Campus to Unicorn: Indian Engineering Graduates Who Founded Startups

 India’s engineering colleges have produced a remarkable generation of founders who have transformed the country’s startup landscape and made a global mark. These founders, often starting with little more than a classroom idea and technical training, have built companies that disrupted industries and inspired millions. Here’s a detailed look at some of the most successful Indian engineering founders you should know, their journeys, and their impact:

India’s startup ecosystem has been significantly shaped by engineering minds who transitioned from classrooms to boardrooms, building ventures that disrupted traditional industries and redefined consumer experiences.

Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, both Computer Science graduates from IIT Delhi, revolutionized Indian e-commerce by founding Flipkart, which grew to become one of India’s largest online retail platforms. Their success story reached a historic milestone when Walmart acquired Flipkart for $16 billion — one of the biggest startup exits in India.

Bhavish Aggarwal, an IIT Bombay alumnus, co-founded Ola Cabs, transforming urban transportation and making ride-hailing accessible and affordable across the country. Similarly, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, a graduate of Delhi College of Engineering, founded Paytm and played a pivotal role in pioneering India’s digital payment landscape, establishing Paytm as a leading fintech platform.

Byju Raveendran, with a Mechanical Engineering background from IIT Bombay, launched BYJU’S, which evolved into one of the most valuable edtech companies globally, transforming digital education in India. Deepinder Goyal, also from IIT Delhi, created Zomato, a global food delivery and restaurant discovery platform that has reshaped how people dine and order food.

Naveen Tewari, a Mechanical Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur, founded InMobi, one of the world’s largest mobile advertising networks. Siddhant Jain, an IIT alumnus, built VdoCipher, a profitable video security startup serving over 3,000 businesses in more than 120 countries.

Nithin Kamath, with an engineering background, founded Zerodha, which disrupted the traditional stockbroking industry in India by introducing a tech-first, low-cost trading platform. Likewise, Richa Kar, also from an engineering background, founded Zivame and pioneered India’s online lingerie retail space, breaking social taboos and creating a new market segment.

These founders exemplify how engineering education, when combined with entrepreneurial vision, can lead to groundbreaking innovations that impact millions.

Why so many engineering founders?

• IITs and other top engineering colleges foster technical skills, problem-solving, and a culture of innovation, which translates well into startup success.

• As of October 2022, IIT graduates had founded over 5,400 startups, including 60 of India’s 108 unicorns, far outpacing founders from management backgrounds.

• The collaborative networks, exposure to real-world challenges, and access to mentorship and funding at engineering colleges play a pivotal role in shaping the journeys of these founders.

These stories highlight how engineering education in India serves as a powerful launchpad for entrepreneurship, with alumni not only building successful businesses but also inspiring a new generation of founders.

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