customers.
8. Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal-Founder and Co-founder of Flipkart
Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal are Indian entrepreneurs and the co-founders of Flipkart, one of India’s largest e-commerce companies.Sachin Bansal was born on August 5, 1981, in Chandigarh, India, while Binny Bansal was born on February 2, 1983, in Chandigarh.
The journey of Flipkart started in 2007 when both Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, two IIT Delhi graduates, quit their positions at Amazon to start their own ecommerce business. They started out by selling books online, and over time, they diversified their product line to include things like electronics, clothing, household appliances, and more.
Flipkart quickly received popularity and established itself as a significant participant in the Indian e-commerce business due to its creative marketing tactics, aggressive pricing, and customer-centered philosophy. Due to the company’s success, considerable investments were made by other investors, which enabled Flipkart to expand further.
Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal’s entrepreneurial journey with Flipkart has been inspiring, and they have been recognized as key figures in India’s startup ecosystem. Their contribution to the growth of e-commerce in India has left a significant impact on the industry.
9. Kavin Bharti Mittal-Founder of Hike Messenger
Kavin Bharti Mittal is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder of Hike Messenger, a once-popular messaging app in India. He was born on August 18, 1987, in Delhi, India. Kavin Bharti Mittal is the son of Sunil Mittal, the founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, a prominent telecom conglomerate in India.
With the goal to create a messaging network that catered to Indian customers’ requirements and preferences, Kavin founded Hike Messenger in 2012. Hike experienced a variety of features, such as stickers, personalized content, and free texting, which were well-liked by India’s young population.
“HikeLand,” an integrated networking and publishing platform within the app, was launched by Hike. Hike struggled to sustain its audience in the face of intense rivalry from exceeding messaging apps, despite its early recognition and innovative features.
Kavin Bharti Mittal’s entrepreneurial journey and vision for Hike Messenger earned him recognition in India’s startup ecosystem. His work in the tech industry has also showcased how local startups can build products tailored to the unique needs of the Indian market.
10. Tilak Mehta-Founder of Paperspace
Tilak Mehta is an Indian entrepreneur known for his contributions to the tech and startup ecosystem. He is the founder and CEO of Paperspace, a cloud computing platform that provides virtual machines and GPU instances for developers, data scientists, and businesses.
In an attempt to democratize access to high-performance computing resources, particularly GPU instances that are crucial to tasks like machine learning and data analysis, Tilak Mehta founded Paperspace. Developers and researchers select Paperspace’s technological advances because it allows for easy to deploy and upkeep virtual machines.
Tilak’s operations path was centered on the merging of computation and technology, responding to the demands of the modern digital landscape. Paperspace is popular among professionals as well as entrepreneurs who need strong computing capabilities but don’t want to make significant hardware investments due to its user-friendly interface and affordable price plan.
11. Phanindra Sama-Co-founder of RedBus
Phanindra Sama is an Indian entrepreneur and the co-founder of RedBus, a popular online bus ticketing platform in India. He was born on December 5, 1980, in Hyderabad, India.
RedBus was co-founded in 2006 with Phanindra Sama, Charan Padmaraju, and Sudhakar Pasupunuri. Phanindra had an issue trying to book bus tickets for a vacation, which ultimately gave him the concept for RedBus. RedBus emerged as a result of his realization that India needed a simple way to utilize the internet platform for purchasing bus tickets.
RedBus started as an easy internet tool that allowed users to search for bus routes, evaluate ticket costs, and purchase tickets. Due to its user-friendly interface and comprehensive listing of bus routes throughout India, the company soon gained favor with bus passengers.
In 2013, RedBus was acquired by the Ibibo Group, which further expanded the company’s reach and resources. Phanindra continued to be associated with RedBus even after the acquisition.
Phanindra Sama’s entrepreneurial journey with RedBus earned him recognition as one of India’s successful startup founders. His innovative ideas and execution have had a significant impact on the online travel industry in India.
12. Upasana Taku and Bipin Preet Singh-Co-founders of Mobikwik
Upasana Taku and Bipin Preet Singh are Indian entrepreneurs and the co-founders of MobiKwik, a prominent mobile wallet and digital payment platform in India. They have played pivotal roles in building MobiKwik into one of the leading fintech companies in the country.
MobiKwik started as a platform for mobile recharges and bill payments and eventually grew to offer electronic wallets, money transfers, and a variety of payment options. Users can keep money digitally and quickly and safely pay for a variety of services, including cell phone recharges, utility bills, online shopping, and more, using the company’s mobile wallet.
MobiKwik witnessed significant expansion and grew to the position of one of the top digital payment platforms in India under the leadership of Upasana Taku and Bipin Preet Singh. Indian users appreciate the company because of its user-friendly interface, strong security measures, and dedication to offering a frictionless payment experience.
13. Shashank ND-Co-founder of Practo
Shashank ND is an Indian entrepreneur and the co-founder of Practo, a leading healthcare technology company based in India. He was born on April 30, 1987, in a small town called Sirsi in Karnataka, India.
2008 witnessed the establishment of the Practo by Shashank is and Abhinav Lal. The objective of Practo was to create a platform that would connect patients and healthcare providers, making it simpler for individuals to locate and reserve appointments with doctors as well as other healthcare providers.
Practo started as a platform where patients could look for healthcare services online and where doctors were able to advertise their procedures. The business expanded the variety of services it provided over time, adding features including telemedicine, electronic health records, and online advisory services.
During the leadership of Shashank ND, Practo expanded quickly and became one of the most successful health IT firms in India. The business became large investments and expanded its operations to various international markets as well as numerous Indian towns.
Shashank’s entrepreneurial journey with Practo has earned him recognition as a prominent figure in the Indian startup ecosystem. He has been featured on various lists of influential entrepreneurs and has been acknowledged for his contributions to healthcare technology and innovation.
Shashank ND continued to be actively involved in leading Practo and driving its growth and innovation.
14. Rajan Anandan- Founder of BOV Capital
Rajan Anandan is an Indian entrepreneur and venture capitalist known for his significant contributions to the tech and startup ecosystem in India. He was born on November 1, 1966, in Kerala, India.
Rajan Anandan came with a varied background with experience in the management, technology, and investment fields. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States with a degree in engineering, and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business awarded him an MBA.
Rajan Anandan held a variety of executive positions with both large corporations and tech start-ups. He has experience in the corporate and technological industries from his work with companies like Microsoft, Dell, and McKinsey & Company.
Rajan Anandan is widely regarded as one of India’s leading tech evangelists and a key figure in the country’s startup ecosystem. His expertise, leadership, and investment activities have had a significant impact on the growth and success of startups in India.
15. Alok Kejriwal-Founder of Games2Win
Alok Kejriwal is an Indian entrepreneur, investor, and gaming industry expert known for his contributions to the digital gaming and technology sectors. He was born on November 22, 1966, in Mumbai, India.
Alok Kejriwal launched contests2win.com, an online platform for contests that provided participants with dynamic and interesting competitions. The website immediately became well-known and one of the top online competition websites in India.
Alok Kejriwal has also taken ownership of several of different companies and investments in the digital media, gaming, and technology industries. He supports various firms as a mentor and angel investor and offers advice and assistance to budding business people.
Alok Kejriwal remained active in the digital gaming and technology space, continuing to explore new opportunities and invest in promising startups.
16. Dhiraj Rajaram-Founder of Mu Sigma
Dhiraj Rajaram is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder of Mu Sigma, a leading data analytics and decision sciences company. He was born on October 28, 1975, in Pune, India.
Dhiraj Rajaram began Mu Sigma with the goal of creating a platform for data-driven decision-making that would assist businesses in utilizing data analytics to make wise decisions. He recognised the growing importance of data analytics and the opportunity it presented to close the gap between organizational data and decision-making processes.
Mu Sigma quickly grew into a major player in the analytics industry. The company specialized in providing data-driven insights and solutions to businesses across various sectors, including retail, finance, healthcare, and technology.
Dhiraj Rajaram stepped down as the CEO of Mu Sigma but continued to be associated with the company as its Chairman. Over the years, Mu Sigma expanded its operations globally and received significant investments from various investors.
17. Sandeep Aggarwal -Founder of Droom
Sandeep Aggarwal is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder of Droom, one of India’s largest online marketplaces for buying and selling new and used automobiles. He was born on July 5, 1975, in Delhi, India.
With a background in technology and e-commerce, Sandeep Aggarwal has held positions with organizations like Shop Clues and Microsoft. He gained expertise in the field of online marketplaces, which ultimately inspired him to launch his own business, Droom, early 2014.
In order to offer a transparent and efficient platform for buying and selling automobiles, such as cars, motorcycles, and bicycles, Droom was established. The platform is a reliable one for both buyers and sellers because it provides a variety of services like automobile pricing, inspection reports, and certification.
18. Trishneet Arora-Founder of TAC Security
Trishneet Arora is an Indian entrepreneur, author, and cybersecurity expert known for his contributions to the field of cybersecurity and information technology. He was born on November 2, 1993, in Ludhiana, Punjab, India.
Trishneet Arora’s profession in technology started when he was still a kid and got interested in cybersecurity and ethical hacking. He is mainly self-taught and gained his cybersecurity knowledge through considerable self-learning and practical use.
A company offering cybersecurity solutions and consultation was established by Trishneet. The company focuses on providing businesses services to identify and resolve security flaws in their computer systems, networks, and software.
Trishneet earned recognition and praise for his work in the field of cybersecurity and his early business achievements. His story has inspired youngsters who are interested in technology and cybersecurity, and he has been recognised in a number of media outlets.
Trishneet Arora remained an active figure in the cybersecurity and tech community.
19. Sreelakshmi
Sreelakshmi was born on February 5th, 1998, and is 24 in 2023. The Presentation Higher Secondary School in Kerala, where she completed her education. Further, she earned a degree in business management from St. Joseph’s College in Devagiri.
At age three, Sreelakshmi started experimenting with computers. She began developing websites at the age of 4 and completed the initial one at the age of six. Furthermore, she developed an internet portal for her school, which was launched by Binoy Viswam, Kerela’s Forest Minister.
Undoubtedly, the idea for creating a website came from secondary high school. The institution formerly lacked a management webpage. She subsequently suggested the initial action of creating a website for her school. This further resulted in earning praise and recognition on a global scale.
20. Zishaan Hayath-Co-founder of Toppr
Zishaan Hayath is an Indian entrepreneur, investor, and the co-founder of Toppr, an edtech company that provides personalized learning solutions for students. He was born on August 5, 1983, in Hyderabad, India.
Zishaan started working as an entrepreneur when he was a young man. He co-launched Toppr after having previously founded Chaupaati Bazaar, an online marketplace, and Powai Labs, a mobile app development company.
Zishaan’s entrepreneurial journey and contributions to the edtech industry have earned him recognition as a prominent figure in India’s startup ecosystem. He is known for his business acumen, innovative ideas, and dedication to empowering students through technology.
Conclusion
The experiences of these top 20 young entrepreneurs in India are proof of the force of creativity, tenacity, and the transforming potential of entrepreneurship. They have grown into leaders who are advancing the country’s prosperity and advancement.
They establish an enduring impression on India’s entrepreneurial scene and inspire individuals all over the world with their achievements as they continue to lead, interfere, and innovate. As these young visionaries continue to influence people’s lives all around the world and impact the future of the country, the future looks bright.
