Archive · 27 Jan 2026
India's Rising Founders of 2026: From Side Hustles to Success
Imagine you have a hobby that you love doing in your free time.
Some people in India turned their hobbies into big businesses.
These people, called founders, started small but now have successful companies in different areas like health, real estate, jewelry, and even cat food.
They worked hard, learned a lot, and used new ideas to make their businesses grow.
For example, one person started a company that helps people feel better with natural products, while another started a company that helps people buy expensive houses.
They all show that with ambition and smart ideas, small beginnings can lead to big successes.
India's rising founders of 2026 are turning side hustles into scalable, purpose-driven businesses.
These founders are leveraging India's growing startup ecosystem and digital access to build solutions rooted in real-world problems.
Examples include Hebe Wellness (premium wellness brand), Grandview Consulting (luxury real estate advisory), and Smylo (clean cat food brand).
These founders combine resilience, innovation, and a new-age mindset to achieve steady growth and success.
Their journeys reflect a generation that proves ambition, adaptability, and consistency can transform small ideas into meaningful success stories.
- Who
- India's rising founders of 2026, including Arun Bakshi, Akshay Ralli, Asma Kahali, Sharma BKP, Pooja Mishra, Sulish Verma, Kartikeya Gupta, and Devansh Lakhani
- What
- Turning side hustles into scalable, purpose-driven businesses across various industries
- When
- Between 2023 and 2026
- Where
- India, with some operations in Singapore, Dubai, and Goa
- Why
- To leverage India's growing startup ecosystem, digital access, and global outlook, building solutions rooted in real-world problems
- Arun Bakshi
- Founder & CEO of Hebe Wellness, premium wellness brand
- Akshay Ralli
- Co-Founder of Grandview Consulting LLP, luxury real estate advisor
- Asma Kahali
- Managing Director of Rimbaa Oak Global Pte Ltd, gold trading and geopolitical consultancy
- Sharma BKP
- Founder & CEO of Acta.ai, AI meeting intelligence platform
- Pooja Mishra
- Founder & Director of Outlook PR, public relations consultancy
- Sulish Verma
- Director of VCJ Bespoke Jewellery, luxury jewellery house
- Kartikeya Gupta
- Founder of Smylo, clean cat food brand
- Devansh Lakhani
- Founder & Director of Lakhani Financial Service, angel investor and seed-stage investment banker