Radhakishan Damani tops India's self-made entrepreneurs list; Zomato's CEO emerges second: Hurun India
Foodtech leaders and e-commerce pioneers dominate India’s Top 200 Self-made Entrepreneurs of the Millennia 2024 list, with a surge in valuations and new entrants like Zepto’s youngest founders breaking into the elite ranks.
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Dalal Street stalwart Radhakishan Damani, the visionary behind Avenue Supermarts (Dmart), continues his reign as the leading self-made entrepreneur in the IDFC FIRST Private & Hurun India's Top 200 Self-made Entrepreneurs of the Millennia 2024.
Damani's retail empire is now valued at Rs 3.4 lakh crore, marking a robust 44% jump from last year's figures.
Close on his heels, Deepinder Goyal, Chief Executive Officer of Zomato, has emerged as the second-largest self-made entrepreneur in the country.
Goyal's rise is closely trailed by Sriharsha Majety and Nandan Reddy of rival food delivery platform Swiggy. According to Hurun India, Swiggy's public listing earlier this year has propelled its valuation by 52%, pushing it above the Rs 1 lakh crore mark.
MakeMyTrip co-founders Deep Kalra and Rajesh Magow have soared into fourth position with a valuation of Rs 99,300 crore.
Meanwhile, Abhay Soi, Chairman and Managing Director of Max Healthcare Institute, secures another top slot with a valuation of Rs 96,100 crore.
Also joining the top-tier ranks are Yashish Dahiya and Alok Bansal of Policybazaar, whose valuation leaped to Rs 78,600 crore, a staggering 128% increase. Their revenue growth of 36% in the past year underscores the platform's continued strength in India's burgeoning fintech and insurtech sectors.
The list features a wide array of industry-leading names including Dream11 co-founders Bhavit Sheth and Harsh Jain, Zerodha’s Nikhil and Nithin Kamath, Razorpay’s Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar, and Nykaa’s Falguni Nayar.
Notably, non-unicorn companies that have made their mark in the top ten include Avenue Supermarts, Zomato, Max Healthcare Institute, MakeMyTrip, Policy Bazaar, and Nykaa. Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Gurugram collectively host three of these top ten entrepreneurial giants.
Youngest Entrepreneurs
Zepto’s 21-year-old Kaivalya Vohra is the youngest entrepreneur on the list, with the quick-commerce startup’s valuation soaring by 259% to Rs 41,800 crore. He is followed by Zepto co-founder Aadit Palicha, 22, and BharatPe’s Shashvat Nakrani, 26.
Other notable young entrepreneurs include Oyo’s Ritesh Agarwal, Slice’s Rajan Bajaj, and Neetish Sarda of Smartworks.
Women Entrepreneurs
At the forefront of women-led ventures is 61-year-old Falguni Nayar, founder of beauty and lifestyle retailer Nykaa, ranking as the eldest woman in the lineup.
Ghazal Alagh of Mamaearth stands as the youngest female entrepreneur to earn a spot.
Joining them are Ruchi Kalra of OfBusiness, Kavitha Subramanian from Upstox, and Ruchi Deepak of Acko General Insurance, reflecting a growing wave of women-led successes across multiple sectors.
