PNN
New Delhi [India], January 16: National Startup Day 2026 shines a spotlight on India's leading founders, whose vision and determination are transforming ideas into tangible impact. These leaders are driving innovation, creating sustainable businesses, and inspiring a generation of entrepreneurs--proving that bold thinking, disciplined execution, and purpose-driven leadership are at the heart of India's startup revolution.
1. Akanksha Priyadarshini, Founder and CEO - Aurassure
Akanksha Priyadarshini, Founder and CEO of Aurassure, represents a new generation of Indian entrepreneurs building technology for climate resilience and informed decision making. Founded in 2022, Aurassure emerged from a deeply personal realization that climate and environmental risks are often fragmented, coarse, or unavailable at the scale where decisions are actually made, limiting the ability of cities and communities to plan, adapt, and protect public well-being. With a foundation in engineering and hands-on experience building scalable sensing and data systems, Akanksha set out to bridge this gap by enabling hyperlocal, real-time environmental intelligence that supports climate resilience and healthier cities. Today, under her leadership, Aurassure powers real-time air quality, weather, heat, and flood intelligence for governments, industries, and institutions across India and global markets. Her work reflects the spirit of National Startup Day innovation, rooted in purpose, scaled through technology, and aligned with India's climate and sustainability priorities.
2. CA (Dr.) Alok Panday, Founder & Ashish Mago and Amity Sharma, Co-Founders - Compliance Kart
CA (Dr.) Alok Panday, Founder of Compliance Kart, along with Co-Founders Ashish Mago and Amity Sharma, are leading India's climate-tech revolution. Driven by a vision to create transparency, credibility, and scale in climate action, they built Compliance Kart to tackle the toughest challenges in carbon markets and environmental compliance. Under their leadership, Compliance Kart has become a benchmark for end-to-end carbon credit solutions--from project identification and design to MRV, registry onboarding, monetisation, and lifecycle management.
Compliance Kart has launched Envr.Earth, a digital climate marketplace designed to enable credible, transparent, and high-integrity environmental assets. It connects verified carbon credits and sustainability solutions with corporates and institutions, ensuring traceability, compliance, and real climate impact.
The founders' unique approach blends cutting-edge technology, policy intelligence, and on-ground execution to deliver high-integrity solutions in AFOLU, biochar carbon removal, renewable energy, methane abatement, and industrial decarbonisation, aligned with global standards and emerging regulations. Alok, Ashish, and Amity's focus on measurable climate impact, data-driven verification, and stakeholder value is enabling governments, corporates, and communities to participate meaningfully in carbon markets. Their leadership is shaping a trust-based, scalable climate finance ecosystem that promises lasting change for India and the world.
3. Gitanjali Saksena, Founder- Coaches for Performance
Gitanjali Saksena, Founder of Coaches for Performance (CFP), is a seasoned transformation and leadership expert with over 25 years of experience infusing human-centred design, AI, and data into leadership journeys across Europe, India, GCC, and ASEAN. CFP champions a bold belief: "Coaching is more than a process--it's a catalyst for meaningful change." Their bespoke coaching-led journeys, grounded in trust, alignment, and proprietary frameworks like ATLAS™ and HPT, deliver measurable outcomes: cultural transformation, performance gains, and teams that redefine success. Gitanjali, an ICF-credentialed PCC coach, Forbes Coaches Council member, and Goldman Sachs 10K Women entrepreneur, was also recognized as one of India's "100 Most Influential Coaching Leaders" at the World HRD Congress. She co-authored The Alchemy of Coaching, bringing coaching practices to a wider audience. "At our core, we believe work should feel effortless and fulfilling. Our mission is to create environments where teams operate in a state of flow, unlocking their highest potential."
4. Kartik Shivnani, Director & CEO - Konkan Estates: Pioneering Managed Farmland & Second Home Developments in Indian Real Estate
Kartik Shivnani, Director & CEO of Konkan Estates, is a visionary architect and business leader pioneering sustainable coastal developments in India. With an Honours in Construction Management from the University of South Australia and a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, he combines design excellence with operational rigor. Leading over 500+ acres of plotted developments, Konkan Estates is the market leader in the Konkan's second-home real estate market. "With India's population projected to reach 1.7 billion by 2050, and pollution levels in major metros already among the highest globally, sustaining a healthy life over the next 15-20 years will become increasingly difficult. Managed farm estates are no longer lifestyle luxuries--they are strategic assets, offering financial resilience, cleaner air, open land, and long-term well-being," says Kartik. His vision transcends conventional development. Flagship projects like Tathastu Mango Valley by Konkan Estates integrate agriculture and sustainable living, enabling managed farmlands to generate passive income while providing serene coastal lifestyles. Konkan Estates is setting new benchmarks in environmentally responsible development with compelling returns and rejuvenation for investors alike.
5. Mohammad Akhalak, founder and CEO- Health Plus Inde
Mohammad Akhalak, Founder and CEO, is driving a new era of cross-border healthcare innovation with Health Plus Inde, a rapidly expanding medical tourism organization connecting African patients with top Indian physicians. The company operates by flying specialist teams to Africa for high-priority transplants and assisting patients to travel to India for complex organ surgeries using advanced treatment and long-term care facilities. Health Plus Inde has conducted several surgical camps in Africa, achieving a major milestone in Ghana in 2025, successfully performing over 25 organ transplants. It is the first India-based healthcare organization to introduce transplant-oriented medical care in Ghana, marking a significant step in international medical cooperation. Beyond surgeries, the organization is establishing dialysis centers and plans to expand its medical tourism operations to additional African countries and Afghanistan, aiming to provide renal care and other long-term healthcare solutions to underserved regions, further strengthening cross-border healthcare access and improving patient outcomes.
6. Nischal Kandula, Founder - CurryiT
National Startup Day is a great time to reflect on how meaningful the startup movement has become for India's economy and for founders. Today, India is home to over 1.5 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups, making it one of the world's largest ecosystems. Collectively, these startups have created more than 16.6 lakh direct jobs, impacting sectors like IT, healthcare, and services. Startups are not just about numbers. Over the past decade, they've contributed an estimated 10-15% of GDP growth, and in FY23 added roughly $140 billion to the economy -- projected to reach $1 trillion by 2030 as the ecosystem deepens. The momentum today excites founders: better access to capital, infrastructure, mentors, and shared knowledge makes building companies less lonely and more scalable. Consumers are also changing -- more people try startup products because they offer quality, authenticity, and value. At CurryiT, this inspires us daily, helping us learn faster, iterate better, and build with confidence, knowing the ecosystem backs builders, not just buzzwords.
7. Pooja Kumar, Founder- Innove Intellects
On National Startup Day 2026, Mrs. Pooja Kumar, Founder & Director of Innove Intellects LLP, is celebrated for her visionary leadership in empowering India's startup ecosystem. A Registered Patent Agent (Government of India), Startup Facilitator, Mentor, and Women Entrepreneur, she has dedicated herself to guiding founders in protecting their most valuable asset--their ideas. Mrs. Kumar believes that innovation is not just about creating something new but safeguarding, nurturing, and scaling it responsibly. Under her leadership, Innove Intellects LLP has supported startups across technology, life sciences, engineering, manufacturing, and emerging sectors, making intellectual property accessible, affordable, and founder-centric. Her impact includes 100+ patents filed for startups, offering end-to-end guidance from ideation to IP ownership, with no professional fees--startups pay only government charges. Recognized as a Startup Facilitator, she mentors founders, promotes innovation-driven entrepreneurship, and ensures that no innovative idea remains unprotected due to lack of awareness or high costs, strengthening India's growing startup ecosystem.
8. Richa Singh, Co-founder and CEO- YourDOST
Richa Singh, Co-founder and CEO of YourDOST, is redefining emotional wellbeing in India through her visionary leadership. Under her guidance, YourDOST has grown into one of the country's leading mental health platforms, delivering structured, expert-led support across workplaces and educational institutions. Since its inception, the platform has enabled over 30 lakh counselling and support sessions, positively impacting the lives of more than 25 lakh individuals and partnering with 500+ organisations to bring mental wellbeing to the forefront. Richa's leadership has transformed YourDOST from a campus-focused initiative into a comprehensive wellbeing ecosystem emphasizing prevention, early intervention, and long-term emotional resilience. Her approach goes beyond reactive counselling, embedding wellbeing into everyday work and academic life through confidential, accessible, and stigma-free support. Recognised for her people-first, impact-driven leadership, Richa continues to shape India's mental health conversation, proving that empathy, when combined with structure, scale, and intent, can create meaningful and lasting change for individuals and communities alike.
9. Uma Mansharamani, Founder - Tajurba
Uma Mansharamani is not just building businesses--she is shaping India's growth story, one entrepreneur at a time. With nearly four decades of real-world experience across global markets, she embodies the rare blend of wisdom, courage, and execution that India's MSME ecosystem needs today. From leading companies with landmark IPO successes to mentoring thousands of founders through Tajurba, Uma, a Business Growth & Life Success Coach, has consistently turned vision into value and struggle into scale.
As the Founder of Tajurba, she has created more than a platform--it is a movement. A movement that empowers business owners to think bigger, lead stronger, and grow profitably with integrity. Her leadership bridges spirituality with strategy, mindset with monetization, and ambition with alignment.
In a nation powered by entrepreneurs, Uma Mansharamani stands as a force multiplier--igniting confidence, unlocking potential, and accelerating sustainable growth. Tajurba is not just contributing to India's growth story; under her leadership, it is helping write the next powerful chapter.
10. Varun Tangri, Founder & CEO - QueueBuster POS
In the fast-evolving landscape of modern businesses, the need for technology that simplifies daily operations has never been greater. Founded in 2016 by Varun Tangri, QueueBuster was created to solve the operational challenges faced by business owners every day. Identifying key gaps, Varun built an accessible, mobile, and easy-to-use POS software that delivers measurable impact. Today, QueueBuster is a trusted retail technology partner, helping 80K+ merchants streamline checkout experiences, achieve up to 60% faster billing, and gain better control over stock and data. The solution enables up to 70% improvement in operational efficiency, particularly in high-footfall and multi-outlet environments. Its industry-agnostic design allows businesses to adapt the software to their specific needs while improving workflow visibility. QueueBuster serves retail, restaurants, FMCG, amusement parks, public sector, and more, supporting efficient scaling in competitive markets. Beyond India, the company has expanded to MENA markets, enabling global businesses to accelerate their digital transformation journey.
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