Uth series 2025.

The report, released jointly by Avendus Wealth and Hurun India on Wednesday, features 79 founders and business leaders aged 30 or below. Their companies have collectively raised $5.2 billion in equity and $270 million in debt, and created more than 64,000 jobs.

Of the 79 individuals, 66 are first-generation founders, pointing to a growing base of self-made entrepreneurs. BITS Pilani leads all undergraduate institutions with eight alumni on the list, followed by IIT Roorkee and IIT Delhi with six each.

Software products and services accounted for the largest share with 21 entrepreneurs, followed by consumer goods (12) and financial services (9). Overall, service-led companies made up 61% of the featured businesses, the report noted.

“When we look at India as a country, it’s a very young economy compared to the rest of the world. The ecosystem is evolving from the kinds of investable companies that are emerging, to how mature the infrastructure and support systems are becoming,” Anas Rahman Junaid, managing director and chief researcher at Hurun India, told ET. “What we will see in the next 10–15 years is wealth creation across the board in an Indian context, be it family offices, next-gen entrepreneurs, or first-generation entrepreneurs who now have cash flows.”

Zepto, the quick commerce startup cofounded by 22-year-olds Kaivalya Vohra and Aadit Palicha, led the list with $1.95 billion in equity raised. It was followed by AI search platform Perplexity, led by Aravind Srinivas, with $915 million, and fintech unicorn BharatPe, cofounded by Shashvat Nakrani, which has secured $604 million.

The report also highlights the strategic priorities of the young founders in terms of capital deployment. Nearly 44% of capital raised has been deployed toward product development and expansion, followed by 30% for geographic growth and 12% for talent acquisition.

“We've seen a very significant shift in terms of entrepreneurship in India. A bunch of young founders are coming in, and many of them are first-generation entrepreneurs,” said Apurva Sahijwani, MD and CEO, Avendus Wealth. “It's not that they're coming from established business families; they’re taking the initiative to launch their ventures and succeeding because of the investment they’re making in terms of their own commitment and effort.”