Indian entrepreneurs 2026.
India's entrepreneurial story in 2026 is increasingly being defined by leaders who are turning industry challenges into opportunities for meaningful change. As industries adapt to new technologies, evolving workforce expectations and greater competitive pressures, these entrepreneurs offer a closer look at the people and ideas contributing to India's next phase of growth.
Long before AI-powered examinations became mainstream, Maneesh Singh was building the technology to make them possible. He founded ExamOnline in Mumbai in April 2009, a vision that proved years ahead of its time. Over the years, this early bet has made him one of India's most influential technology entrepreneurs and a notable figure in assessment technology.
Singh brings over two decades of global experience to the sector, including a stint as Global Delivery Director at Cognizant Technology Solutions, where he led teams of over 1,500 professionals across the US, UK, Europe, and the Middle East. That enterprise-grade discipline, rare in this space, became the foundation for ExamOnline, which now serves 250+ enterprises across 35 countries and has delivered over 20 million assessments across banking, healthcare, higher education, government, and medical licensing bodies in the Middle East.
Remarkably, ExamOnline reached global Top 5 status in assessment technology, per Tracxn, purely on client trust and execution, without raising external capital. In 2026, it was the only Indian platform shortlisted as a finalist at the International e-Assessment Association Awards in London. Singh's thought leadership has featured in Times of India, Outlook Business, Hans India, ANI, PTI, and Business Standard.
Nayan Verma is the Founder and CEO of Training Basket, a leading IT training and skill development organization dedicated to preparing India's workforce for the rapidly evolving digital economy. Established in 2015, Training Basket has grown into a trusted learning partner for students, professionals, and enterprises, delivering industry-aligned training through classroom, online, and onsite programs across India.
A Civil Engineering graduate by education, Nayan began his career as a civil engineer before recognizing one of India's most pressing challenges-the widening gap between academic education and industry expectations. His exposure to the professional world reinforced the need for practical, career-oriented learning that could equip individuals with the skills employers genuinely value. This insight inspired him to establish Training Basket with a clear mission: to transform learners into industry-ready professionals and improve employability at scale.
Over the past decade, Nayan has led Training Basket to train more than 2,00,000 learners, collaborate with 600+ corporate clients, and build a network of 500+ hiring partners across India. As a Microsoft AI Cloud Partner, the organization delivers future-focused programs in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cloud & DevOps, Networking & Cyber Security, Digital Marketing, and Web Development. Its commitment to quality and innovation has earned it the GECL 2021 Best Skill Development Enterprise - NCR award.
Building on this foundation, Nayan has expanded his entrepreneurial vision through Blogic Software Technology Pvt. Ltd., CoWorkZen, Job Basket, and DigiSkill Academy-initiatives that collectively support digital transformation, entrepreneurship, workforce development, and career advancement. Together, these ventures reflect his belief that education, technology, and industry collaboration are essential to creating sustainable employment opportunities for the next generation.
Known for his learner-first approach and commitment to innovation, Nayan Verma continues to build platforms that bridge the gap between education and employment, empowering individuals with future-ready skills while contributing to India's growing knowledge economy.
Brendon Pereira is the Co-Founder of Adevo Academy, a Bengaluru-based hospitality training and consulting firm redefining how India's service industry builds its workforce. With over three decades spanning hotel operations, corporate finance, and strategic consulting, Brendon brings a rare combination of ground-level hospitality experience and boardroom-level thinking to a sector that has long needed both.
Before co-founding Adevo, Brendon served as CFO of an NSE-listed company, Vice President - Corporate Planning & IT at Dusters Total Solution Services, Operations Manager at Reliance Industries, and Unit Manager at TGI Fridays. He holds an MBA from SPJIMR Mumbai, an MDP from IIM Ahmedabad in Mergers & Acquisitions, and a CFA Level 1 certification.
At Adevo, Brendon leads business strategy, consulting, and enterprise growth, overseeing Policy development mandates for clients including General Mills India (Pillsbury), The Phoenix Mills Limited, Bengaluru Airport Services Ltd, JSW Foundation, Table Space etc
Under his leadership, Adevo has built India's most practitioner-led hospitality training platform, combining physical academies, a multilingual LMS, on-site delivery, and end-to-end L&D consulting, to address the country's growing hospitality workforce gap.
Sumanth Prabhu is a first-generation entrepreneur, business leader, and education innovator who has built one of India's most impactful K-10 skilling companies by combining deep product understanding with strategic business execution. His entrepreneurial journey began at the age of 19 with CREW, a student startup that was recognized by the Tata Group as one of India's Best Student Startups.
What distinguishes Sumanth is his ground-up approach to innovation. Having personally trained thousands of students and teachers, worked closely with school leaders, and spent years understanding classroom realities, he combines first-hand product insight with business acumen to build scalable education solutions that address genuine market needs.
Under his leadership, Kidvento Education & Research Pvt. Ltd. has evolved into one of India's leading school skilling companies. The organization pioneered Catalyst, India's first comprehensive hands-on Science and Mathematics learning solution aligned with the NCERT curriculum, became one of the largest partners of NITI Aayog, Government of India, by establishing 550+ Tinkering Labs, and launched ULIPSU-the world's largest school-integrated skilling platform, offering over 15+ future skills. Today, the company has impacted over one million students, 50,000 teachers, and 850+ schools.
Kidvento is an ISO-certified, Startup India-recognized company, with ULIPSU accredited by ISTE and STEM.org, Kidvento being a GeM Verified Seller, reinforcing its credibility across education and government ecosystems. The company has also expanded internationally through its UAE operations.
Sumanth has represented Karnataka's innovation ecosystem at TechBBQ, Copenhagen, and GITEX Africa, Morocco, as part of official Government of Karnataka delegations, showcasing Indian education innovation on the global stage.He serves on the advisory boards of leading technical and management institutions, mentors early-stage startups-including helping several scale from inception to â¹2 crore in annual revenue-and actively supports government schools with learning infrastructure. His leadership has earned him recognition as BW 40 Under 40 and Emerging CEO of the Year at the Karnataka Tech Summit, while Kidvento has received prestigious honours including Elevate 2018 by the Government of Karnataka and Emerging Learning Product of the Year 2023 by Entrepreneur India.
Ravi Gilani, Founder & Managing Consultant of Goldratt Bharat, has played a pivotal role in bringing the Theory of Constraints (TOC) to Indian businesses and helping organisations move beyond conventional management practices. Before beginning his consulting journey, he spent 21 years in automobile industry operations with Tata Motors and Eicher, gaining firsthand experience of the operational challenges that later shaped his approach to business transformation.
At Goldratt Bharat, Ravi has consulted for organisations such as Jindal Steel, Sleepwell, Paharpur Group, Flexituff, Thomson Press, Tata Advanced Systems, Hindustan Zinc, to name a few. His work focuses on identifying the constraint that limits overall performance and helping companies improve throughput, cash flow, delivery reliability, and profitability without relying on cost-cutting or additional capital investment.
Ravi is the only Indian recipient of the TOCICO Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising his contribution to the global Theory of Constraints community and industry. Under his leadership, Goldratt Bharat has built a reputation for practical, measurable, and sustained business improvement. In 2026, his focus on execution, continuous improvement, and system-wide performance continues to position him as an influential voice in Indian management consulting and business transformation.
While their industries and individual journeys differ, each leader has built around a clearly identified need and pursued it with a long-term perspective. Their work reflects an entrepreneurial ecosystem where experience, execution and innovation are increasingly coming together to create impact at scale, both within India and beyond.
