National Startup Day 2026: Startups and Founders Shaping India’s Growth Story

1. Aayuush Ahuja: Founder & CEO of Zalon

Aayuush Ahuja is the Founder of Zalon, a B2B beauty-tech platform building digital and supply-chain infrastructure for India’s fragmented salon industry. Founded in 2022, Zalon has scaled to over 18,000 salon partners across India within three years, achieving EBITDA positivity while maintaining disciplined unit economics. The company has recorded consistent double-digit month-on-month growth and operates with gross margins of 50–65% through its private-label beauty brand, Aurey.

Aayuush’s leadership philosophy prioritizes profitability, execution, and long-term value over short-term valuation narratives. Under his direction, Zalon has combined technology, distribution, and private-label manufacturing to create a scalable, capital-efficient business model that empowers salons to grow sustainably.

“Building a startup is not about chasing noise,” Aayuush says. “It’s about solving real problems, earning trust, and creating systems that can survive cycles.” His approach reflects a new generation of Indian founders focused on resilience, impact, and durable enterprise creation in a volatile and evolving startup ecosystem.

2. Dhwani Jain: Founder of Something Simple

Dhwani Jain has built a Jaipur-based demi-fine jewellery startup, Something Simple, focused on redefining everyday adornment through thoughtful, design-forward pieces. Crafted exclusively in sterling 925 silver and natural gemstones, the brand emerged from her insight into a clear market gap for functional, easy-to-wear jewellery suited to modern lifestyles.

An alumna of NYU Stern School of Business, Dhwani began her career in New York City, where experience in structured, business-driven environments shaped her strategic approach to brand building and long-term growth. To strengthen product-led decision-making, she pursued formal gemological training and is a GIA-certified graduate gemologist, bringing expertise in gemstone quality, ethical sourcing, and material precision into the brand’s design and production processes.

A key differentiator for Something Simple is its convertible jewellery, offering multiple styling options from a single piece to meet evolving consumer preferences. Going forward, Dhwani aims to scale the brand as a strong omnichannel business, prioritising digital growth alongside curated retail partnerships and exhibitions.

3. Dinesh Sain: Co-Founder of Drona Aviation

Dinesh Sain is an aerospace engineer, IIT Bombay alumnus, and Co-Founder of Drona Aviation, a pioneer in drone-based education in India. With a passion for innovation and hands-on learning, he has dedicated his career to making drones more than flying machines—transforming them into learning machines that inspire curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving among students.

Under his leadership, Drona Aviation has developed Pluto, India’s first DIY and programmable nano-drone platform, and established Drone Labs in schools and colleges across the country. These initiatives have empowered thousands of students to build, fly, and code drones, equipping them with skills in robotics, drone, and technology while nurturing innovation from a young age.

Dinesh’s vision aligns strongly with national priorities such as Atmanirbhar Bharat, Digital India, and Skill India. With the belief that “The next India will not just fly drones—it will build them,” he aims to see a Drone Lab in every school and college in India, positioning the country as a global hub for drone innovation and education.

4. Manoj Pipersania: Founder and CEO of SoftServ

Manoj Pipersania is a seasoned technology leader with over 25 years of experience in building and scaling global digital solutions. A Mining Engineer from MBM Engineering College, Jodhpur, with an M.Tech. in Information Technology, he brings a strong foundation of engineering discipline and modern technology expertise to his entrepreneurial journey. After spending eight years in the United States working with organizations such as EDS and UnitedHealthcare, Manoj returned to India in 2014 to establish SoftServ in Jaipur, Rajasthan, with the vision of creating a globally competitive technology firm.

Today, SoftServ employs 250+ professionals delivering IT and KPO services across healthcare, cybersecurity, power, HSE, and the automotive sector, with recognized expertise in low-code and no-code platforms and products like blackBAR, barquode, and SnapFingr. Reflecting on National Startup Day 2026, Manoj believes India’s startup ecosystem has matured from experimentation to execution, where sustainable growth, strong fundamentals, and purpose-driven innovation are shaping the nation’s long-term economic future.

5. Prasad Tataaverrty: Founder & Director of DataAIJobs.com & AnalyticsHiring.com

Prasad Tataverty is the Founder of DataAIJobs.com and AnalyticsHiring.com—specialist platforms built for skills-first hiring across Data Science, Data Engineering, Analytics, AI/ML and GenAI. AnalyticsHiring.com combines an exclusively data and AI Leadership hiring agency, helping employers cut through the noise of generic agencies. He has worked large MNC handling global portfolios and later built DataAIJobs.com and AnalyticsHiring.com, giving him a front-row view of why data roles break traditional hiring methods. His approach is shaped by 25+ years of recruiting experience and hiring across 20+ countries, partnering with global organizations to close executive and niche technology roles. That performance-led, multi-market hiring exposure enables sharper role scoping, realistic benchmarking, and stronger skill validation, so employers can shortlist faster, reduce mis-hires and build high-performing Data & AI teams with confidence.

6. Rupanjana Samanta – Founder & CEO of INMYO

Rupanjana Samanta is the Founder and CEO of INMYO, an AI-powered intimacy and sexual wellness platform addressing India’s long-standing gaps in sex education, emotional wellbeing, and relationship health. She holds an MBA in Environment Management from IISWBM, which shaped her systems-level understanding of sustainability, governance, social impact, and long-term value creation combined with hands-on execution, enables her to build INMYO not merely as a digital product, but as a responsible and scalable ecosystem.

Before founding INMYO, Rupanjana built and worked with multiple businesses and collaborated closely with startup founders in Founder’s Office roles, contributing to strategy, operations, ESG frameworks, and business analytics. The idea of INMYO emerged from her lived experiences observing the lack of education & awareness in Indian society. Especially the stigma and misinformation faced by young adults.

The platform provides non-judgmental, fully encrypted wellness conversations, doctor consultations and expert guidance focusing on male and female sexual health, a marketplace for doctor-verified intimate hygiene and wellness products, and expert-led sex education courses. With these offerings, Rupanjana aims to normalize open, informed conversations about sexuality in Indian society, which is the platform’s core mission, redefining intimacy education for India and beyond.

7. Shivani Singh-Kapoor and Sanjeeva Shivesh: Co-founders of ThinkStartup

“Architects of India’s Entrepreneurship Revolution in Schools”

Shivani Singh-Kapoor and Sanjeeva Shivesh are the visionary co-founders of ThinkStartup, India’s leading platform dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship among school and college students. Shivani, a serial entrepreneur and IIT Delhi alumna, is passionate about instilling entrepreneurial thinking from an early age. She believes that equipping young minds with creativity, problem-solving skills, and confidence is key to nurturing the next generation of innovators and job creators. Sanjeeva Shivesh, a former civil servant turned entrepreneur, brings a wealth of experience in innovation projects, mentorship, and ecosystem building, making him a driving force in India’s entrepreneurship landscape. Together, they combine their strengths to create impactful educational experiences for youth.

Through ThinkStartup, Shivani and Shivesh have launched transformative initiatives like Youth Ideathon, India’s largest entrepreneurship competition for school students, attracting over 2 lakh participants each year. The eHub Entrepreneurship Curriculum, adopted by leading schools, provides practical, real-world learning, while U18 Launchpad, India’s first startup accelerator for school students, offers hands-on prototyping, mentorship, and investor access. Another exciting initiative, The Kid Company, supports student innovations by enabling young entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their market-ready products, while also raising funds for further innovation.

Their mission is clear: to integrate entrepreneurship into mainstream education, inspiring young Indians to innovate, take risks, and contribute to building a self-reliant, dynamic India.

8. Sridhar Samudrala: Founder & CEO of Hecta

Sridhar Samudrala founded Hecta Proptech to improve recovery of bad loans. Leveraging AI-driven technology, Hecta accelerates recoveries by curating and marketing the underlying mortgaged properties, enabling financial institutions to redeploy capital faster, lend more aggressively, and support economic growth.

These are usually referred as ‘bank auction properties’ and are typically available at a discount. They generate strong demand from both end-users and investors for flipping. The access to these assets was opaque and Hecta is streamlining the access and transaction support required for increased buyer participation.

Hecta is a collect-tech platform recognized by the RBI Innovation Hub and has been awarded among the Top 10 Technology Innovators by HDFC Capital.

To scale the business from its early stage to the next phase of growth, Hecta is backed by a seasoned leadership team—Naren Ramakrishnan, with 25 years of expertise in technology and AI; Rohit Aneja, with over 20 years of experience at EY and Deloitte; and Pawan Garg, with 25 years of experience as a CFO and Insolvency Resolution Professional (IRP).

9. Vaibhav Kumar: Co-founder & CTO of Traqo.ai

Vaibhav Kumar Driving Traqo’s Technology-Led Growth. Vaibhav Kumar, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder at Traqo, is a visionary technologist and a key architect behind the startup’s rapid growth. An alumnus of IIT BHU, he brings a strong academic foundation in engineering along with deep expertise in scalable software systems and cloud architecture. As a Co-founder, Vaibhav has led the design and deployment of Traqo’s core platforms, enabling data-driven decision-making, enhanced system reliability, and improved operational efficiency for enterprises. Under his leadership, Traqo has achieved nearly 2.5x year-on-year revenue growth, onboarded 100+ enterprise clients, doubled its team strength, expanded into Africa, and scaled its product offerings across FTL, PTL, and EXIM solutions.

Sharing his vision, Vaibhav says, “At Traqo, our focus has always been on building technology that solves real operational challenges and scales with our customers’ growth. Innovation, agility, and purpose-driven execution remain at the core of our journey.” His leadership reflects India’s startup spirit of innovation, resilience, and scalable impact.

10. Vikas Saxena:  Co-founder & CEO of Caleedo

Vikas Saxena is a visionary technology leader committed to redefining how the built environment supports human well-being, safety, and sustainability. With almost three decades of experience in intelligent buildings, automation, and digital transformation, his work is guided by a belief that technology should go beyond automation to actively enhance human experience and decision-making.

As Co-founder & CEO of Caleedo, Vikas is driving a shift from reactive infrastructure to living, sensing environments powered by IoT and data intelligence. His vision centers on workplaces that can continuously listen, learn, and respond—anticipating risks, improving health outcomes, and strengthening operational resilience. Under his leadership, Caleedo is developing integrated digital platforms that unify air quality, hygiene, safety, and environmental intelligence, enabling organizations to move beyond compliance toward predictive, measurable, and outcome-driven performance.

A respected industry voice and keynote speaker, Vikas actively contributes to national forums and thought leadership initiatives, inspiring audiences to see buildings not as static assets, but as active partners in productivity, wellness, and resilience.

Disclaimer: This listicle has been provided by Nandish Communication.