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They had an idea in mind. They left their cushy jobs. They worked hard. They created history.
India is witnessing a brand new generation of startups, making their presence felt not just in the
domestic sphere, but also globally. They’re inspiring success stories of people who have paved
their own roads of innovation and dreams.
1. Make My Trip
Brainchild of Deep Kalra, an IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, Make My Trip has revolutionized the
travel industry over the years. It was originally launched in the US market in 2000 to cater to the
needs of NRIs for their Indo-American trips. It launched its operations in India in 2005, starting
with flight tickets. After a few years, Make My Trip got listed in NASDAQ and in the next year
went on to make 3 acquisitions. It has got worldwide recognition and innumerable rewards.
2. Flipkart
No one would be a stranger to this one! Flipkart achieved massive success a few years back
owing to its first mover advantage in the online market in India. Sachin and Binny Bansal, both
IIT-D alumni, worked with Amazon before, thus they introduced a similar concept into the
Indian market. They started with books in 2007 and now sell almost everything, from personal
care to jewellery, from CDs to stationery. It acquired Myntra for around INR 2000 crore.
Flipkart.com has made it to the top five global billion dollar start-up club with a valuation of $11
billion, according to the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones VenturSource report published on
Thursday
3. Zomato
Launched in 2008, Zomato hasn’t been anything less of a sensation. It covers over 331,200
restaurants in 19 countries. Started as Foodiebay.com, in two years, it was named the most
promising internet companies in India. In another two years, it went on to get international
recognition.
Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, the co-founders always wanted to create their own path, a
path with its own obstacles. Zomato had no funding initially, their growth was excruciatingly
slow. However, tables turned very soon and it made Zomato what it is now.
. redBus
Started in 2006, redBus has grown phenomenally over the past few years. An online bus ticket
booking and hotel booking site, this start-up achieved success for its innovative idea of making
bus ticket booking easier for the common man. Phanindra, Sudhakar and Charan, the budding
entrepreneurs from BITS Pilani initiated this idea, when one of them, Phanindra couldn’t go
home for Diwali because he didn’t get a bus ticket. All of them were working for reputed MNCs
at that time; it was a huge risk for them to start redBus.in. That risk, however paid off and the
rest, as they say, is history.
5. Housing.com
A Mumbai-based real estate search engine, Housing.com was co-founded by twelve IIT-B
graduates with the idea to introduce transparency in the real-estate market. What is commendable
about Housing.com is the exponential rate at which it has grown. It was just founded two years
ago and the response they’ve got is amazing. Despite many hurdles, Housing.com managed to
achieve enormous success. It has raised four rounds of funding since its founding in 2012.
6. InMobi
Founded in 2007, InMobi, a mobile ad network giant was a result of entrepreneurship expertise
and an innovative idea. Naveen Tewari, an alumnus of Harvard Business School, who had
previously worked at McKinsey, wanted to build something which he could call his own. Before
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tasting success, it had its own set of problems. Since, it operated internationally, people weren’t
sure if an Indian company could achieve success.
Despite the obstacles, it has had a great reception around the world; it is now one of the largest
mobile ad networks in China. Its growth from a start-up to an MNC is certainly inspiring.
7. FreeCharge
An e-commerce website, FreeCharge was founded in 2010 by Kunal Shah and Sandeep Tandon.
It has made mobile recharge free by offering equal value back to the customers in form of
retailers’ coupons. It’s success to be credited to the fact that it’s a win-win situation for both the
customers and the retailers. Like any start-up, there were many hurdles that FreeCharge had to
face- everyone thought that it was too good to be true and weren’t too serious about it.Some
retailers felt that the concept of ‘free’ would harm their brand.
However, FreeCharge has been able to overcome most of its problems. Now, they have tied up
with various production houses like Sony Pictures, YRF, UTV etc
8. Ola Cabs
Who would’ve thought that a few years back that booking cabs would be so much easier?
Thanks to Ola Cabs, travelling in a cab now costs less than travelling in an auto rickshaw.
Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati who co-founded Ola Cabs were IIT-B graduates who were
working in MNCs before going on the uncertain path of entrepreneurship.
This idea was formed after a weekend trip on a rented car had gone bad for Bhavish. He wanted
to bring transparency and convenience to consumers in this area. Last year in october, Ola Cabs
has raised around $210 million at a valuation of nearly $1 billion, with this, it has joined the
league of the most valued start-ups in the country
. Teach For India
A non-profit organization under the Teach For All global movement, Teach For India works
towards ensuring excellent education for all children. Founded by Shaheen Mistri in 2007, TFI
exists because of a deep belief that every child can and must attain an excellent education. For
the same, TFI has a fellowship, wherein it recruits college graduates and young professionals to
serve as full-time teachers in low-income schools for two years. Today, Teach For India is
present in 7 cities and have 910 Fellows and 660 Alumni working towards eliminating
educational inequity.
. Flipkart - The Online Shopping Giant
Everyone would be a known to ''Flipkart'' - a journey of Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal.
Celebrated as IIT-D alumni and worked with Amazon earlier, both of them introduced a similar
concept into the Indian marketplace.
When they started their journey in 2007, Flipkart started selling online books only and now it's
selling almost everything, starting from household items to personal care, from educational
products to office stationery. An article published in Yourstory.com says that Flipkart’s more
than 50% revenue comes from mobile, and mobile has been at the core of Sachin’s plan right
from the beginning.
According to Quora.com, an article states that Sachin admitted in an interview that starting
Flipkart is the ridiculous thing he has ever done and everyone around him thought that he was
out of his mind. But it has now acquired Myntra for around INR 2000 crore. As per the report by
the famous Wall Street Journal, Flipkart has now been added to the top five billion dollars start
up club, moreover, it also enjoys a valuation of $11 billion.
2. Ola Cabs – Book A Taxi With One Touch On The App Store
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Even some years back, who would have thought that booking a taxi would be so much easier?
Thanks to ''Ola Cabs'', traveling in a cab now cheaper than traveling in an auto. You can now
easily avail an Ola Cab easily and their trusted drivers will get you to your exact destination
hassle free. According to Indidiary.com, today Ola cabs are the famous form of transport serving
the metropolitan cities.
Mr. Bhavish Aggarwal and Mr. Ankit Bhati are the two IIT-B graduates, who are Co-founders of
India’s most popular cab hub Ola Cabs. This entrepreneurship idea was formed after a weekend
trip on a rented cab had gone terribly for Bhavish. Then he thought to bring transparency and
convenience to consumers in this area.
Known as a taxi service, Ola Cabs was started in Mumbai in the year 2010 in order to solve the
city's transport misery. Now, this company provides taxi services in over 100 cities across the
country. An article published in Asianentrepreneur.org states that last year in October, Ola Cabs
has raised around $210 million at a valuation of nearly $1 billion, with this, it has joined the
league of the most valued start-ups in the country.
3. Zomato – An Aggregation Of Restaurant & Other Food-Related Destinations
With an aim to helping the Indians to explore the new taste of varied dishes, this online
restaurant platform was launched in 2008. ''Zomato'' is a one-stop-solution to all your cravings,
be it for food, beverages, and alcohol. It's an online restaurant discovery guide providing
information on home delivery service, cafes, and nightlife!
Mr. Deepinder Goyal and Mr. Pankaj Chaddah are the co-founders of ''Zomato'' and today, this
brand gets an international recognition. When they started their startup Zomato, they did not
even have enough funds and as they say, hard work pays quite evident it is. Today, Zomato we
all know is a supreme success with its popularity around the world.
According to Yosuccess.com, an article reveals that with a strong & sole presence in over 10,000
cities across 22 countries, it is not only the largest of such medium in Asia but is also one of the
largest in the world.
4. RedBus – The Startup That Revolutionized The Bus Ticketing To A New Level
Incorporated in 2006, ''RedBus'' is changing the way, people book bus tickets. Red Bus is no less
than a blessing for a common man as it gives them an option to book bus tickets in advance. It is
easy to use and makes commutation convenient. Mr. Phanindra, Sudhakar, and Charan are the
co-founder and CEO of RedBus that has now reached a level where its revenue is above $12M.
According to Yourstory.com, an article states that the idea of starting RedBus came on
Phanindra's mind when he could not visit his family during the Diwali season of 2005. Now this
company allows customers to book bus tickets in a location-independent manner.
Currently, RedBus with its business logo is considered to be one of the fastest growing Indian
web startup – thanks to its outstanding service, especially to bus travelers.
5. Make My Trip – An Indian Online Travel Portal
''Make My Trip'' founded by Mr. Deep Kalra, an IIM Ahmadabad alumnus, has revolutionized
the travel industry over the years. In the year 2000, it was launched in the US market to provide
NRIs with hassle-free Indo-American trips. Next, in 2005, it launched its office in India, starting
with flight tickets booking. Later on, it started providing domestic and international holiday
packages, hotel reservations, rail and bus tickets, etc. Make My Trip has got a Global recognition
and multiple rewards because of their works with great facilities.
6. Designhill.com – An Online Graphic Design Freelancing And Crowdsourcing Platform
''Designhill'' is world's fastest-growing custom Graphic Design marketplace that connects
professional graphic designers with clients looking to source high quality graphic designs at
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pocket friendly prices. In the year 2014, in New Delhi, India, Designhill was started by Mr.
Rahul Aggarwal and Mr. Varun Aggarwal with the sole mission to change the way how
design industry works by launching a marketplace that is specifically based on the design
industry. Today, the company has expanded to two more locations, such as, Gurgaon and
Delaware, United States.
According to Entrepreneur.com, an article reveals that the Aggarwal brothers do more than just
deliver great customer service at Designhill: They absolutely crush the competition, including
several American-based startups.
7. FreeCharge – A Popular Online Mobile Recharge Site
''FreeCharge'' is reckoned as a most popular online mobile recharge site in India, started out with
recharge only mobiles. The company came up with an innovative concept that makes mobile
recharge absolutely free as users get an equal amount of value back in the terms of retailer's
coupons. But now it has expanded and offers recharge of TV and Data card as well. Therefore,
FreeCharge is considered as an Indian Digital Payments Platform in India.
Founded on 15th August 2010 by Mr. Kunal Shah and Mr. Sandeep Tondon, Freecharge is
known as an Indian digital payments platform which enables users to do mobile recharges, pay
bills, etc. It is also backed by solid Cashback offers from Indian Retailers both Online and
Offline.
According to Startuparchive.com, an article states that mobile is the Future of Commerce in
India as 30% of their transaction were done via mobile in 2013 which rapidly grew to 65% in
2014 and now they’re expecting 95% transactions from mobile in 2017.
8. Pepperfry – India's Leading Furniture And Home Decor Selling Site
Mr. Ambareesh Murty & Mr. Ashish Shah – they started 'Pepperfry.com! They used to work in
the same company (eBay India), happened to have similar ambition at the same time. So, they
together started the whole business, invested with equal amounts of funds from their own
pockets and started Pepperfry.
Constituted on the 3rd of January 2012, Pepperfry is a stellar online home appliance and the
largest furniture market in India. According to Startupsuccessstories.com, an article says that
Pepperfry won hearts of 650K customers, across 1000 cities catering a wide array of furniture
and other home décor products. So buy any household item from Pepperfry and experience the
difference!
9. OYO Rooms – An Online Aggregator Of Budget Hotels In India
''OYO Rooms'' is India's largest budget hotel chain with about 500 hotels including 50000 rooms.
It was started in 2012 by Ritesh Agarwal, with the aim to offer standard reliable rooms
transformed the face of Indian hospitality sector. An article published in Yourstory.com says that
today it claims to partner 4,200 hotels in over 170 cities, booking close to a million room nights a
month.
OYO Rooms is a very successful project as it is committed to solving the issue of cleanliness,
availability, and affordability of budget hotels across the country. OYO basically ties up with
certain hotels and acquires some rooms to be given out to people who want to avail its services.
An article published in Yosuccess.com says that with a current evaluation of nearly 360Cr, OYO
Rooms provides travelers with the efficient and standardized rooms at affordable prices.
10. Teach For India – A Nationwide Movement That Aims To Help Educate India's Youth
Under the Teach For All Global Movement, a nonprofit organization named as ''Teach for India”
is engaged in working towards ensuring superior education to the millions of low-income
children in India.
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Through their paid fellowship program “Tech for India” (TFI), gives an opportunity to young
college graduates and professionals to teach children in low-income schools. It was founded in
2007 by Shaheen Mistri and within a decade they have successfully made it to 7 cities. In
addition to this, they have 910 fellows along with 660 Alumni working towards destructing
educational inequity.

A young techie who could just about make himself daal, rice and papad in his bachelor days now
runs a company with a 70 crore turnover that provides almost five lakh idlis a day to hungry
Bengalureans. Most young working people in the city in a rush, simply fish out the now-famous
“iD Fresh” readymade idly/dosa batter from their refrigerator for their quick breakfast fix.
While Bengaluru is where all this began for techie-turned-entrepreneur Musthafa P.C, his idlis
and dosas find a place on the breakfast tables in households in Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hyderabad,
Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, and even Dubai! And it’s not limited to idlys and dosas anymore. Their
oeuvre now includes parotas, chapattis and chutneys too, all made without chemicals and
preservatives, Musthafa is quick to add.
It started in a small corner of the city’s Thippasandra locality where Musthafa’s cousins ran a
grocery store. “This was eight years ago, and a local supplier would sell idly/dosa batter in an
unbranded plain plastic bag tied up with a rubberband, on weekends. There was a great demand,
but they couldn’t keep up the quality. That’s when I felt there was a gap in the market,” says the
42-year-old Musthafa, CEO of iD Fresh Food, one of the new-age food startups in the city.
And then, one can conclude, the Malayali business instinct kicked in!
The enterprising cousins set up a 50 square foot kitchen — “our so-called factory” laughs
Musthafa, and started a trial in 10 stores in and around Indiranagar. “In a year’s time we were
selling 100 packets of batter a day.” During that time, Musthafa had quit his plum job to study
his MBA at the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B). “I did a proper survey and
found that Bangalore then had a production requirement of 5,000 kg of batter a day.” The sales
and the survey gave them the confidence to set up a 600 square foot kitchen in Kaggadasapura,
where Musthafa pumped in six lakh from his savings. They were still using regular household
grinders to make the batter. “I had a high-profile job in Dubai. I had worked with Motorola,
Citibank, had lived in the U.K., and then later even worked with Intel. But I wanted to come
back to India to pursue higher studies, spend time with my parents, and give something back to
society,” says Musthafa of making the proverbial switch.
It is with this intent that Musthafa is very particular that they identify “smart guys from rural
areas who are unemployed” and provide them opportunities in their company. Today they
employ 650 such people from the eight regions they work in across India. “I come from a life of
poverty in Wayanad (Kerala) where my dad was a coolie, and breakfast was a luxury. I was a
school dropout after I failed my sixth standard. The teacher persuaded me to repeat the class and
continue my studies.”
No one supported his decision to quit the IT industry; it was a job that had brought stability to
the family, helped him build a home and marry off siblings. Even his wife’s family was upset
that he was becoming a “rice merchant”.
But by 2008, his company had expanded into a proper factory in Hoskote, with the help of the
Karnataka State Industrial Development Council (KSIDC). Custom-made grinders were brought
in from America. “With Indian grinders, cleaning is the most difficult task. Moreover the small
grinders would take an hour to grind a kilo of dal. So we had to import these large, modified
grinders that self-sterilise at the touch of a button.” Musthafa swears the actual batter making
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process is “the same that your mom uses at home, starting with the soaking”. “We are only
professional assistants to the homemaker. Our products will always be ready to cook, not ready
to eat. So they don’t reach the dining table; they first go into the kitchen. If the idli is good, the
homemaker gets the credit; if the idli turns out bad, iD takes the credit!” All the products, he
says, are first tested on his children aged 12, nine, and five.
Business is of course growing phenomenally with venture capital (VC) firms wanting to invest in
them; 60 companies evinced interest in pumping money; mostly American. Finally Helion
Venture invested Rs. 35 crore in their expansion plans. “We are targeting expansion to 10
Middle-Eastern cities over the next five years. As well as expanding into north India, especially
Delhi.” While initially a friend named it iD for “idly-dosa”, Musthafa says it now stands for their
“identity”.
Musthafa makes it a point to stress on the fact that it has been team work all along the way; first
his cousins came on board, then his engineering classmates and then family friends, to start the
operation in various cities. “We don’t work on an employment basis; there is no fixed pay. Every
employee is a micro-entrepreneur. For example, each area sales team is given a vehicle and “they
have to maintain their own profit and loss account,” explains Musthafa. Whitefield, Jayanagar,
Indiranagar and Koramangala is where they do their best business, he says. They have a SAP-
based backend platform so that they have a zero inventory model – 90 per cent of the products
are sold on the same day; a mobile app keeps track of sales patterns in each store.
Musthafa’s personal favourite from his company is the wheat parota. “We eat our idli and dosa
once a week at home, then three days of wheat parota,” he breaks into a boyish grin.