{"id":36738,"date":"2026-10-05T14:27:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T08:57:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=36738"},"modified":"2026-10-05T18:43:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T13:13:31","slug":"entrepreneurs-in-mumbai","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/blog\/entrepreneurs-in-mumbai","title":{"rendered":"11 Inspiring Entrepreneurs in Mumbai Who Forged Their Own Path\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"claude-seo-block\">\n\n  <div class=\"claude-seo-content\">\n\n    <p>\n      If you\u2019re looking for entrepreneurs who built lasting businesses out of Mumbai, this list covers 11 of them, including Falguni Nayar (Nykaa), Kunal Shah (CRED, now CEO of WhatsApp), Harsh Mariwala (Marico) and Ashish Hemrajani (BookMyShow).\n    <\/p>\n\n    <p>\n      You will notice none of them had a perfect plan when they started. Falguni quit a 20-year banking career at 49 and put in her own savings. Kunal never touched a line of code, he just had a philosophy degree and an obsession with how people behave.\n    <\/p>\n\n    <p>\n      Their industries span beauty, fintech, FMCG, entertainment, and healthcare, so wherever your own business idea sits, you will likely find a founder here who started from a similar place.\n    <\/p>\n\n    <p>\n      What connects all 11 stories is persistence through rejection and uncertainty, not perfect timing or unlimited capital, which is a reminder that even a strong idea still needs the right audience to find it. And this is where ZeroAdo plays an important role in your entrepreneurial journey.\n    <\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<style>\n.claude-seo-block {\n  font-family: inherit;\n\n  \/* Light blue\/white theme inspired by the reference *\/\n  background:\n    radial-gradient(\n      circle at top right,\n      rgba(39, 205, 255, 0.15) 0%,\n      rgba(39, 205, 255, 0) 34%\n    ),\n    linear-gradient(\n      135deg,\n      #ffffff 0%,\n      #f6fbff 45%,\n      #eefaff 100%\n    );\n\n  border: 2px solid #111111;\n  border-radius: 14px;\n  padding: 32px;\n  margin: 28px 0;\n\n  color: #101b3d;\n  line-height: 1.7;\n\n  box-shadow:\n    0 7px 20px rgba(15, 91, 255, 0.07),\n    0 2px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.04);\n\n  position: relative;\n  overflow: hidden;\n}\n\n\/* Subtle blue accent at the top *\/\n.claude-seo-block::before {\n  content: \"\";\n  position: absolute;\n  top: 0;\n  left: 32px;\n  width: 70px;\n  height: 4px;\n  background: #0f5bff;\n  border-radius: 0 0 5px 5px;\n}\n\n\n\/* Paragraphs *\/\n\n.claude-seo-block p {\n  margin: 0 0 16px;\n  font-size: 16px;\n  line-height: 1.7;\n  color: #263451;\n  font-weight: 400;\n}\n\n.claude-seo-block p:last-child {\n  margin-bottom: 0;\n}\n\n\n\/* Mobile *\/\n\n@media (max-width: 600px) {\n\n  .claude-seo-block {\n    padding: 24px 20px;\n    border-radius: 12px;\n  }\n\n  .claude-seo-block::before {\n    left: 20px;\n    width: 55px;\n  }\n\n  .claude-seo-block p {\n    font-size: 15px;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mumbai doesn&#8217;t slow down for anyone. Neither do its entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every local train is packed with someone\u2019s 5 AM hustle. Every \u201cno\u201d here just means \u201cnot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hustle has always been the local language here. And enough people keep speaking it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here, competition isn\u2019t a challenge, it\u2019s a way of life. The city doesn\u2019t hand you success. You fight the traffic, the rent, the rejection, and if you\u2019re stubborn enough, you win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Long before startup culture was a buzzword, this city was already the blueprint. A group of brokers trading under a banyan tree on Dalal Street in 1875 grew into the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bombay_Stock_Exchange\">Bombay Stock Exchange<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s not a coincidence. That\u2019s Mumbai\u2019s DNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 29-year-old named <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jamsetji_Tata\">Jamsetji Tata<\/a> started a trading firm here in 1868 with borrowed capital and zero connections. Today it\u2019s one of the largest conglomerates on Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lawyer named <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ardeshir_Godrej\">Ardeshir Godrej<\/a> quit his profession in the 1890s to make locks in a small Mumbai workshop because he was tired of watching the British-made ones fail. That workshop became an empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some started with nothing but a scooter and a stubborn idea. Some got rejected 40 times before someone finally said yes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They\u2019re not superheroes. They\u2019re people who got knocked down and got back up anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And today, a founder with the same stubbornness might be sitting in Bombay Coffee House, searching for answers like<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201c<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/blog\/b2b-marketing-agencies-in-mumbai\"><em>B2B marketing agency in Mumbai<\/em><\/a><em>,\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201c<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/blog\/lead-generation-agencies-in-mumbai\"><em>best lead generation agencies in Mumbai<\/em><\/a><em>,\u201d or&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201c<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/blog\/seo-companies-in-mumbai\"><em>SEO companies in Mumbai<\/em><\/a><em>.\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Mumbai has ever made you feel small, unseen or like you\u2019re running out of time, stay with me. Let me walk you through 11 entrepreneurs who proved this city wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Entrepreneurs in Mumbai and what each of them built&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Short on time? Here is a quick look at who built what, and the one lesson each story offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n.za-wrap{overflow-x:auto;margin:20px 0}\n.za-table{width:100%;border-collapse:separate;border-spacing:0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;border:1px solid #dbe7ff;border-radius:18px;overflow:hidden}\n.za-table th{background:linear-gradient(90deg,#2563eb,#3b82f6);color:#fff;padding:14px;border-right:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.2);font-size:14px;text-align:left;vertical-align:top}\n.za-table td{padding:14px;border-right:1px solid #e8eefc;border-bottom:1px solid #e8eefc;font-size:13px;line-height:1.5;color:#334155;vertical-align:top;white-space:normal;word-break:break-word}\n.za-table th:last-child,.za-table td:last-child{border-right:none}\n.za-table tr:nth-child(even) td{background:#f8fbff}\n.za-table td:first-child{font-weight:600;white-space:nowrap}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"za-wrap\">\n<table class=\"za-table\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width:20%\">Entrepreneur<\/th>\n<th style=\"width:20%\">Company<\/th>\n<th style=\"width:20%\">Industry<\/th>\n<th style=\"width:12%\">Founded in<\/th>\n<th style=\"width:28%\">Key lesson<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Falguni Nayar<\/td>\n<td>Nykaa<\/td>\n<td>Beauty retail<\/td>\n<td>2012<\/td>\n<td>Your experience is the playbook<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n<tr>\n<td>Anupam Mittal<\/td>\n<td>Shaadi.com<\/td>\n<td>Matrimony<\/td>\n<td>2001<\/td>\n<td>A side experiment has the potential to become your main business<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n<tr>\n<td>Harsh Mariwala<\/td>\n<td>Marico<\/td>\n<td>FMCG<\/td>\n<td>1990<\/td>\n<td>Question how things have always been done<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n<tr>\n<td>Kunal Shah<\/td>\n<td>CRED<\/td>\n<td>Fintech<\/td>\n<td>2018<\/td>\n<td>Understand people better than anyone<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n<tr>\n<td>Harsh Jain<\/td>\n<td>Dream11<\/td>\n<td>Fantasy sports<\/td>\n<td>2008<\/td>\n<td>Privilege can&#8217;t replace earning belief<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n<tr>\n<td>Ashish Hemrajani<\/td>\n<td>BookMyShow<\/td>\n<td>Entertainment ticketing<\/td>\n<td>1999<\/td>\n<td>Ideas need someone to follow through<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n<tr>\n<td>Dhaval Shah and Dharmil Sheth<\/td>\n<td>PharmEasy<\/td>\n<td>Healthcare<\/td>\n<td>2014-15<\/td>\n<td>The right co-founder fills your gap<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n<tr>\n<td>Ambareesh Murty<\/td>\n<td>Pepperfry<\/td>\n<td>Furniture e-commerce<\/td>\n<td>2011<\/td>\n<td>Comfort and ambition rarely coexist<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n<tr>\n<td>Ronnie Screwvala<\/td>\n<td>upGrad<\/td>\n<td>Education<\/td>\n<td>2015<\/td>\n<td>Success is fuel for your next bet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n<tr>\n<td>Aakrit Vaish<\/td>\n<td>Haptik<\/td>\n<td>Conversational AI<\/td>\n<td>2013<\/td>\n<td>Pay attention to the present<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Top successful entrepreneurs who built their empire in Mumbai<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/entrepreneurs-in-mumbai-success-stories-1.jpg\" alt=\"Successful entrepreneurs in Mumbai who built influential businesses across technology, beauty, healthcare, media, and consumer industries.\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-36761\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/entrepreneurs-in-mumbai-success-stories-1.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/entrepreneurs-in-mumbai-success-stories-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/entrepreneurs-in-mumbai-success-stories-1-710x473.jpg 710w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/entrepreneurs-in-mumbai-success-stories-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>A collection of successful entrepreneurs in Mumbai, including founders from Nykaa, Dream11, CRED, BookMyShow, PharmEasy, Pepperfry, Shaadi.com, Marico, and upGrad, highlighting the inspiring stories behind businesses that transformed industries.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These entrepreneurs didn\u2019t inherit their success, they built it from scratch, right here in Mumbai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From beauty and fintech to entertainment and consumer tech, each of them started with an idea, faced real setbacks, and pushed through to build something lasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Falguni Nayar &#8211;&nbsp; Nykaa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"875\" height=\"531\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/falguni-nayar-nykaa-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png\" alt=\"Falguni Nayar, founder of Nykaa, is one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in Mumbai.\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-36762\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.6490872210953347;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/falguni-nayar-nykaa-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png 875w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/falguni-nayar-nykaa-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur-768x466.png 768w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/falguni-nayar-nykaa-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur-709x430.png 709w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 875px) 100vw, 875px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Falguni Nayar is the founder of Nykaa who transformed India&#8217;s beauty retail industry by building one of the country&#8217;s leading omnichannel beauty and lifestyle brands from Mumbai. [Image source:<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/anuraghunathan\/2019\/09\/23\/asias-power-businesswomen-2019-investment-banker-turned-entrepreneur-falguni-nayar-is-building-a-beauty-empire-in-india\/\"><em>Forbes<\/em><\/a><em>]&nbsp;<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How it began<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So picture this, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/falguni-nayar-845065a0\/\">Falguni Nayar<\/a> has been at Kotak Mahindra Bank for almost 20 years. She\u2019s climbed all the way to Managing Director, she\u2019s setting up offices in London, New York, and Singapore. Basically, she\u2019s crushed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She\u2019s 49. Most people at that point are thinking, \u201cokay, coast to retirement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She quits. Puts in about \u20b92 crore of her own money, her own savings, not some VC\u2019s, into a beauty e-commerce idea. And get this, she pitched 17 investors, and 10 of them said no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She had never sold a lipstick in her life. Never ran a warehouse. Never built an app. But she had spent 19 years watching founders from the other side of the table, so she knew exactly what makes a company actually last vs what just looks good for a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-6d46fe97 alignfull uagb-is-root-container\">\n<div class=\"uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-call-to-action uagb-block-6acf8575\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" class=\"uagb-cta__link-to-all\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__wrap\">\n<h4 class=\"uagb-cta__title\">Your marketing partner, not a vendor \u279c<\/h4>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__desc\"> \n<p>Vendors wait to be asked. Partners stay ahead of it. We check in proactively, so nothing slips through the cracks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__buttons\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons center-mobile-btn\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:10px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-75\">\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#0156ff;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;font-size:15px\" rel=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\">\nBook A Discovery Meeting\n<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized has-custom-border\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"135\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/zeroado-book-a-meeting-icon-150x135-1.png\" alt=\"ZeroAdo Book A Meeting\" class=\"wp-image-33148\" style=\"border-radius:5px;width:158px;height:auto\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The growth story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s the thing, every other e-commerce startup at the time was going asset-light, just running a marketplace, letting brands handle the messy stuff. Falguni said, \u201cNo thanks, I\u2019ll do it the hard way\u201d. She bought inventory directly, built her own warehouses, and controlled the whole experience herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Slower?<\/em> Yes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Riskier?<\/em> Also yes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But it\u2019s exactly why people trusted the brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it worked. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nykaa.com\/?utm_content=ads&amp;utm_source=GooglePaid&amp;utm_medium=search&amp;utm_campaign=Search_Nykaa&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=167670554&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADo9oc_dRcPk6eKuBG6imFE9jJFw-&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwpefSBhBvEiwAzyEtZys3MP0V93SiSrEz2URiToUCRhCDVQnImv8pjYxg5BpLI-0zCFt_dRoCfL0QAvD_BwE\">Nykaa<\/a> became India\u2019s first unicorn led by a woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then in 2021, she took it public, and the stock nearly doubled on day one, crossing \u20b91 trillion in market value. Think about that for a second, the woman who spent two decades helping other people ring the IPO bell finally got to ring it herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She\u2019s still running the show today as Founder and CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gy5kfgdDIVo?si=sDSd_mZfeDkEYjDZ\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The entrepreneurial lesson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s what I love about her story, she didn\u2019t \u201cmake it\u201d despite starting at 50. She made it because of those 19 years. <em>All that \u201cboring\u201d banking experience?<\/em> That was the whole playbook. So next time you think you\u2019ve missed your window, you probably haven\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Anupam Mittal &#8211; Shaadi.com<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"820\" height=\"557\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anupam-mittal-shaadi-com-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png\" alt=\"Anupam Mittal, founder of Shaadi.com, is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Mumbai.\" class=\"wp-image-36763\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4728260869565217;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/anupam-mittal-shaadi-com-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png 820w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/anupam-mittal-shaadi-com-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur-710x482.png 710w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/anupam-mittal-shaadi-com-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur-767x521.png 767w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Anupam Mittal in the early days of Shaadi.com, reflecting his entrepreneurial journey before becoming one of India&#8217;s most recognised startup investors.[Image source:<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/anupammittal007\/\"><em>LinkedIn<\/em><\/a><em>]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How it began<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Okay, so back in 1997, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/anupammittal007\/\">Anupam Mittal<\/a> was this 24-year-old working a regular job in the US after finishing his MBA. Nothing dramatic yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then he meets a traditional marriage broker back home, you know, the \u201cauntie who knows a guy\u201d type, and something clicks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>He\u2019s like, wait, why is this happening the old-school way when the internet exists?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So on the side, almost just messing around, he builds a website called <a href=\"http:\/\/sagaai.com\">Sagaai.com<\/a>. It\u2019s barely a business at this point, more of an experiment he\u2019s running while still clocking in at his day job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But he keeps noticing something. Jobs back in the US are drying up, and this weird side-project matchmaking site is the thing he actually can\u2019t stop thinking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So in 2001, he does the scary thing. Quits the US job, moves back to Mumbai, renames the site to something people would actually remember, <a href=\"http:\/\/shaadi.com\">Shaadi.com<\/a> and goes all in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1386\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36740\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.079283887468031;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-1.png 1386w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-1-767x369.png 767w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-1-709x341.png 709w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1386px) 100vw, 1386px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The growth story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the first few years, almost nobody even knew what Shaadi.com was.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Convincing Indian families to trust a website with something as personal as marriage?<\/em> Not an easy sell in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Anupam stuck with it, and slowly, it became the internet\u2019s version of that trusted family matchmaker, except at scale. Today, Shaadi.com is one of the world\u2019s oldest and biggest matrimonial platforms, with tens of millions of people who have used it to find a partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aZEy6eplRic?si=NJtgzhDvAIsAyLuK\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He didn\u2019t stop there either. He built <a href=\"https:\/\/people-group.com\/\">People Group<\/a> as the parent company and used it to launch more ventures like <a href=\"http:\/\/makaan.com\">Makaan.com<\/a> and Mauj Mobile, and became one of India\u2019s most active angel investors, backing hundreds of startups over the years, including an early bet on Ola.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if you\u2019ve watched Shark Tank India, you already know him, he\u2019s one of the sharks still finding and funding the next generation of founders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-6d46fe97 alignfull uagb-is-root-container\">\n<div class=\"uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-call-to-action uagb-block-6acf8575\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" class=\"uagb-cta__link-to-all\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__wrap\">\n<h4 class=\"uagb-cta__title\">Get found by buyers who are looking for you \u279c<\/h4>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__desc\"> \n<p>Today&#8217;s buyers search on Google and ask AI tools for advice. We help your business show up wherever they look.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__buttons\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons center-mobile-btn\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:10px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-75\">\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#0156ff;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;font-size:15px\" rel=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\">\nBook A Discovery Meeting\n<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized has-custom-border\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"135\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/zeroado-book-a-meeting-icon-150x135-1.png\" alt=\"ZeroAdo Book A Meeting\" class=\"wp-image-33148\" style=\"border-radius:5px;width:158px;height:auto\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The entrepreneurial lesson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The thing that gets me about Anupam\u2019s story, Shaadi.com, wasn\u2019t some perfectly planned unicorn pitch. It started as a side experiment he almost didn\u2019t take seriously.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The lesson?<\/em> Your \u201cjust messing around\u201d idea might be the actual business. Don\u2019t wait for permission to take it seriously, just build the thing and see what happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Harsh Mariwala &#8211; Marico<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"495\" height=\"451\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/harsh-mariwala-marico-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png\" alt=\"Harsh Mariwala, founder and chairman of Marico, is one of the most influential entrepreneurs in Mumbai.\" class=\"wp-image-36765\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.0895953757225434;width:754px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Harsh Mariwala is the founder and chairman of Marico, whose entrepreneurial vision built one of India&#8217;s leading FMCG companies and continues to inspire innovation through the Marico Innovation Foundation. [Image source:<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/harsh-mariwala\/\"><em>Forbes<\/em><\/a><em>]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How it began<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/hcmariwala\/\">Harsh Mariwala&#8217;<\/a>s family has been in business since 1862. His great-grandfather literally got the surname \u201cMariwala\u201d from trading pepper (\u201cmari\u201d in Gujarati). His dad ran Bombay Oil Industries, trading commodity coconut oil and spices out of Masjid Bunder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harsh joins the family business at 20, fresh out of Sydenham College.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No MBA, he wanted one but didn\u2019t get in, so just\u2026started working.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No fancy training, no roadmap, just him showing up and actually going to the factories, walking the interior markets, figuring out how the business really worked from the ground up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And here\u2019s what bugged him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company sold coconut oil in huge 15-litre tins to shopkeepers, who\u2019d then repackage it into smaller quantities and sell it for way more. Harsh looked at that and basically went,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Why is someone else pocketing the margin on my product?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Q5inpbgPd-g?si=PlMzeRBaxVWDLAZu\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The growth story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That one question changed everything. He started branding and packaging Parachute coconut oil himself, instead of selling it as a raw commodity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, just in Maharashtra, in small 100ml and 200ml bottles, people could actually buy it off a shelf. Then in 1990, after nearly two decades inside the family business, he leapt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spun off the consumer products division. Started his own company, <a href=\"https:\/\/marico.com\/global\">Marico<\/a> (Yep, \u201cMarico\u201d is literally short for \u201cMariwala and Company\u201d). From there, it just kept scaling. Parachute and Saffola became household names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1385\" height=\"663\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36742\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.089974293059126;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-3.png 1385w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-3-767x367.png 767w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-3-708x339.png 708w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1385px) 100vw, 1385px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marico took on giants like Hindustan Lever head-on. By the 90s, the company was expanding internationally, starting with Bangladesh. Today it operates in 25+ countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And Harsh didn\u2019t stop at Marico. He is also behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaya.in\/generic-new-pmp?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=GC_Leads_Search_PureBrand_28Feb24&amp;utm_term=kaya%20skin%20clinic&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=21426579961&amp;gbraid=0AAAABAZpEXY6HXH7xMk6tCpXvXJUotDYR&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwpefSBhBvEiwAzyEtZylWGpBj9tMCjgBgtiUnnmFv4AlMeQ7n9ZemF30hkn1GHeYHPBlUihoCqO0QAvD_BwE\">Kaya Skin Clinic<\/a>, and he built <a href=\"https:\/\/ascentfoundation.in\/\">ASCENT<\/a>, a platform helping other entrepreneurs learn from each other. He\u2019s still Chairman today, decades later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The entrepreneurial lesson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harsh\u2019s story is that he didn\u2019t need a \u201cdisruptive idea\u201d. He just noticed an unfair margin sitting in plain sight and asked why someone else got to keep it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes the biggest opportunity isn\u2019t inventing something new, it\u2019s questioning why things have \u201calways\u201d been done a certain way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Kunal Shah &#8211; CRED<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1042\" height=\"692\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/kunal-shah-cred-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png\" alt=\"Kunal Shah, founder of CRED, is one of the most influential entrepreneurs in Mumbai.\" class=\"wp-image-36766\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5055555555555555;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/kunal-shah-cred-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png 1042w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/kunal-shah-cred-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur-709x471.png 709w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/kunal-shah-cred-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur-768x510.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1042px) 100vw, 1042px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Kunal Shah is the founder of CRED who has redefined consumer fintech in India through innovative credit and rewards solutions, making CRED one of the country&#8217;s most recognised fintech platforms.[Image source:<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/advisor\/in\/personal-finance\/in-conversation-with-kunal-shah\/\"><em>Forbes<\/em><\/a><em>]&nbsp;<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How it began<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kunalshah1\/?skipRedirect=true\">Kunal Shah<\/a> grew up in a middle-class Gujarati family in Mumbai. His dad ran a small business. At 14, things got tight, and the business was struggling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So at 15, Kunal started working to help the family stay afloat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He studied philosophy at Wilson College. Not engineering, not commerce, but philosophy. He briefly started an MBA, then just dropped out and took a random job as a junior programmer at a BPO instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At this BPO, in 2010, he met a guy named Sandeep Tandon. That meeting changed everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fE0frCNDccQ?si=luZ_5xiw6NZlRjLT\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The growth story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A year earlier, Kunal had already tried building something, a cashback platform called PaisaBack. It didn\u2019t really take off, but it taught him something important, how incentives actually get people to act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With Sandeep, that idea evolved into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freecharge.in\/\">Freecharge<\/a>, an app for recharging your phone and getting cashback on it. Simple idea, perfect timing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By 2015, Freecharge was sold to Snapdeal in one of India\u2019s biggest startup acquisitions at the time. Kunal didn\u2019t just cash in the cheque and disappear. He went on to angel invest in over 100 startups, including early bets on names like Razorpay and Unacademy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then in 2018, he came back with <a href=\"https:\/\/cred.club\/\">CRED<\/a>, rewarding people for paying their credit cards and bills on time, a simple idea built for a very specific, high-spending slice of India. CRED became one of the country\u2019s most talked-about fintech apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In June 2026, the story took its biggest turn yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1475\" height=\"670\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-6.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36745\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.203252032520325;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-6.png 1475w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-6-766x348.png 766w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-6-709x322.png 709w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1475px) 100vw, 1475px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta invested $900 million into CRED and named Kunal Shah the new CEO of WhatsApp, the app used by over 3 billion people worldwide. A Mumbai founder who started out helping his dad\u2019s struggling business at 15 now runs the largest messaging platform on the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-6d46fe97 alignfull uagb-is-root-container\">\n<div class=\"uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-call-to-action uagb-block-6acf8575\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" class=\"uagb-cta__link-to-all\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__wrap\">\n<h4 class=\"uagb-cta__title\">Marketing spend that pays you back \u279c<\/h4>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__desc\"> \n<p>We focus on marketing that brings in real customers and sales, not numbers that only look good in a report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__buttons\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons center-mobile-btn\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:10px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-75\">\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#0156ff;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;font-size:15px\" rel=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\">\nBook A Discovery Meeting\n<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized has-custom-border\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"135\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/zeroado-book-a-meeting-icon-150x135-1.png\" alt=\"ZeroAdo Book A Meeting\" class=\"wp-image-33148\" style=\"border-radius:5px;width:158px;height:auto\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The entrepreneurial lesson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s the thing about Kunal, he never had a \u201ctechnical\u201d background. No IIT, no CS degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What he had was a philosophy degree and an obsession with how people actually behave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The lesson?<\/em> You don\u2019t need to be the smartest coder in the room. You need to understand people better than everyone else in it, and sometimes that skill takes you further than you ever imagined, from a small Mumbai apartment all the way to running WhatsApp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Harsh Jain &#8211; Dream11<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"935\" height=\"707\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/harsh-jain-dream11-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png\" alt=\"Harsh Jain, co-founder and CEO of Dream11, is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Mumbai.\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-36767\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.3219512195121952;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/harsh-jain-dream11-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png 935w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/harsh-jain-dream11-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur-709x536.png 709w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/harsh-jain-dream11-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur-767x580.png 767w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 935px) 100vw, 935px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Harsh Jain (left) is the co-founder and CEO of Dream Sports and is known for building Dream11 into one of India&#8217;s leading fantasy sports platforms. [Image source:<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/harshjain85\"><em>X<\/em><\/a><em>]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How it began<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Born and brought up in Mumbai, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/harshj22\/\">Harsh Jain<\/a>, son of Anand Jain, a well-known businessman and Chairman of Jai Corp. But what actually shaped him wasn\u2019t the boardroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was Sunday afternoons watching cricket and football on TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He went to Sevenoaks in the UK, then studied electrical engineering, math, and economics at UPenn. Later, an MBA at Columbia. On paper, it reads like a finance-track resume, not a gaming founder\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During a Microsoft internship in the US, he started playing fantasy football and baseball with colleagues, and something about it stuck with him. Not the sport itself. The feeling of building a team, tracking every play, obsessing over stats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/voALGUnxdPQ?si=Gz3zitXpq4FK9jMX\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The growth story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2008, the IPL launched in India. Harsh came back from the US with an idea in his head, what if Indians could play fantasy sports around cricket, the way Americans did around the NFL?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He teamed up with his friend Bhavit Sheth, and together they started <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dream11.com\/\">Dream11<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s the part that doesn\u2019t get talked about enough, this wasn\u2019t an overnight hit. Harsh has spoken about being turned down by investors well over a hundred times. For years, nobody quite understood what they were building or why anyone would pay to play a game with imaginary points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1386\" height=\"656\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-9.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36748\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.1116883116883116;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-9.png 1386w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-9-710x336.png 710w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-9-767x363.png 767w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1386px) 100vw, 1386px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They kept experimenting anyway. It took until 2012, four years in, before they landed on the format that finally clicked, single-match fantasy cricket, free to start, pay if you want to go bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That one shift changed everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dream11 grew into India\u2019s first gaming unicorn, eventually crossing tens of millions of users and becoming a title sponsor for the Indian cricket team itself, the same sport Harsh grew up obsessing over on a Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The entrepreneurial lesson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harsh didn\u2019t need to build Dream11. He came from money, from access, from a name that could\u2019ve opened doors anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He built it anyway, and sat through over a hundred rejections doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Privilege can get you a seat at the table. It can\u2019t make people believe in your idea. That part, you still have to earn, one rejection at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-6d46fe97 alignfull uagb-is-root-container\">\n<div class=\"uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-call-to-action uagb-block-6acf8575\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" class=\"uagb-cta__link-to-all\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__wrap\">\n<h4 class=\"uagb-cta__title\">Visitors not turning into buyers? \u279c<\/h4>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__desc\"> \n<p>Getting people to your business is only half the job. We help you find what&#8217;s stopping them from taking the next step.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__buttons\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons center-mobile-btn\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:10px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-75\">\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#0156ff;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;font-size:15px\" rel=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\">\nBook A Discovery Meeting\n<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized has-custom-border\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"135\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/zeroado-book-a-meeting-icon-150x135-1.png\" alt=\"ZeroAdo Book A Meeting\" class=\"wp-image-33148\" style=\"border-radius:5px;width:158px;height:auto\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ashish Hemrajani &#8211; BookMyShow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"568\" height=\"457\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ashish-hemrajani-bookmyshow-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png\" alt=\"Ashish Hemrajani, founder and CEO of BookMyShow, is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Mumbai.\" class=\"wp-image-36768\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.456989247311828;width:813px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Ashish Hemrajani is the founder and CEO of BookMyShow who transformed India&#8217;s online entertainment ticketing industry through Bigtree Entertainment. [Image source:<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbesindia.com\/article\/leaderboard\/bookmyshow-eyes-the-big-picture\/49657\/1\"><em>Forbes<\/em><\/a><em>]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How it began<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ashishhemrajani\/\">Ashish Hemrajani<\/a> grew up in Juhu, Mumbai, and studied marketing at Sydenham College. Nothing about his early career screams \u201cfuture tech founder\u201d, he landed a solid job at J.Walter Thompson, a big advertising firm, doing client and account management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Steady job. Steady paycheck. Steady life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then, on a holiday in South Africa with two friends, Parikshit Dar and Rajesh Balpande, he sat under a tree, half-listening to an old radio show, when an ad for a rugby match ticket came on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And a thought hit him, <em>why is booking a ticket in India still such a mess?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That night, after a few too many drinks, he did something most people would regret in the morning, he texted his boss and told him he was quitting to start a ticketing company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>His boss\u2019s reply?<\/em> \u201cNo problem. Go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The growth story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1999, the three friends started Bigtree Entertainment, not the consumer app people know today, but a back-end ticketing service for cinemas. For years, it was B2B, unglamorous, invisible to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was not until 2007, eight years later, that they launched the consumer-facing platform. And even the name almost didn\u2019t happen, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/in.bookmyshow.com\/explore\/home\/national-capital-region-ncr\">BookMyShow<\/a>\u201d came from an internal naming contest, suggested by an intern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6ZkZN8jDQeI?si=KXURFHVme4JWgSRu\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ashish has openly admitted that raising money in the early days was brutal. He wasn\u2019t from an IIT or IIM, didn\u2019t come from an affluent family, and had zero track record in tech. He said investors kept hitting the same wall of doubt until enough of them decided to bet on him anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1478\" height=\"647\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-10.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36750\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.283707865168539;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-10.png 1478w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-10-768x336.png 768w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-10-708x310.png 708w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1478px) 100vw, 1478px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From there, BookMyShow became the name almost every Indian associates with movie and event tickets, expanding into IPL partnerships, Formula 1, live concerts, and even Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The entrepreneurial lesson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ashish didn\u2019t wait for the \u201cperfect\u201d moment to start, he sent a life-changing text on a whim, on vacation, half-serious. And it worked out because he actually followed through the next morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Big pivots rarely announce themselves with clarity. Sometimes they show up as a stray thought under a tree, and the only thing separating an idea from a company is whether you show up and build it when you\u2019re sober.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dhaval Shah and Dharmil Sheth &#8211; PharmEasy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1057\" height=\"798\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dhaval-shah-dharmil-sheth-pharmeasy-founders-mumbai-entrepreneurs.png\" alt=\"Dhaval Shah and Dharmil Sheth, co-founders of PharmEasy, are among the successful entrepreneurs in Mumbai.\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-36769\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.3241042345276872;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/dhaval-shah-dharmil-sheth-pharmeasy-founders-mumbai-entrepreneurs.png 1057w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/dhaval-shah-dharmil-sheth-pharmeasy-founders-mumbai-entrepreneurs-710x536.png 710w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/dhaval-shah-dharmil-sheth-pharmeasy-founders-mumbai-entrepreneurs-767x579.png 767w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1057px) 100vw, 1057px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Dhaval Shah (left) and Dharmil Sheth (right) are co-founders of PharmEasy, their vision transformed the online pharmacy and digital healthcare industry in India. [Image source:<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbesindia.com\/article\/30-under-30-2017\/30-under-30-how-dhaval-shah-and-dharmil-sheth-disrupted-the-drug-store-model\/45839\/1\"><em>Forbes<\/em><\/a><em>]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How it began<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dharmilsheth\/\">Dharmil Sheth<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dr-dhaval-shah-68783947\/\">Dhaval Shah<\/a> were childhood friends, both from Mumbai\u2019s Ghatkopar Suburb, friends since school, long before either of them thought about starting a company together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their paths were split for a while. Dharmil went the engineering-and-business route, doing an MBA and picking up experience at places like MakeMyTrip, Dhaval went the medical route entirely, an MBBS, followed by an MBA at XLRI, and eventually a consulting job at McKinsey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-6d46fe97 alignfull uagb-is-root-container\">\n<div class=\"uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-call-to-action uagb-block-6acf8575\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" class=\"uagb-cta__link-to-all\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__wrap\">\n<h4 class=\"uagb-cta__title\">Stop waiting for leads to find you \u279c<\/h4>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__desc\"> \n<p>We build outbound systems that find your ideal customers directly, instead of hoping the right ones stumble upon your business.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__buttons\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons center-mobile-btn\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:10px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-75\">\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#0156ff;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;font-size:15px\" rel=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\">\nBook A Discovery Meeting\n<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized has-custom-border\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"135\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/zeroado-book-a-meeting-icon-150x135-1.png\" alt=\"ZeroAdo Book A Meeting\" class=\"wp-image-33148\" style=\"border-radius:5px;width:158px;height:auto\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before starting together, Dharmil had already tried and failed at a couple of ventures, a shopping platform and a sports infrastructure startup. Neither one took off. But each attempt taught him something useful for the next one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Dhaval kept running into the same frustration from the healthcare side. Patients, especially those managing chronic illnesses, struggled to reliably get the right medicines from local pharmacies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The growth story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Around 2014-15, the two reconnected. Dharmil brought the business and execution instincts. Dhaval brought the medical credibility and an insider\u2019s view of exactly where the healthcare system was failing people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together, that combination became <a href=\"https:\/\/pharmeasy.in\/online-medicine-order?isSEM=true&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=ITW_Brand_FP_Exact&amp;utm_term=pharmeasy&amp;utm_content=%7Badgroupname%7D&amp;utm_creative=754467748201&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=21850391725&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADBjd59246DZ2CychUA80dc4OLADp&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwpefSBhBvEiwAzyEtZ1G2lhEMwLFpzCIRGT3x0R7W9MxFz9IdKvD16M36L-KGdMXqQ9OUixoCMHAQAvD_BwE\">PharmEasy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KhyG7rl0uhY?si=gVgJEuxxabcZvrvK\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It wasn\u2019t an easy build. Brick-and-mortar pharmacy owners pushed back hard against the idea of an online aggregator. Regulators needed convincing that the model was safe and compliant. And trust, especially with something as sensitive as medicine, doesn\u2019t come easily to a new app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But they stuck with it. City by city, they built out logistics, convinced regulators, and won over customers. Within a couple of years, PharmEasy was fulfilling tens of thousands of orders a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It eventually grew into one of India\u2019s largest online pharmacy platforms, expanding into diagnostics and teleconsultations, and reaching pin codes most e-commerce players never bothered to touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1386\" height=\"665\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-12.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36752\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.0846153846153848;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-12.png 1386w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-12-767x368.png 767w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-12-709x340.png 709w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1386px) 100vw, 1386px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The entrepreneurial lesson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What makes this story work is the pairing, not just the individuals. Dharmil had already failed a couple of times on his own. Dhaval had the domain expertise but not the startup instincts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes the missing piece in your idea isn\u2019t more effort, it\u2019s the right co-founder who sees the problem from a completely different angle than you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ambareesh Murty &#8211; Pepperfry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"546\" height=\"526\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ambareesh-murty-pepperfry-co-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png\" alt=\"Ambareesh Murty, co-founder of Pepperfry, was one of the most influential entrepreneurs in Mumbai.\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-36770\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.2225563909774435;width:813px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Ambareesh Murty is the co-founder and CEO of Pepperfry, whose leadership helped build one of India&#8217;s leading online furniture and home d\u00e9cor marketplaces. [Image source:<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Pepperfry\/posts\/our-founder-and-ceo-ambareesh-vedantam-murty-a-huge-guyritchie-fan-wishes-him-a-\/3308867685876430\/\"><em>Pepperfry Facebook<\/em><\/a><em>]&nbsp;<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How it began<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ambareesh_Murty\">Ambareesh Murty<\/a>\u2019s career didn\u2019t start in a garage or a hostel room, it started in corporate India. Cadbury, then ICICI Prudential, then a short stint at Levi\u2019s. They were solid, recognisable brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But even in those years, something in him kept nudging toward building his own thing. During his time at Levi\u2019s, he launched a small venture called Origin Resources, helping mutual fund companies, an early, quiet sign of the entrepreneur underneath the executive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He then joined eBay as country manager, running operations across India, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It was a big, comfortable role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He left it anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The growth story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2011, alongside co-founder Ashish Shah, Ambareesh started <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pepperfry.com\/?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=KW_Brand_Search_Batman&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=20727947918&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADvHmvEV2jPCMoUBU7OM1wGkipE5l&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwpefSBhBvEiwAzyEtZ3oGOHOdwkI9M7q\">Pepperfry<\/a>, betting on something most investors were sceptical of at the time, that Indians would buy big-ticket furniture online. It was a sight unseen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It sounds obvious now. Back then, it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first funding round came in December 2011, a $5 million check from Norwest Venture Partners. From there, Pepperfry kept growing, eventually raising over $240 million and pulling in backers like Goldman Sachs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fEYUqB6ek6s?si=JALaQiQYoaQBWVba\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ambareesh didn\u2019t just build a marketplace, he built trust in a category nobody trusted online yet, turning Pepperfry into India\u2019s best-known name in home and furniture e-commerce, competing directly with the likes of Urban Ladder and IKEA\u2019s online push.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In August 2023, Ambareesh passed away suddenly from a cardiac arrest while on one of his motorcycle trips to Leh, a passion he was known for outside of work. His co-founder Ashish Shah called him \u201c a friend, mentor, brother, soulmate\u201d in an emotional tribute that captured just how deeply he was respected, both as a founder and as a person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The entrepreneurial lesson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ambareesh didn\u2019t chase the safest bet. He walked away from a stable executive career to build something in a category most people thought Indians would never buy online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comfort and ambition rarely coexist for long. Sometimes the biggest risk isn\u2019t starting something new, it\u2019s staying somewhere you\u2019ve already outgrown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ronnie Screwvala &#8211; upGrad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"801\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ronnie-screwvala-upgrad-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png\" alt=\"Ronnie Screwvala, co-founder of upGrad, is one of the most influential entrepreneurs in Mumbai.\" class=\"wp-image-36771\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.00125;width:801px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/ronnie-screwvala-upgrad-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png 801w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/ronnie-screwvala-upgrad-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur-768x767.png 768w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/ronnie-screwvala-upgrad-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur-710x709.png 710w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 801px) 100vw, 801px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Ronnie Screwvala is the co-founder of upGrad, whose entrepreneurial journey spans media, education, and technology, making him one of Mumbai&#8217;s most influential business leaders. Image source: [<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ronnie.screwvala\/?hl=en\"><em>Instagram<\/em><\/a><em>]&nbsp;<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How it began<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ronniescrewvala?originalSubdomain=in\">Ronnie Screwvala<\/a> grew up in a middle-class Parsi family in a small apartment on Grant Road, Mumbai, right opposite one of the city\u2019s biggest movie theatres. Bollywood stars would show up for premieres, and 10-year-old Ronnie noticed something, his own balcony had a perfect view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So he started charging people to stand on it and watch the stars arrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That instinct to spot an opportunity nobody else sees and monetise it before anyone else thinks to never really left him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While studying B.Com at Sydenham College, he realised early that working for someone else, or building someone else\u2019s vision, was never going to be his path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1385\" height=\"662\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-13.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36753\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.089974293059126;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-13.png 1385w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-13-768x367.png 768w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-13-709x339.png 709w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1385px) 100vw, 1385px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His first ventures weren\u2019t glamorous. A toothbrush manufacturing company. Then, in 1981, one of India\u2019s earliest cable TV networks, at a time when the country had exactly one government-run channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The growth story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1990, with roughly \u20b937,000 and a tiny basement office in Mumbai, Ronnie co-founded UTV. What started as a modest production house grew into one of India\u2019s biggest media conglomerates, partnering with names like Disney, 20th Century Fox, and Bloomberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2012, Walt Disney acquired UTV in a deal worth around $ 1.4 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most people would call that a finish line. Ronnie called it a starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He went on to co-found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.upgrad.com\/\">upGrad<\/a> in 2015, betting on online education for working professionals, essentially building the opposite of UTV\u2019s entertainment business, but with the same instinct for timing a market before it was obvious.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-6d46fe97 alignfull uagb-is-root-container\">\n<div class=\"uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-call-to-action uagb-block-6acf8575\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" class=\"uagb-cta__link-to-all\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__wrap\">\n<h4 class=\"uagb-cta__title\">Know exactly what your marketing is doing \u279c<\/h4>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__desc\"> \n<p>No vague monthly decks. We show you the real numbers behind every marketing effort, so you always know what&#8217;s working and why.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__buttons\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons center-mobile-btn\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:10px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-75\">\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#0156ff;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;font-size:15px\" rel=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\">\nBook A Discovery Meeting\n<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized has-custom-border\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"135\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/zeroado-book-a-meeting-icon-150x135-1.png\" alt=\"ZeroAdo Book A Meeting\" class=\"wp-image-33148\" style=\"border-radius:5px;width:158px;height:auto\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alongside that, he built Unilazer Ventures, RSVP Movies, U Sports, and, with his wife Zarina, the Swades Foundation, working on rural development across thousands of villages in Maharashtra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He has been named among Time\u2019s 100 most influential people in the world, and he is still building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DTX0KLHpRFc?si=rZZqszupYK-hjJjE\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The entrepreneurial lesson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ronnie doesn\u2019t like being called a serial entrepreneur, but the pattern is hard to miss. He builds something, hands it off once it is running, and then moves to the next idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>So what is the lesson here?<\/em> It would be that success is definitely not a finish line to relax at, but it\u2019s fuel for your next bet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Aakrit Vaish &#8211;&nbsp; Haptik<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"862\" height=\"733\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/aakrit-vaish-haptik-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png\" alt=\"Aakrit Vaish, co-founder of Haptik, is one of the successful entrepreneurs in Mumbai.\" class=\"wp-image-36772\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.174917491749175;width:712px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/aakrit-vaish-haptik-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur.png 862w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/aakrit-vaish-haptik-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur-768x653.png 768w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/aakrit-vaish-haptik-founder-mumbai-entrepreneur-709x603.png 709w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 862px) 100vw, 862px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Aakrit Vaish, co-founder and CEO of Haptik, is receiving recognition for his contributions to conversational AI and technology innovation in India. [Image source:<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/haptik\/posts\/our-co-founder-ceo-aakrit-vaish-delivered-a-keynote-at-the-inauguration-of-bvr-s\/368600598846595\/\"><em>Haptik Facebook<\/em><\/a><em>]&nbsp;<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How it began<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/in.linkedin.com\/in\/aakrit\">Aakrit Vaish<\/a> was the only child in a close-knit Mumbai family. At 19, he left it all behind to study Industrial Engineering in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No siblings, no boarding school prep, just him, alone in a foreign country, figuring out his identity from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After graduating, he landed a job as employee No. 12 at Flurry, a mobile analytics startup in San Francisco. There, he noticed something, messaging apps like WhatsApp were seeing engagement numbers far higher than search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That one observation sparked a question, <em>what if businesses could talk to customers the same way people talk to each other?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-e2bhTsyLLs?si=McKjj6J4epD8LqK8\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Growth Story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2012, Aakrit started prototyping with co-founder Swapan Rajdev. They went full-time in August 2013, launching under the name <a href=\"https:\/\/www.haptik.ai\/\">Haptik<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From there, Haptik scaled into one of the world\u2019s largest conversational AI platforms, serving names like Samsung, KFC, and OYO. In 2019, Reliance Industries acquired a majority stake in a $100 million deal, one of Asia\u2019s biggest AI acquisitions at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1395\" height=\"665\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-17.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36757\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.095360824742268;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-17.png 1395w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-17-768x366.png 768w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/image-17-709x338.png 709w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1395px) 100vw, 1395px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aakrit went on to angel-invest in over a dozen startups, including an early bet on Unacademy, and co-founded the Tech Entrepreneurs Association of Mumbai, building the ecosystem that once helped founders like him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The entrepreneurial lesson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aakrit didn\u2019t chase a grand AI vision. He noticed one small shift in human behaviour and built a company around it before anyone else did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The lesson?<\/em> You don\u2019t need to predict the future. You just need to actually pay attention to the present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How ZeroAdo helps you become a leading entrepreneur in Mumbai<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1126\" height=\"1999\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/zeroado-digital-marketing-agency-services-.png\" alt=\"ZeroAdo offers AI SEO, GEO, performance marketing, web development, CRO, and lead generation services.\" class=\"wp-image-36774\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.5630193905817175;width:813px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/zeroado-digital-marketing-agency-services-.png 1126w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/zeroado-digital-marketing-agency-services-768x1363-1.png 768w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/zeroado-digital-marketing-agency-services-865x1536-1.png 865w, https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/zeroado-digital-marketing-agency-services-710x1260-1.png 710w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1126px) 100vw, 1126px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>ZeroAdo is a leading digital marketing agency offering AI SEO and GEO, performance marketing and ads, modular web design, GTM, outbound, CRO, and full-funnel lead generation.&nbsp;<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A banker who quit at 50. A philosophy grad who now runs WhatsApp. A family business heir who couldn\u2019t stop watching TV as a kid. Two childhood friends who fixed India\u2019s medicine problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of them started with a perfect plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What they had was the willingness to start anyway, and the stubbornness to stick around long enough to find out if it would work. Mumbai didn\u2019t hand any of them success. It just gave them room to fail, get back up, and try again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So here\u2019s the real question. <em>What\u2019s stopping you?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every founder on this list eventually hits the same wall, a great product or idea still needs the right people to find it. That\u2019s where most businesses quietly stall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is exactly where <a href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/\">ZeroAdo<\/a> comes in.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ZeroAdo helps founders and growing brands get discovered by the right audience, whether that&#8217;s through search, AI platforms like ChatGPT, ads, GTM, outbound marketing or a modular website that&#8217;s actually built to convert. The focus is on real growth, not vanity metrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You don\u2019t need to have it all figured out. You just need to start and let the right marketing do the rest. Every entrepreneur featured in this guide started with an idea and the courage to act on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re ready to take the first step toward building your own business or personal brand, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\">book your free discovery call<\/a> with us. We&#8217;ll help you shape your vision into a story that grows with purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-6d46fe97 alignfull uagb-is-root-container\">\n<div class=\"uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-call-to-action uagb-block-6acf8575\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" class=\"uagb-cta__link-to-all\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__wrap\">\n<h4 class=\"uagb-cta__title\">Ready to build your own success story? \u279c<\/h4>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__desc\"> \n<p>You don\u2019t need a perfect plan to get started. Talk to our team about turning your business idea into a digital growth strategy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"uagb-cta__buttons\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons center-mobile-btn\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:10px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-75\">\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#0156ff;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;font-size:15px\" rel=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/meeting\">\nBook A Discovery Meeting\n<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized has-custom-border\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"135\" src=\"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/zeroado-book-a-meeting-icon-150x135-1.png\" alt=\"ZeroAdo Book A Meeting\" class=\"wp-image-33148\" style=\"border-radius:5px;width:158px;height:auto\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQs about entrepreneurs in Mumbai<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1789144475207\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How many successful startups and unicorns has Mumbai produced?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Mumbai has thousands of active startups and several unicorns across fintech, e-commerce, healthtech, and gaming, including Nykaa, Dream11, CRED, and Pepperfry. What makes this list interesting is the variety. Mumbai\u2019s founders have built very different businesses here, showing how the city supports ideas across industries, stages, and ambitions effectively.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1789144452817\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Why is Mumbai considered a strong hub for entrepreneurship?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Mumbai has been a business hub for centuries, and that history still shows. You have access to capital, talent, media, and a huge customer base, all within one city. Add Mumbai\u2019s famously fast pace, and you get an environment where founders are constantly pushed to move, adapt, and build consistently.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1789144485130\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What industries do these Mumbai entrepreneurs represent?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">The entrepreneurs featured here come from beauty, e-commerce, fintech, FMCG, gaming, entertainment, healthcare, home d\u00e9cor, education, and conversational AI. That mix is probably the most interesting part. Mumbai\u2019s entrepreneurial story isn\u2019t tied to one industry. Founders here have built businesses wherever they spotted a problem worth solving for themselves today.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1789144500236\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What common traits do successful Mumbai entrepreneurs share?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">One thing you\u2019ll notice across these stories is persistence. Several founders dealt with rejection, uncertainty, or little experience before finding their footing. They also adapted when their first idea didn\u2019t work. There wasn\u2019t one formula. They kept experimenting, learning from setbacks, and finding a way forward when things got difficult.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1789144510800\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What makes Mumbai special for entrepreneurs?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Honestly, it\u2019s the combination that makes Mumbai interesting for entrepreneurs. You have access to capital, talent, customers, media, and a business culture that has been evolving for generations. The city can be exhausting, but that same pace can push you to act quickly, test ideas, meet people, and keep moving.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1789144521122\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What can I learn from these entrepreneurs\u2019 failures?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Several founders on this list faced rejection, funding struggles, or scepticism before things started working. What I like about these stories is that failure wasn\u2019t treated as the final chapter. They changed direction, tried again, or simply kept going. Sometimes, the setback became what taught them what to do next.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1789144531147\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How did most of these founders fund their early business?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Funding looked very different for each founder. Falguni Nayar put in around \u20b92 crore of her own savings, while Ronnie Screwvala started UTV with roughly \u20b937,000. Others raised venture capital after facing rejection. There really wasn\u2019t one formula here; funding often came after founders had committed to building something real.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1789144540660\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Are all entrepreneurs on this list still active in their companies?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Not all of them. Falguni Nayar, Harsh Mariwala, and Anupam Mittal remain active in their businesses, while Kunal Shah moved on to lead WhatsApp in 2026. Ambareesh Murty passed away in 2023, but Pepperfry continues. Their journeys may have changed, but the businesses they helped build continue to live on.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1789144550051\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How can aspiring entrepreneurs learn from these founders?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">If you\u2019re trying to build something yourself, I\u2019d start with the problem each founder noticed. Falguni saw an opportunity in beauty retail, Harsh Mariwala questioned how coconut oil was sold. Their stories show that good ideas often begin with paying attention, testing a thought, and being willing to keep going.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1789144559824\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How does ZeroAdo helps my B2B business get noticed?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Once you\u2019ve built a strong idea, getting the right people to notice it matters too. ZeroAdo helps you with AI SEO, GEO, performance marketing, outbound marketing, and conversion-focused websites. If visibility and qualified leads are your next priorities, these services can help turn your digital presence into a growth channel.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re looking for entrepreneurs who built lasting businesses out of Mumbai, this list covers 11 of them, including Falguni Nayar (Nykaa), Kunal Shah (CRED, now CEO of WhatsApp), Harsh Mariwala (Marico) and Ashish Hemrajani (BookMyShow). You will notice none of them had a perfect plan when they started. Falguni quit a 20-year banking career [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":36775,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36738","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>11 Inspiring Entrepreneurs in Mumbai Who Forged Their Own Path<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mumbai&#039;s entrepreneurs come from banking, philosophy and family firms, and built lasting companies through persistence, not perfect timing.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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Sometimes, the setback became what taught them what to do next.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/blog\/entrepreneurs-in-mumbai#faq-question-1789144531147","position":7,"url":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/blog\/entrepreneurs-in-mumbai#faq-question-1789144531147","name":"How did most of these founders fund their early business?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Funding looked very different for each founder. Falguni Nayar put in around \u20b92 crore of her own savings, while Ronnie Screwvala started UTV with roughly \u20b937,000. Others raised venture capital after facing rejection. There really wasn\u2019t one formula here; funding often came after founders had committed to building something real.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/blog\/entrepreneurs-in-mumbai#faq-question-1789144540660","position":8,"url":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/blog\/entrepreneurs-in-mumbai#faq-question-1789144540660","name":"Are all entrepreneurs on this list still active in their companies?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Not all of them. Falguni Nayar, Harsh Mariwala, and Anupam Mittal remain active in their businesses, while Kunal Shah moved on to lead WhatsApp in 2026. Ambareesh Murty passed away in 2023, but Pepperfry continues. Their journeys may have changed, but the businesses they helped build continue to live on.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/blog\/entrepreneurs-in-mumbai#faq-question-1789144550051","position":9,"url":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/blog\/entrepreneurs-in-mumbai#faq-question-1789144550051","name":"How can aspiring entrepreneurs learn from these founders?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"If you\u2019re trying to build something yourself, I\u2019d start with the problem each founder noticed. Falguni saw an opportunity in beauty retail, Harsh Mariwala questioned how coconut oil was sold. 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If visibility and qualified leads are your next priorities, these services can help turn your digital presence into a growth channel.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/36738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36738"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/36738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36807,"href":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/36738\/revisions\/36807"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeroado.stagex.dev\/sg-en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}