Quick Take
- Ten founders built category-defining firms, from Naukri in 1997 to OYO and Ather in 2013.
- Several of these companies had co-founders too, often left out of single-name lists.
- Together they shaped jobs, payments, food, travel and quick commerce across modern India.
In This Article
The founding fathers of India’s startup story span 16 years, from Naukri in 1997 to OYO, Blinkit and Ather in 2013. A widely shared infographic lists 10 of them as the pioneers behind India’s biggest consumer tech firms.
The list names one face per company: Ritesh Agarwal (OYO), Sachin Bansal (Flipkart), Deep Kalra (MakeMyTrip), Nithin Kamath (Zerodha), Sanjeev Bikhchandani (Naukri), Albinder Dhindsa (Blinkit), Ashish Hemrajani (BookMyShow), Deepinder Goyal (Zomato), Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Paytm) and Tarun Mehta (Ather). The years are broadly correct, but several of these companies were built by founding teams, not solo founders. StartupFeed has verified each name, year and claim below.
StartupFeed Insight
Single-name founder lists make for clean graphics, but they quietly rewrite history. Flipkart had two Bansals, Zomato had Pankaj Chaddah, Blinkit had Saurabh Kumar and Ather had Swapnil Jain. The “solo genius” frame is comforting, yet most durable Indian startups were built by complementary pairs, one product or tech lead beside one operations or business lead. StartupFeed expects this pattern to hold as the next wave scales: by 2027, expect founding-team profiles, not lone-founder myths, to dominate how India’s strongest startups are studied and funded. Aspiring founders should read these stories for the partnerships, not just the faces. By StartupFeed Desk.
The Full List at a Glance
The popular list of founding fathers of India’s startup ecosystem covers 10 companies founded between 1997 and 2013. The table below shows each one with its verified founding year and the “first” claim attached to it.
| Company | Year | Named Founder | Claim to Fame |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naukri | 1997 | Sanjeev Bikhchandani | Early internet business in India |
| BookMyShow | 1999 | Ashish Hemrajani | Entertainment ticketing platform |
| MakeMyTrip | 2000 | Deep Kalra | Online traveltech platform |
| Flipkart | 2007 | Sachin Bansal | Large home-grown e-commerce firm |
| Zomato | 2008 | Deepinder Goyal | Food delivery platform |
| Zerodha | 2010 | Nithin Kamath | Discount stock broker |
| Paytm | 2010 | Vijay Shekhar Sharma | Digital payments platform |
| OYO | 2013 | Ritesh Agarwal | Branded budget hotel chain |
| Blinkit | 2013 | Albinder Dhindsa | Quick commerce platform |
| Ather | 2013 | Tarun Mehta | Smart connected E2W maker |
The oldest entry, Naukri, predates the others by nearly a decade. Its parent, Info Edge, later backed Zomato, linking two names on this very list.
About the Companies Listed
These 10 firms span jobs, travel, e-commerce, food, broking, payments, hotels, quick commerce and electric two-wheelers. Founded between 1997 and 2013 and based across Delhi NCR, Bengaluru and Mumbai, most began as small bootstrapped teams. Several are now public companies, including Zomato (now Eternal), Paytm and MakeMyTrip, while others like OYO and Zerodha grew into category leaders backed by SoftBank, Sequoia and other major investors.
Who are the founding fathers of India’s startup scene?
The founding fathers of India’s startup scene are entrepreneurs who built first-mover consumer internet companies that reshaped daily life. Sanjeev Bikhchandani started Naukri in 1997, building one of India’s earliest profitable internet businesses, per company records.
Foodiebay became the largest restaurant directory in Delhi NCR within nine months of launch, said Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal of the platform later renamed Zomato.
Their bets looked risky at the time. Online shopping, digital payments and food delivery were unproven in a cash-first, low-trust market. Flipkart’s early use of cash-on-delivery, verified across founder accounts, helped solve the trust gap that held back Indian e-commerce.
Which co-founders does the popular list miss?
The popular list of founding fathers of India’s startup ecosystem leaves out several key co-founders. At least four of the 10 companies were built by founding pairs, not solo founders, per Wikipedia and company sources.
| Company | Named on List | Co-Founder Often Left Out |
|---|---|---|
| Flipkart | Sachin Bansal | Binny Bansal |
| Zomato | Deepinder Goyal | Pankaj Chaddah |
| Blinkit | Albinder Dhindsa | Saurabh Kumar |
| Ather Energy | Tarun Mehta | Swapnil Jain |
The detail matters. Blinkit, then Grofers, was actually started first by Saurabh Kumar, with Albinder Dhindsa joining a few months later, per the company’s own press page (Blinkit press). Zerodha, too, was co-founded by Nithin Kamath with his brother Nikhil Kamath. What sets these firms apart is that the missing names were rarely passengers; they were core builders.
Why does this generation of founders matter?
This generation of founders matters because it built the rails that newer Indian startups now run on. Payments, logistics and online trust systems trace back to these companies, per industry records.
Many of these founders went on to fund or mentor the next wave. Sachin Bansal launched Navi Technologies after Flipkart. Deepinder Goyal turned Zomato into Eternal, now also home to Blinkit, an unusual case where two firms from this list sit under one roof. Their second acts show how India’s startup ecosystem has started to compound, with first-generation wealth and talent feeding new ventures.
What’s Next
The next list of India’s founding figures will likely feature AI, deep-tech and climate founders building through 2027 and beyond. Several names above are also chasing fresh milestones, from Ather’s growth as a listed company to Paytm’s profitability push. Who from today’s seed-stage class will make the 2035 version of this list?
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Last updated: June 21, 2026 at 15:10 IST
Written by Soumya Verma. Published: June 21, 2026. Updated: June 21, 2026. Have a tip? Write to us at editorial@startupfeed.in.
