June 16 : Gurugram has emerged as one of India's most significant startup hubs, being the home to more than 20 unicorns, more than $12 billion in total venture funding, and a dense cluster of companies that have redefined how Indians eat, travel, bank, and shop. The city's founders have collectively built businesses across food delivery, diagnostics, consumer electronics, fintech, hospitality, personal care, and fresh commerce, each one entering a largely unorganised or underserved sector and scaling it into a structured, technology-driven industry.
Here are seven founders, based in Gurugram, who have had an outsized impact on Indian business.
1. Deepinder Goyal, Zomato & Eternal
Deepinder Goyal co-founded Zomato in 2008 as a restaurant discovery and menu digitisation platform. Over the next decade and a half, it scaled into a publicly listed food delivery and quick-commerce giant now operating under the parent entity Eternal, with Blinkit, the 10-minute grocery delivery service, as a core business vertical.
Goyal stepped down as Group CEO in 2026, handing operational leadership to Blinkit founder Albinder Dhindsa, while moving into a Vice Chairman role to focus on new ventures. These include Continue, a longevity and brain health research startup, and LAT Aerospace, a regional aviation company developing hybrid-electric short take-off and landing aircraft for underserved Indian markets. Goyal has personally committed $25 million to Continue and $50 million to LAT Aerospace.
Under his leadership, Eternal became one of India's most valuable consumer internet companies and a reference point for quick-commerce infrastructure globally.
2. Deepak Sahni, Healthians & Un:Bloc
Deepak Sahni founded Healthians in 2015 with the goal of making preventive healthcare and health tests affordable and accessible outside of hospitals. With an aim to add 10 healthy years to every Indian’s lives, he built the Healthians from zero to ₹3,000-crore diagnostic mammoth, with a presence in more than 250 cities and 22 company-operated labs
After leading Healthians for over a decade, Sahni has since transitioned out of his executive role at Healthians and announced the launch of Un:Bloc, a new venture currently in stealth mode, aimed at addressing structural inefficiencies in the healthcare ecosystem. In parallel, he has committed ₹100 crore from his personal corpus to back early-stage startups, with investments already made in Handpickd, Beanly, Repill, Indian Sneaker Fest, Fiona Diamonds, and Gignaati AI.
3. Aman Gupta, boAt & OFF/BEAT Studios
Aman Gupta co-founded boAt in 2016 with the objective of making quality audio and wearable products available at accessible price points in India. The company grew to become one of the largest wearable brands in the world by volume, building its market position through localised marketing, competitive pricing, and a product portfolio that expanded from earphones to smartwatches and audio accessories.
After transitioning to a non-executive role at boAt, Gupta launched OFF/BEAT Studios in March 2026, a consumer and creator-economy-focused venture studio. The company raised ₹100 crore in seed funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners ahead of its first product launch. OFF/BEAT is focused on building brands at the intersection of AI and consumer identity.
4. Anant Goel, Milkbasket & Handpickd
Anant Goel co-founded Milkbasket in 2015, one of India’s earliest subscription-based micro-delivery platforms for daily essentials. Built around an overnight delivery model that allowed consumers to order until midnight and receive deliveries before 7 AM, Milkbasket redefined convenience-led grocery shopping in urban India. The company scaled to over $100 million in annual recurring revenue before being acquired by Reliance Retail in 2021.
Following his exit from Milkbasket, Goel launched Handpickd in 2024, focusing on the fresh fruits and vegetables category, an area where quality, freshness, and consumer trust continue to be persistent challenges. Handpickd operates a zero-inventory, farm-to-doorstep model, sourcing directly from farmers and delivering produce within hours of harvest. The company currently serves customers across Gurugram, Noida, and Bengaluru, while building a more transparent and efficient fresh produce supply chain.
5. Ghazal Alagh, Mamaearth
Ghazal Alagh founded Mamaearth in 2016 under the parent entity Honasa Consumer, building it as a direct-to-consumer personal care brand positioned around toxin-free and natural formulations. The company used digital-first distribution and data-driven product development to grow its portfolio significantly faster than traditional FMCG timelines.
Honasa Consumer went public on Indian stock exchanges in 2023, making it one of the first D2C-native personal care companies in India to complete a public listing. Ghazal subsequently expanded the portfolio through additional brands under the Honasa umbrella, competing directly with established multinational FMCG players in the Indian market
6. Ritesh Agarwal, OYO
Ritesh Agarwal founded OYO in 2013, entering the budget hospitality segment, a largely unorganised market with no standardised pricing, amenities, or booking experience. OYO's model involved partnering with independent guesthouses and small hotels, and using technology to bring consistency to customer experience across its network.
The company expanded internationally into Southeast Asia, the United States, and Europe, becoming one of the first Indian hospitality tech platforms to operate at a significant global scale. OYO has undergone multiple rounds of restructuring but remains one of the most widely recognised Indian startup brands internationally. The company filed for an IPO and has been working toward a public listing.