From Zero to Hero: Inspiring Stories of Top 10 Indian Entrepreneurs who Built Empires from Scratch!
Entrepreneurship is a journey that requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and risk-taking. Many successful entrepreneurs have started their journey with nothing but an idea and a dream. In India, there are several such entrepreneurs who have started from scratch and gone on to create successful businesses.
Top 10 Indian entrepreneurs who started their businesses from scratch
01 – Dhirubhai Ambani – Founder of Reliance Industries
- Born: 28 December 1932, Chorwad
- Died: 6 July 2002, Breach Candy Hospital Trust, Mumbai
- Children: Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Deepti Salgaocar, Nina Kothari
- Grandchildren: Anant Ambani, Akash Ambani, Isha Ambani, and MORE
- Spouse: Kokilaben Ambani (m. 1955–2002)
- Organizations founded: Reliance Industries Limited, DA-IICT, Reliance Group, Reliance Capital, Reliance Power
- Parents: Hirachand Gordhanbhai Ambani, Jamnaben
Dhirubhai Ambani is one of the most well-known entrepreneurs in India. He started his journey with just Rs. 1,000 and a dream to create a world-class business. He began his career as a clerk in a firm and went on to start his own business in 1958 with a capital of just Rs. 15,000. Today, Reliance Industries is one of the largest conglomerates in India, with a market capitalization of over $200 billion.
02 – Azim Premji – Wipro Limited
- Born: 24 July 1945 (age 77 years), Mumbai
- Net worth: 910 crores USD (2023) Forbes
- Spouse: Yasmeen Premji
- Education: St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), St. Mary’s School ICSE, Mumbai, Stanford University
- Children: Rishad Premji, Tariq Premji
- Organizations founded: Wipro Enterprises, Mission10X, Azim Premji Foundation
- Grandchildren: Rhea Premji, Rohaan Premji
Azim Premji is the founder of Wipro Limited, a leading IT company in India. He inherited the company from his father and transformed it into a global brand, starting with nothing. Under his leadership, Wipro became a multi-billion-dollar enterprise with operations in over 50 countries. Premji is known for his philanthropic work and has donated a significant portion of his wealth to education and healthcare initiatives in India.
03 – Naveen Tewari – InMobi
- Born: 14 December 1977 (age 45 years)
- Education: Harvard Business School
- Nationality: Indian
- Organization founded: InMobi
- Board member of: Paytm
Naveen Tewari is the founder of InMobi, a global mobile advertising company based in India. He started with zero and built InMobi from scratch, growing it into a successful company that operates in over 200 countries. Tewari is a visionary entrepreneur who has won several awards and accolades for his contributions to the mobile advertising industry. Today, InMobi is considered one of the most innovative companies in the world, thanks to Tewari’s leadership and vision.
04 – Karsanbhai Patel – Founder of Nirma
- Born: 1945 (age 78 years), Patan
- Net worth: 270 crores USD (2023) Forbes
- Children: Nirupama Patel, Rakesh K. Patel, Hirenbhai K. Patel
- Awards: Padma Shri
- Organizations founded: Nirma, Nirma University
- Nationality: Indian
Karsanbhai Patel is a self-made Indian entrepreneur and the founder of Nirma, a leading detergent and personal care products company. He started his entrepreneurial journey with just a small investment of Rs. 5000 and went on to build a multi-billion-dollar empire. His innovative marketing strategy, which targeted the rural and low-income segments of the market, helped Nirma become one of the most recognized brands in India. Today, Nirma has a presence in over 20 countries and is a testament to Patel’s vision and hard work.
05 – Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw – Founder of Biocon
- Born: 23 March 1953 (age 69 years), Bengaluru
- Spouse: John Shaw (m. 1998)
- Net worth: 220 crores USD (2023) Forbes
- Education: Federation University Australia (1974), MORE
- Siblings: Ravi Mazumdar, and Dev Mazumdar
- Parents: Rasendra Mazumdar, Yamini Mazumdar
- Organization founded: Biocon
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is the founder of Biocon, a biotechnology company that specializes in developing affordable and innovative medicines. She started her journey with just Rs. 10,000 and a desire to create a company that would make a difference in people’s lives. Today, Biocon is one of the largest biotech companies in India, with a market capitalization of over $8 billion.
06 – Byju Raveendran – Founder of Byju’s
- Born: 1980 (age 43 years), Azhikode
- Spouse: Divya Gokulnath
- Education: GCE KANNUR (1996–2000)
- Nationality: Indian
- Organizations founded: BYJU’S, Byju’s Classes
- Title: Founder & CEO of Byju’s
Byju Raveendran is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder of Byju’s, a leading edtech company in India. He started his entrepreneurial journey as a teacher, helping his friends prepare for the Common Admission Test (CAT) exam. By leveraging technology and innovative teaching methods, he scaled his teaching to reach millions of students across the country. Today, Byju’s is valued at over $16 billion and is one of the most successful edtech companies in the world, serving over 100 million users globally.
07 – Bhavish Aggarwal – Founder of Ola
- Born: 28 August 1985 (age 37 years), Ludhiana
- Spouse: Rajalakshmi Aggarwal
- Education: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (2008)
- Parents: Naresh Kumar Aggarwal, and Usha Aggarwal
- Organizations founded: Ola Cabs, Ola Electric
- Nationality: Indian
Bhavish Aggarwal is the founder of Ola, a ride-hailing company that has revolutionized the transportation industry in India. He started his journey with just Rs. 5 lahks and a vision to create a company that would provide safe and affordable transportation to people across the country. Today, Ola is valued at over $10 billion and has expanded to several other countries.
08 – Zerodha – Founders Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath
- Founders: Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath
- Founded: 15 August 2010
- Subsidiary: Zerodha Broking Limited, Asset Management Arm
- Employees: 1100+
- Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
- Users: 9 million+ (2022)
Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath are the founders of Zerodha, a discount brokerage firm that has disrupted the traditional brokerage industry in India. They started their journey with just Rs. 10,000 and a desire to create a company that would democratize access to the stock market. Today, Zerodha has over 4 million clients and is one of the most successful fintech companies in India.
09 – Vijay Shekhar Sharma – Founder of Paytm
- Born: 15 July 1978 (age 44 years), Aligarh
- Organizations founded: Paytm, One97 Communications, Paytm Payments Bank
- Spouse: Mridula Sharma (m. 2005)
- Children: Vivaan Sharma
- Parents: Sulom Prakash Sharma, and Asha Sharma
- Nationality: Indian
- Education: Delhi Technological University (1994–1998)
Vijay Shekhar Sharma is the founder of Paytm, a digital payments company that has transformed the way people make transactions in India. He started his journey with just Rs. 10,000 and a vision to create a company that would make financial transactions simple and accessible for everyone. Today Paytm has a market share of over 40% in the digital payments industry in India.
10 – Radhakishan Damani – Dmart
- Born: 12 July 1955 (age 67 years), Bikaner
- Net worth: 1,520 crores USD (2023) Forbes
- Children: Manjri Chandak, Jyoti Kabra, Madhu Chandak
- Full name: Radhakishan S. Damani
- Parents: Shivkishanji Damani
- Nationality: Indian
- Siblings: Gopikishan Shivkishan Damani
Radhakishan Damani is a well-known Indian entrepreneur and the founder of DMart, a chain of supermarkets that has revolutionized the retail industry in India. Despite starting with zero, Damani has managed to build a retail empire that is worth billions of dollars today. He began his career as a stockbroker in the 1980s and later diversified into the retail industry. His innovative approach to retail, which focused on offering high-quality products at affordable prices, quickly gained popularity among Indian consumers.
FAQ
01. Who are the top 10 Indian entrepreneurs who started from scratch?
The Top 10 Indian entrepreneurs who started with zero are as follows: –
- Dhirubhai Ambani (entrepreneur who started with zero) – Founder of Reliance Industries
- Azim Premji (entrepreneur who started with zero) – Wipro Limited
- Naveen Tewari (entrepreneur who started with zero) – InMobi
- Karsanbhai Patel (entrepreneur who started with zero) – Founder of Nirma
- Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (entrepreneur who started with zero) – Founder of Biocon
- Byju Raveendran (entrepreneur who started with zero) – Founder of Byju’s
- Bhavish Aggarwal (entrepreneur who started with zero) – Founder of Ola
- Zerodha (entrepreneur who started with zero) – Founders Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath
- Vijay Shekhar Sharma (entrepreneur who started with zero) – Founder of Paytm
- Radhakishan Damani (entrepreneur who started with zero) – DMart
02. Who are the top 10 Indian entrepreneurs?
The top 10 Indian entrepreneurs are:
- Mukesh Ambani
- Azim Premji
- Shiv Nadar
- Lakshmi Mittal
- Gautam Adani
- Uday Kotak
- Cyrus Poonawalla
- Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
- Ratan Tata
- Vijay Shekhar Sharma
03. What is Mukesh Ambani’s net worth?
As of 1st March, Mukesh Ambani’s net worth is estimated to be over $79 billion, making him the richest person in India and one of the richest people in the world.
04. What is Azim Premji known for?
Azim Premji is known for being the founder and former chairman of Wipro Limited, one of the largest IT services companies in India.
05. What is Shiv Nadar’s contribution to the Indian IT industry?
Shiv Nadar is the founder of HCL Technologies, one of India’s leading IT services companies. He is known for his contribution to the growth of the Indian IT industry.
06. What is Lakshmi Mittal’s net worth?
Lakshmi Mittal’s net worth is estimated to be over $19 billion. He is the chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel-making company.
07. What is Cyrus Poonawalla’s contribution to the Indian healthcare industry?
Cyrus Poonawalla is the founder and chairman of the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume. He is known for his contribution to the Indian healthcare industry and for making vaccines affordable and accessible.
