20 Under 25 Indian Founders to watch out for

The next wave of India’s game-changing startups won’t come from where you typically expect.

They will come from dorm rooms, classrooms and Discord Servers.

A new generation of founders is rewriting the rules. 

They are teenagers, agile, eager to learn, and operate with a fundamentally different DNA. 

They aren't just building companies; they are building movements, communities, and a new kind of startups we haven’t seen before.

We spent a month analyzing 100+ startups started by Gen Z.

These are 20 visionaries to watch out for in no particular order. They are redefining consumer brands, AI, deep tech, impact, and creator economy in India and beyond. Each has broken barriers early, shown real traction, or earned some recognition.

1: Arjun Deshpande — Generic Aadhaar

A franchise model to deliver affordable generic medicines across India. Backed and mentored by prominent names. Using distribution channels for medicines across India.

2: Aryan Gandhi — Drnk

An emerging beverage brand laser-focused on campus life and online youth communities, aiming to become the default drink for the next generation.

3: Raksheet Jain and Divyansh Mangal — Ai.gnosis

Ai.gnosis is a company that uses AI-powered technology to provide non-invasive, early screening for neurodevelopmental disorders, primarily Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). India’s growing population of pet parents, combining e-commerce, content, and community in one seamless platform.

4: Chirag Arya  — 169Pi.ai

Building “small” LLMs (1-bit models) optimized for Indian languages. His work is so cutting-edge, ISRO is an early collaborator.

5: Sparsh Goyal — Gobrionuts

Building a Gen-Z snacking brand focused on premium dry fruits. Launched from college, aiming for taste, nutrition and trying to scale.

6: Talluri Pallavi — AI project - Smartest AI Nutrition Assistant

She developed an AI-powered nutrition assistant that uses computer vision to identify food and natural language processing to offer personalised dietary advice, helping people make smarter, healthier choices every day.

7: Nidah Merchant — Nemah

Modest swimwear and activewear for women, designed with cultural sensibilities and functional fashion in mind.

8: Anirudh Sharma — Digantara

India’s space-tech firm building orbital awareness infrastructure; tracks debris, satellites, and ensures safe operations in space.

9: Harshwardhan Zala — Aerobotics7

AI drones for detecting hidden threats like landmines. Winner of the 2024 Kluz Prize for PeaceTech.

10: Aayush Kumar and Prakhar — Bytes

Such a needed solution. AI safety systems using cameras to predict and prevent accidents on two-wheelers. High impact and extremely high relevance for India.

11: Ujjwal Sukheja and Saran S  — Swish

Bengaluru’s 10-minute food delivery built on owned cloud kitchens. Raised $2M from Accel.  They are challenging the food delivery giants with their model.

12: Kaivalya Vohra and Aadit Palicha — Zepto

One of India’s fastest rising quick-commerce unicorns; these 2 founders require no introduction.

13: Abhishek DG — TailsMart

Creating the ultimate super-app for India’s growing population of pet parents, combining e-commerce, content, and community in one seamless platform.

14: Sakchi Jain  — The Finfluencer

A CA-turned-creator demystifying finance for millions. With 1.7M+ followers and a Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 nod, she’s making financial literacy go viral.

15: Akshaj Kadaveru and Daniel Sun — MAthDash

It is an online platform and a mobile game where users compete by solving math problems

16: Shashvat Nakrani — Bharatpe

BharatPe is an Indian fintech company that sells digital payment and financial services to small merchants and Grocery stores.

17: Diya Mankotia — Project EDSA

Diya is the founder of Project EDSA (active in 76+ schools across 12 countries). It is an initiative building school-based systems for eating disorder prevention and support.

18: Tilak Mehta  — Papers N Parcels

The Company provides door-to-door pickup and delivery of parcels weighing up to 3 kg. Tilak started at 13 and scaled to multiple cities. Classic example of scrappy India-first innovation.

19: Riya Karumanchi — SmartCane

Riya has created a device for the blind to assist with spatial orientation and navigation. Extremely innovative, she has received international recognition for her work.

20: Nirvaan Somany — Project JEANS

Nirvaan, now 23, started at 15 by recycling old clothes into laptop bags/backpacks. They collect used denim and convert it into sleeping bags for the needy. The aim is to help the environment and the homeless.

This isn't just a list.

The rules are changing.

And a new generation is building. Watch them as they conquer the world!