A Tribute to Young Entrepreneurs in India

Clearly the future of the country is in good hands...

In this article we will discuss the young entrepreneurs in India who have started out early, and have made it big with achievements beyond the wildest imagination of most youngsters of their age.

First in our list is the young and dynamic entrepreneur who has featured in several articles all over print and internet media ¬– Akshay Agarwal. He started out at the early age of only 19 years and has made it huge in a short span of just 7 years.

He is the co-founder of a digital creative agency that focuses on innovative practices called, Tech-Archive. This was back in 2006, he currently holds the responsibilities of international business development, marketing and strategizing across all the domains of this organization. His business has gone cross-border and he is presently the Managing Director at AS Global Ltd, UK and an administrative Board Member for the Green Utilities Ltd, UK.

As for his academic credentials, one would imagine a boy who started out as an entrepreneur from such a young age would not have too many labels of degrees to his name, but he does not disappoint in that section either. Akshay holds a degree of master’s in IT Management from the Lancaster University, UK.

A few excerpts from his interview:

When asked about what drove him to become an entrepreneur at such a young age, his response was humbly candid:

I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur just like my father. I grew watching him tackle challenges, risks and meet success and failure in his business. I have had a clear vision of what I wanted to do in my life since early school days.

Sometimes the only way to achieve your aspirations in life is by becoming an entrepreneur.

Some lessons you would like to share from your experiences and journey so far:

Hard work, persistence, patience and commitment towards what you may want to achieve is important to realize dreams.

Another inspiring young entrepreneur whose success story has been covered many times is the founder of OYO Rooms – Rithesh Agarwal. He first came up with the idea of budget accommodation in his early college days when he was only 18 years old. He first named this venture as Oravel Stays. But soon after research he discovered that not too many facilities were available for the budget traveler in India. So, he changed his idea to what is now a popular budget travel entity and also the only one in India, OYO Rooms. Each room is equipped with free Wi-Fi, clean linen, air conditioning, hygienic washrooms and complimentary breakfast.

The company now owns 350 hotels with more than 4000 rooms on offer and above 500 employees. Rithesh is also the first Asian to receive the 20 under 20 Thiel Fellowship, 2013.

When asked why he started OYO Rooms, Rithesh in his true amusing style said:

OYO Rooms is abbreviated for ‘On Your Own’. I couldn’t have the remote control at my relatives’ place, that’s why I started OYO Rooms!

He also spoke openly about death threats he received from other hotel owners and several controversies that surround him. He acknowledges that Peter Thiel is genuinely a high-quality person and is an inspiration for him.

When his parents found out about his venture their reaction was worrisome.

Rithesh says that his mom was disappointed as he will not be an eligible groom – because you at least need to be a graduate! 

Another new addition!

While YUP Card has had a humble start, but it is slowly reaching its pinnacle and the innovative idea of offering college student discounts might just be the next great venture in this list. We hope to see the founder of YUP Card, Adarsh Modi to be featured in the top young entrepreneurs list as well. 

 The idea of YUP Card began with the hunt for discounts during his college days when like other ordinary college goers he was also sniffing around for discounts with college ID.

When asked about lessons he would like to share as startup founder he said:

As a startup founder, I feel that a man must take on multiple roles, and put on multiple hats. You have to be more than just the CEO, you are the marketer, the sales person, the fund raiser, the trainer, the analyst as the secretary and last but not the least the Driver as well!

Therefore, it is safe to say that the future of our economy resides in safe hands with smart entrepreneurs now trying to build their businesses on more than just profits; they are now looking at the value-based bigger picture which is adding a positive change to the way business is done.