List of Top 10 Indian Entrepreneurs of All Time in India

  • Turnover: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries reported revenue of approximately Rs 50,000 crore (approximately $6 billion) in the financial year 2024-25, driven by strong sales in domestic and international markets.

5) Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: Founder of Biocon

  • Turnover: Biocon reported revenue of around Rs 8,000 crore ($970 million) in the financial year 2024-25, with growth attributed to its biosimilars and generics segments.

6) Bhavish Aggarwal: Co-founder of Ola Cabs

  • Revenue: Ola expects revenue of about 5,000 crore rupees ($600 million) in 2024-25, driven by its ride-hailing services and expansion into electric vehicles.

7) Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal: Founders of Flipkart

  • Revenue: Flipkart’s revenue for fiscal 2024-25 is expected to be around 50,000 crore rupees ($6 billion), reflecting its dominance of India’s e-commerce market.

8) Vijay Shekhar Sharma: Founder of Paytm

  • Revenue: Paytm reported revenue of about 7,000 crore rupees ($850 million) in 2024-25, driven primarily by its digital payments services and financial products.

9) Falguni Nayar: Founder of Nykaa

  • Turnover: Nykaa’s revenue for the financial year 2024-25 is expected to be approximately 3,500 crore rupees ($420 million), with growth coming from both online and offline retail channels.

10) Ritesh Agarwal: Founder, Oyo Rooms

  • Revenue: OYO’s revenue for fiscal 2024-25 is expected to be around 4,500 crore rupees ($550 million) as the company continues to recover from pandemic-related disruptions and expand its hotel network.

Mukesh Ambani

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani has been a key figure in India’s economic transformation.

After taking over the company from his father Dhirubhai Ambani in 2002, Mukesh focused on expanding RIL’s core petrochemicals business while diversifying into telecoms and retail.

Launched in 2016, Jio revolutionized the telecom industry by offering affordable data and free voice calls, quickly capturing a significant market share. However, Ambani faces challenges, including fierce competition and regulatory scrutiny.

The company’s push into retail has also encountered obstacles, such as dealing with complex regulations and stiff competition from established players.

Despite these challenges, Ambani’s strategic vision positions Reliance Industries as one of India’s most valuable companies.

Ratan Tata

Ratan Tata served as chairman of the Tata Group from 1991 to 2012, overseeing the group’s transformation into a global conglomerate.

He was initially met with skepticism due to his relative inexperience and resistance from senior managers when he took over.

However, he implemented a series of reforms, including setting a retirement age for executives and requiring subsidiaries to report directly to Tata Sons.

Under his leadership, the Tata Group made landmark acquisitions such as Tetley Tea, Jaguar Land Rover and Corus Steel, significantly increasing revenue and profits.

Despite these successes, Tata has faced setbacks, such as the failure of the Tata Nano project, which aimed to create an affordable car but failed to meet consumer interest.

After stepping down in 2012, he demonstrated his enduring influence over the group by returning as interim chairman during a leadership crisis in 2016.

NR Narayana Murthy

R. Narayana Murthy co-founded Infosys in 1981 with a vision to create a globally respected IT services company.

His leadership is marked by a strong focus on corporate governance and ethical business practices, which distinguishes Infosys in the emerging industry.

Under his leadership, Infosys grew rapidly to become one of India’s largest IT companies and pioneered the global outsourcing model.

However, Murthy faces challenges amid the economic downturn and increasing competition from domestic and foreign players.

His decision to step down as CEO in 2002 was met with mixed reactions. However, his influence as chairman remained until 2011.

Although Murthy faced criticism for some of his strategic decisions after his retirement, his legacy continues to inspire future entrepreneurs.

Dilip Shanvi

Dilip Shanghvi founded Sun Pharmaceutical Industries in 1983 to manufacture psychiatric drugs.

His innovative approach to business has resulted in rapid growth. He significantly expanded Sun Pharma’s portfolio by acquiring several companies in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Shanghvi’s strategy emphasizes research and development (R&D), which has made Sun Pharma a global leader in generic drugs.

However, the company faces challenges such as regulatory scrutiny and post-acquisition integration issues.

The 2015 acquisition of Ranbaxy Laboratories was particularly controversial due to quality control issues that later emerged.

Despite these obstacles, Shanghvi has maintained Sun Pharma’s position as one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in India.

Kiran Majumdar-Shaw

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw founded Biocon Limited in 1978 with the vision of leading biotechnology in India.

Starting from a small brewery in Bangalore, she transformed Biocon into a global biopharmaceutical giant focused on the production of insulin and other biologics.

Her focus on innovative and affordable healthcare solutions has earned Biocon international recognition.

However, Mazumdar-Shaw faces numerous challenges, including regulatory hurdles and market competition from large pharmaceutical companies.

The company’s push into biosimilars is particularly notable, but also fraught with risks associated with approval processes in various countries.

Bhavesh Agarwal

Bhavish Aggarwal co-founded Ola Cabs in 2010 with the aim of solving India’s transportation problems through an app-based taxi service model.

The company quickly gained traction by offering competitive prices and expanding its services to various cities across India.

Agarwal’s vision goes beyond ride-sharing; he aims to create an ecosystem of electric vehicles (EVs) and mobility solutions.

However, Ola faces major challenges such as regulatory issues and fierce competition from rivals such as Uber.

The company’s expansion into international markets has also had mixed results due to differences in local regulations and market dynamics.

Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal

Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal co-founded Flipkart in 2007 with the aim of revolutionizing e-commerce in India.

Their initial focus on books quickly expanded to various product categories, making Flipkart a household name in online retail.

The pair’s strategic decisions have led to significant investment and rapid growth; however, they have also faced many challenges, including logistics issues and competition from Amazon’s entry into the Indian market.

Walmart’s $16 billion acquisition of Flipkart in 2018 became one of the world’s largest e-commerce deals, but also led to scrutiny of post-acquisition operational changes.

Despite exiting day-to-day operations after the sale, their legacy continues to impact India’s e-commerce landscape.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma

Vijay Shekhar Sharma founded Paytm in 2010 to provide mobile wallet services in India’s growing digital payments space.

His vision is to create an inclusive financial ecosystem that empowers millions of Indians through digital transactions.

Sharma’s aggressive marketing strategy has helped Paytm gain widespread adoption; however, the company faces significant hurdles, including regulatory challenges and stiff competition from other fintech players such as PhonePe and Google Pay.

The demonetization policy introduced by the Indian government has unexpectedly promoted the development of digital payments, but it has also intensified competition in the industry.

Falguni Nayar

Falguni Nayar founded Nykaa in 2012 with the aim of creating an online platform for beauty products tailored for Indian consumers.

She leveraged her experience in investment banking to build a brand that resonates with women looking for quality beauty products at affordable prices.

Nykaa’s unique omni-channel strategy has allowed it to thrive both online and in stores across India.

However, Nayar faces challenges such as supply chain issues and stiff competition from domestic brands and international players entering the market.

In 2021, Nykaa successfully went public; despite market volatility following the IPO, Nayyar’s vision remains to redefine beauty retail in India.

Ritesh Agarwal

Ritesh Agarwal founded Oyo Rooms at just 19 years old with a mission to standardize budget accommodation across India.

His innovative approach includes working with smaller hotels to improve the quality of their services while leveraging technology for reservation management through an app-based platform.

Oyo has grown rapidly but encountered significant challenges during its aggressive domestic and international expansion phase, including operational inefficiencies and strong opposition to a revenue-sharing model from its hotel partners.

Despite facing criticism for its business practices and restructuring efforts amid financial losses during the pandemic, Agarwal remains committed to redefining global hotel standards through OYO’s evolving business model.