The Fastest-Growing Entrepreneurs
In a quarter defined by bold bets, rapid pivots, and breakout momentum, a new class of founders has surged ahead of the curve. These ten entrepreneurs are not just building companies, they are setting the pace for entire industries in 2026.
Growth stories often begin quietly. A prototype refined after midnight. A risky expansion approved against cautious advice. A market others dismissed. But in the first quarter of 2026, these individuals transformed calculated risk into measurable acceleration. Revenues multiplied. Teams scaled at record speed. Partnerships materialized with precision timing.
What sets this cohort apart is not just speed, but direction. Each has identified a pressure point in their sector and applied force exactly where it counts. From emerging technologies and sustainable solutions to consumer platforms and financial innovation, their ventures are shaping conversations in boardrooms and beyond.
Exclusivity in business is rarely about secrecy. It is about foresight. The following entrepreneurs have demonstrated that foresight with uncommon clarity, turning early momentum into sustained traction before the rest of the market could react.
1. Utsav Ladiwala: Rewiring Real Estate with Trust at the Core
In an industry often accused of being louder than it is transparent, Utsav Ladiwala chose to lower the noise and raise the standard. The founder of Houssed Technologies Pvt Ltd did not stumble into real estate entrepreneurship by chance. He stepped into it after observing a structural imbalance: homebuyers struggled with trust, channel partners operated without clarity, and developers lacked dependable distribution. Instead of accepting this as business as usual, Ladiwala built Houssed to correct it.
Today, Houssed operates across 33 cities, partnering with more than 500 agents and 10,000 developers while offering over 50,000 verified property listings. But scale is only part of the story. The company blends technology with hands-on human expertise, aiming to make home buying smarter, more transparent, and less transactional.
Unlike conventional property portals that function as listing directories or lead generators, Houssed positions itself as a full-stack ecosystem. It curates verified projects, trains and empowers associates, and enforces a governance framework designed to improve quality control and conversion outcomes.
What truly sets the platform apart is its rare dual focus: customer-first and associate-obsessed. By transforming local agents into trusted advisors aligned with long-term value, Houssed is building more than deals. It is building credibility in an industry that has long needed it.
2. Daya Prakash: Engineering Talent as Infrastructure
In enterprise technology, strategy rarely fails. Execution does.
Daya Prakash learned this firsthand while serving as CIO of LG Electronics India, where he led technology operations during a decade of hyper-growth - scaling revenues from $300 million to $3.5 billion. The complexity didn't break systems. It exposed a deeper constraint: talent bandwidth.
Technology scales only when engineering capacity scales with it.
In 2013, Prakash stepped into entrepreneurship with CIO-On-Demand, advising SMBs on technology strategy. But one insight became unavoidable: strategy is accessible; dependable execution is scarce. Enterprises didn't need more advisory decks. They needed ready, trusted engineers - on demand.
In 2020, he built the answer.
TalentOnLease is an AI-powered engineering capacity platform designed to deploy pre-vetted technology professionals within 24-48 hours. Not recruitment. Not staffing. Infrastructure.
Today, the platform connects 5,000+ vetted professionals through a 200+ partner ecosystem, supporting 150+ global clients across industries. Launched around the pandemic and formally registered in 2021, the model proved resilient during COVID's second wave - when speed and flexibility became survival metrics.
Prakash is not building a hiring company.
He is building the operating layer that allows tech-driven enterprises to scale without talent friction.
3. Shreni Chheda: Crafting India's Most Coveted Luxury Celebrations with The SNS Store
In a market crowded with event curators and gifting companies, Shreni Chheda has built something far more intentional. Founded in 2020, The SNS Store emerged at a time when the world had slowed down, yet the desire to celebrate meaningfully had not. Shreni identified that gap early and transformed it into an opportunity.
What began as a focused vision has evolved into a luxury brand trusted by high-profile clients and premium names across industries. The SNS Store is not simply about hampers or décor; it is about precision, curation, and understanding the language of modern luxury. From bespoke gifting concepts to full-scale celebrations - be it from House Dinner Set ups, birthday parties to weddings and corporate events, every project reflects attention to detail, elevated aesthetics and end to end execution
Working alongside her life and business partner, Vishal Sangoi, who leads strategy and operations, the company has scaled with structure and clarity. Their partnership has allowed the brand to maintain creative integrity while expanding its reach among discerning clientele.
In just a few years, The SNS Store has positioned itself as a preferred name for those who expect seamless execution without compromise. As India's luxury market continues to mature, Shreni Chheda stands out as an entrepreneur who understands that true celebration lies not in excess, but in thoughtful execution. In 2026, she & her husband is undoubtedly one to watch.
4. Ashie Makkhijaa: A Visionary Building India's 1st Integrated Vastu Empire
Five years ago, Ashie Makkhijaa stepped into the world of Vastu with a vision that was both bold and purposeful. Driven by her deep belief that spaces influence destiny, she set out to bridge thegap between traditional Vastu wisdom and modern architectural realities. For Ashie, Vastu was never about superstition - it was about science, energy alignment, and practical transformation.
With this clarity, she founded Panchtattva, creating a firm that delivers uncompromising quality without fear-based practices or demolition-heavy corrections. With her motto of "No Demolition, No Destruction", her singular vision was to make Vastu logical, ethical, and result-oriented for modern homes and businesses. She understood that true transformation is not just about structures - it is about enhancing the lives within them.
From carefully analysing energy grids to designing Vastu-compliant interiors and architectural layouts, Ashie's commitment to precision and integrity remains unwavering. Panchtattva is today amongst the very few firms in India offering complete property solutions - from consultation to design and execution - ensuring every project is energetically aligned and functionally strong.
Expanding her impact further, Ashie recently launched her Vastu coaching program, mentoring aspiring consultants and professionals to practice authentic, scientific Vastu and build powerful careers.
Today, her journey continues to redefine modern Vastu - one aligned space at a time.
5. Kushvanth Chowdary Nagabhyru: Creating Practical AI-Powered Data Architectures for Business Intelligence
Kushvanth Chowdary Nagabhyru is a technology entrepreneur and AI-driven data systems innovator focused on building intelligent, scalable, and secure enterprise data ecosystems. With a career spanning advanced data engineering, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud infrastructure, he is redefining how modern organizations transform raw data into real-time strategic intelligence.
At the core of Kushvanth's entrepreneurial journey is the creation of cloud-native, AI-powered data platforms that enable enterprises to operate with speed, precision, and resilience. His expertise includes designing high-performance ETL frameworks, real-time streaming architectures, and governance-centric data pipelines that power mission-critical systems. Leveraging platforms such as Amazon Web Services and enterprise cloud ecosystems, he builds secure infrastructures that support large-scale digital transformation initiatives.
A pioneer in applying Generative AI and Agentic AI within data engineering, Kushvanth develops autonomous, self-optimizing data pipelines that adapt to evolving enterprise needs. His work integrates LLM-driven query automation, predictive analytics, and IoT-enabled digital twin architectures-bridging physical and digital environments for actionable intelligence. These innovations enable organizations to improve operational transparency, strengthen cybersecurity readiness, and achieve AI-powered decision advantage.
Beyond enterprise delivery, Kushvanth is a recognized researcher and thought leader, with 14 research articles, 4 books, 10 patents, and 3 conference publications reflecting his technical depth and innovation footprint. His entrepreneurial vision centers on building ethical, adaptive, and self-learning data infrastructures that combine AI, IoT, and cloud computing to shape the next generation of digital enterprises.
Kushvanth represents a new wave of technology entrepreneurs-blending deep engineering expertise with forward-looking AI innovation-empowering organizations to thrive in a data-first, intelligent, and interconnected world.
6. P. S. L. Narasimharao Davuluri: Building Real-Time Compliance Systems for Global Finance
S. L. Narasimharao Davuluri is a technology entrepreneur and RegTech innovator specializing in real-time financial crime compliance systems built for global scale. His work sits at the intersection of cloud-native engineering, event-driven architecture, and artificial intelligence, with a mission to modernize how financial institutions detect, monitor, and prevent regulatory risk.
He focuses on designing high-throughput, low-latency sanctions screening platforms capable of processing massive volumes of financial transactions while maintaining strict regulatory accuracy, auditability, and operational resilience. A key part of his leadership has been guiding the transformation of legacy batch-based compliance infrastructures into real-time, streaming-first ecosystems. By leveraging distributed streaming technologies and modern data architectures, he enables continuous monitoring, faster risk decisions, and improved responsiveness to emerging financial crime threats.
Narasimharao also drives enterprise data modernization initiatives, including large-scale cloud migration of mission-critical compliance workloads, data warehouse transformation, and implementation of robust governance, lineage, and data quality frameworks. His systems are built not only for performance, but for regulatory trust and transparency.
A major pillar of his innovation lies in reducing false positives in sanctions screening through advanced entity resolution and intelligent data processing. His approach helps institutions significantly lower operational overhead while strengthening regulatory rigor. Since 2023, his work increasingly integrates artificial intelligence to enhance screening accuracy, automate regulatory reporting, and support audit-ready compliance governance.
Combining AI with FinOps principles, he further optimizes cloud cost, scalability, and performance. His long-term vision is the advancement of autonomous compliance platforms where AI, real-time data streaming, and cloud-native design converge to create self-optimizing regulatory systems for the world's leading financial institutions.
7. Keerthi Amistapuram: Engineering the Backbone of Modern Insurance Technology
Keerthi Amistapuram is a technology entrepreneur and engineering leader driving digital transformation across the global insurance industry. Her field of endeavor lies at the intersection of insurance technology, cloud-native enterprise systems, and applied Artificial Intelligence, where she designs scalable, secure, and intelligent platforms that modernize how insurers operate and serve customers.
With deep expertise in .NET Core, C# Web APIs, microservices, SQL Server, and distributed cloud architectures, Keerthi has led the re-engineering of complex legacy insurance ecosystems into agile, high-performance digital platforms. Her work spans policy administration systems, eligibility engines, customer portals, and insurance marketplaces used by millions of policyholders and agents. By combining modern architecture with strong security and resilience practices, she enables organizations to transition from monolithic systems to future-ready, cloud-enabled infrastructures.
A key dimension of Keerthi's entrepreneurial impact is the integration of AI/ML, deep learning, and Generative AI into insurance platforms. She has driven the development of predictive risk models, fraud detection systems, intelligent claims automation, and AI-powered decision support tools. Her GenAI initiatives include smart document processing engines and conversational AI solutions that transform policy servicing and claims operations, improving accuracy, speed, and customer experience while reducing operational risk.
As a technical leader, Keerthi mentors global engineering teams, guides architecture strategy, and champions Agile, secure coding, and engineering excellence for mission-critical systems. Her multi-domain background in insurance, banking, credit bureau, and public sector systems strengthens her ability to build compliant, high-volume, and customer-centric platforms.
An author, researcher, and innovator with multiple publications and patents, Keerthi stands as a thought leader advancing AI-powered enterprise transformation in the insurance sector.
8. Avinash Reddy Segireddy: Engineering the Backbone of Intelligent Global Payments
Avinash Reddy Segireddy is a forward-thinking technology entrepreneur, DevOps strategist, and infrastructure innovator who is transforming how global financial messaging platforms are built, secured, and scaled. Specializing in DevOps engineering, cloud transformation, and secure automation, Avinash stands at the forefront of modernizing cross-border payment ecosystems to meet the demands of a hyper-connected, always-on digital economy.
With a career bridging finance and telecommunications, Avinash has become a trusted authority in designing cloud-native, highly resilient infrastructures for mission-critical financial systems. At the core of his work is the belief that automation, security, and intelligence must be seamlessly unified. His engineering leadership at SWIFT has resulted in the creation of end-to-end CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment frameworks that significantly improve system reliability, availability, and compliance. By eliminating manual bottlenecks, his solutions have reduced release cycles and operational overhead by more than 70%, enabling faster innovation without compromising stability.
Avinash's expertise spans AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, and Ansible, along with advanced observability stacks such as ELK, Splunk, and AppDynamics. He pioneers self-healing infrastructure models and embeds DevSecOps practices across every layer of the software lifecycle, ensuring that security is proactive rather than reactive.
Pushing the boundaries further, Avinash is advancing AI-augmented DevOps and Generative AI-driven automation. His research explores predictive monitoring, intelligent anomaly detection, and autonomous pipeline optimization-laying the groundwork for infrastructure that can sense, decide, and act in real time.
A prolific researcher and author, Avinash has published 13 research articles, written 6 books, holds 9 patents, and has spoken at 2 international conferences. Through his work, he is shaping the future of financial infrastructure where intelligent automation, uncompromising security, and scalable cloud platforms converge to power the next era of global payments.
9. Dr. M. Hussain Kalsekar: Architecting a 366-Day Digital Powerhouse from Mumbai to the World
In a business world that pauses for weekends and public holidays, Dr M. Hussain Kalsekar built a company that refuses to blink.
Founded on his birthday in 2023, 366 Digitx is more than a full-service digital agency headquartered in Mumbai. It is a statement of intent. The name itself signals the promise: 24x7x366 days of operation. No holidays. No leave. A round-the-clock engine room serving clients across India, the UK, USA, UAE, South Africa, Canada, Thailand, Malaysia, New Zealand, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya and Oman.
Backed by two decades of hands-on experience in digital marketing and an honorary doctorate in the field, Dr Kalsekar has positioned 366 Digitx as a results-first performance partner. While the agency delivers web design and development, ecommerce solutions, SEO, social media, content marketing and lead generation, its core strength lies in building high-quality databases and scalable lead funnels for real estate developers and channel partners across India, UAE and the UK.
Industry insiders note that 366 Digitx operates less like a traditional agency and more like a digital command centre. The focus is measurable growth, sustained lead pipelines and constant optimisation.
In a crowded marketplace of marketing noise, Dr Kalsekar is quietly building a precision machine. And by 2026, that machine may well be impossible to ignore.
10. Vishwanadham Mandala: Engineering Intelligence from Rural Roots to Global Impact
On the dusty lanes of a small Telangana village, ambition rarely announces itself loudly. Yet for Vishwanadham Mandala, it arrived quietly, shaped by responsibility. When his mother fell critically ill during his high school years, he became both caregiver and wage earner, taking up night jobs while safeguarding his academic dreams. That early collision with hardship forged a discipline that still defines him.
Trained in computer science engineering during the turbulence of the 2001 global downturn, Mandala began his career in academia before moving into the corporate arena with firms including Accenture, IBM, Oracle, Sierra-Cedar, Ciena and Cummins. Across assignments in the US, UK, Portugal, Sweden and Norway, he built expertise in Big Data, cloud engineering, AI and machine learning. At Ciena, he led the development of an AI-powered customer service platform that improved satisfaction rates by 30 per cent. At Cummins, his predictive maintenance models have reduced equipment downtime and optimised manufacturing efficiency.
A master's graduate in Data Science from Indiana University and now pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, Mandala has authored over 35 peer-reviewed papers and holds more than a dozen patents across India, the UK and Germany. His research on engine telemetry and AI-driven automotive safety has cut fuel consumption in heavy vehicles by 20 per cent.
A member of the Forbes Technology Council since May 2024, Mandala stands at the intersection of innovation and responsibility, building intelligent systems that make industries safer, cleaner and smarter.
Closing Note
As 2026 gathers momentum, these entrepreneurs represent more than fast growth. They embody strategic clarity, bold execution, and the ability to scale with purpose. If Q1 is any indication, the months ahead will not simply reward speed, but those who know exactly where they are going.
