Top 11 Digital Entrepreneurs in India : 2024

 

It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.

– Scott Belsky

The Global trend today is the monetization of time and talent. Digital Entrepreneurship is the heart and soul of digital entrepreneurs; who wish to be their boss, have their hearts set on making that extra income even while sleeping, etc.

Are you one among these? Then this blog is for you! Check it out to set up a benchmark after all entrepreneurs are doers and not just dreamers.

Prologue

Today the human race is darting behind digitization. Digital screens are fashionable in this era. The digital entirety is at the tip of the finger in the wake of the internet.

India has also stepped into this digital world and is now the globe’s sixth-largest economy with a $2.6 trillion share. The norms of Digital India, Start-up India, and Make in India, started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have smoothed the path for digital entrepreneurs in India, intending to reach a $5 trillion economy by 2025. 

 

Among the top start-up nations of the world, India is in the third spot having more than 7,000 start-ups. We are in the eon of innovation and entrepreneurship. With strong willpower, determination, and desire to succeed, some of the youngest brains of India have become digital entrepreneurs even before turning 18.

 

Unquestionably they have changed the Sovereign State’s realm with their creative and innovative ideas. Let’s now see the inspiring success stories of the top 11 Indian digital entrepreneurs. Before listing the top entrepreneurs, let’s first understand some leading aspects of entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship, What Does it Mean Actually?

Over the last two decades, the interest in entrepreneurship significantly increased. Even today, several questions woven around the concept of entrepreneur remain unanswered. Many aspirers don’t have a clear idea regarding:

 

• Who is an entrepreneur?
• Why is an entrepreneur different from other business people? 
• What is digital entrepreneurship? 
• Whether digital marketing and digital entrepreneurship are same?

Precisely, these questions depict the curiosity of the national and international denizens in entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. 

Who is an Entrepreneur?

A mind that creates, conceptualizes and commercializes larger-than-life ideas and is courageous to make the ideas a reality is what an entrepreneur is.  An entrepreneur is the one who drills out the ideas, derives concepts, and directs the endeavor, shouldering all the accountability.

Key Skills for a Successful Digital Entrepreneur

Successful digital entrepreneurship requires a blend of skills such as technical, business, and personal skills integrated to deliver positive results and sustainable growth. Combining these skills effectively can significantly increase the chances of success in digital entrepreneurship:

Technical Skills

1. Digital Marketing:
   • Understanding SEO, SEM, and content marketing.
   • Proficiency in social media marketing
   • Email and SMS marketing
   • Knowledge of Google Analytics to track performance.
2. Web Development and Design:
   • Knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
   • Familiarity with CMS platforms like WordPress, Shopify, or Magento.
   • Understanding UX/UI principles for creating user-friendly interfaces.
3. Data Analysis:
   • Data Analysis and make data-driven decisions.
   • Strong understanding of Data Analysis tools like Excel, SQL, or Python.
   • Understanding key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics relevant to digital businesses.
4. E-commerce Management:
   • Knowledge of e-commerce platforms 
   • Understanding inventory management, payment gateways, and customer service in an online context.

 

 

 

Business Skills

1. Strategic Planning
   • Ability to create and implement business plans and strategies.
   • Understanding market trends and competitive analysis.
   • Setting short-term and long-term business goals.
   • Using various business and technology strategies to optimize growth 
2. Financial Management
   • Budgeting and financial forecasting
   • Understanding funding options, venture capital, and crowdfunding.
   • Managing cash flow and financial reporting.
3. Sales and Negotiation:
   • Implementing effective sales strategies.
   • Building healthy client relationships.
   • Negotiating deals and partnerships.

Personal Skills

1. Creativity and Innovation:
   • Developing unique solutions and innovative products or services.
   • Thinking outside the box to differentiate from competitors.
2. Networking and Relationship Building:
   • Building a professional network within the industry.
   • Engaging with mentors, advisors, and influencers.
   • Creating partnerships and collaborations.
3. Customer Focus:
   • Understanding customer needs and preferences.
   • Providing exceptional customer service and support.
   • Gathering and utilizing customer feedback for continuous improvement.

Continuous Learning

1. Staying Updated:
   • Keeping up with the latest trends and technologies.
   • Continuous learning through courses, workshops, and industry events.
   • Reading industry-related books, blogs, and journals.
2. Self-Improvement:
   • Upgrade your skill set to meet current and future requirements.
   • Seeking feedback for self-improvement.

Why do Digital Entrepreneurs differ from other business people? 

 Entrepreneurs are crazy people with crazy ideas. Out of this craziness comes innovation. The innovation can be a new product or service or producing new and innovative ideas from the old ones, inaugurating a new source of supply of commodities, a factory outlet for products, and orchestrating a new industry,

Contrarily to other business people, the entrepreneurs rework, redesign, and revamp a product or a service by exploiting it.

What is Digital Entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship today, is everything about being innovative and creative, having a diverse skill set and caliber to identify and solve problems, generating finance, and having the grit to grapple with Gordian knots.

Digital entrepreneurship is the entrepreneur in the digital world using digital technology. Digital entrepreneurship includes unique ways of spotting digital customers for entrepreneurial ventures, strategizing and offering cost-effective products, revenue generation, teaming up with global digital platforms, and the advantage of the chances available.

Whether Digital Marketing and Digital Entrepreneurship are same?

Digital Entrepreneurship

Occasionally, digital entrepreneurship and digital marketing are being termed just in the reverse. Nevertheless, there is a lot of difference between the terms. Digital entrepreneurship, otherwise known as digital business, is a methodology that organizations embrace for online and offline businesses.

Furthermore, it focuses on creating valued services and products revenue improvement, and hastening the organization’s production rates. Thus, it results in the digital transformation of the said organization. Freelancing or gig-based work, online tutoring or coding jobs, e-commerce or affiliate marketing, blogging, or vlogging are examples of digital entrepreneurship.

Digital Marketing

 On the contrary, digital marketing is the technique of advertisement that uses the internet to connect the business with the customers. The organization advertises its products and services to consumers. It is a resource or tool meant to achieve business online.

For example, social media marketing (SMM), search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, and digital advertising come under digital marketing.

Do Digital Entrepreneurs need to be Digital Marketers also?

While this may be true, all digital entrepreneurs, to endure in the online market, should learn digital marketing also as it is a pressing priority. Digital marketing helps to build awareness of the brand, to understand business strategies, make perfect use of social media platforms, etc., for realizing the business goals.

Truly, digital entrepreneurs can master digital marketing skills by learning them. Globally and also across India, there are plenteous academies that teach digital marketing skills. One and the best among these academies is Henry Harvin Digital Marketing Academy. So join the Henry Harvin Digital Marketing Academy today! This can become a plus point for you to give a boost to the business that you yearned for.

Why Henry Harvin only?

• Henry Harvin is an ISO-certified, award-winning institute having experienced trainers of the industry with 15 years of experience.

•  Provides a very reasonable 9-in-1 package course where the learner earns an E-Learning portal, guaranteed internship, placement assistance, weekly job support, live projects, career services, and much more. 

• Once enlisted in the course can choose from various batches as per the learner’s convenient schedule and attend various lectures conducted by different instructors.

• Amazing benefits of Gold Membership include access to the E-Learning portal, recorded Videos of classes, PPTs, and Projects.

Duration of the Course: 32 Hours

Mode of Training: Self-paced and live classroom modes.  

Contact for further information: +91 90152 66266 

List of Top 11 Digital Entrepreneurs in India

1. Byju Raveendran
2. Shradha Sharma
3. Ritesh Agarwal
4. Vijay Shekar Sharma
5. Manish Singh
6. Siddhant Thakran
7. Shravan and Sanjay Kumaran
8. Bhavish Aggarwal
9. Deepinder Goyal
10. Jeevan Tiwari
11. Shivam Kumar Singh and Varun Sharma

1. Byju Raveendran

Byju’s – The Learning app, founded in 2015 by Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath, is a world-class ed-tech start-up company. The app is the brand name for Think and Learn Private Ltd. Considered the top-grade online tutoring venture headquartered in Bangalore, with over 115 million registered students.

 

As of March 2022, this unicorn company is US $22 billion in value, which makes Byju Raveendran one of the youngest billionaires in India. His passion for teaching math made him take up teaching as a full-time job. He then went from teaching a few friends to teaching hundreds of students in big conference halls and through satellite communication (VSAT).

 

Subsequently, to offer online lessons, he established Think & Learn in 2011 and evolved as an entrepreneur. Finally, the flagship brand BYJU’S in 2015.

Surprisingly, Raveendran’s innovative learning app made learning to march to the beat of a different drum. Additionally, he made learning fun and easy, personalized, more effective and engaging, and importantly accessible to all levels of society.

 

Accordingly, he milked the benefits of data science and technology and made education personalized based on the learning tempo and traits of a student. Globally, this contextual method has revolutionized the ways of learning for K-12 students, thus molding a student to love learning.

 

Raveendran’s start-up trains students for national examinations like IIT-JEE, NEET, CAT, and IAS and international exams like GRE and GMAT.

For this purpose, Byju has received several awards, including the 2018’ Business Standard Annual Award for Corporate Excellence. Moreover, Raveendran also won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Startup category) in 2018. In July 2019, Byju got endowed with Indian cricket team jersey rights. At Harvard Business School, this app has become a business case.

2. Shradha Sharma

Secondly, Shradha Sharma, the former Journalist at CNBC TV18, is now one of the top Digital Entrepreneurs in India. Shradha is the Founder, Chief Editor, and CEO of the digital media rostrum ‘YourStory,’ which publishes the stories of successful startups, entrepreneurs, change-makers, and resource pieces in 12 different Indian languages.

 

Initiated in 2018, YourStory is a reckoned startup, with YourStory.com, SocialStory, and HerStory being the nubbin properties. Today, the app reaches 10 million enthused book lovers every month, and up till now, over 40,000 stories of successful entrepreneurs have been published.

 

Further, Shradha acknowledged that many people globally carry out galactic activities but are hardly recognized by anyone. For this reason, she devoted her time to penning down the stories of successful people and posting them on her blog.

 

Moreover, her keen interest in new conglomerations turned her blog into a website that has reached new heights today. Meanwhile, her magnificence mesmerized the crowd. Thereupon, YourStory has received financial funding from legendary capitalists like Ratan Tata, Karthee Madaswamy, Vani Kola, and T.V. Mohandas Pai. The estimated net worth of YourStory is $678000.

 

Consequently, Shradha was selected on the list of 500 LinkedIn Influencers in 2015. As an Online Influencer, again in March 2015, Shradha was bestowed with the L’Oreal Paris Femina Award.

3. Ritesh Agarwal

Third on the list, Ritesh Agarwal is one of the youngest and most successful founders of the world’s third-largest, and fastest-growing chain of hotels, and homes, for voyagers in about 800 countries.  At the age of 17 years, Ritesh Agarwal traveled to different cities in India; with budget planning in mind, he found that there was an acute scarcity of decent, affordable, and convenient stays to be on vacation.

 

To, address the ordeals of the travelers, and to deal wisely with location, quality, and price, he embraced technology and talent. Being inspired by Airbnb and with the support of Oravel Stays he started his journey to establish digital entrepreneurship.

 

Therefore, to change the way people prevail, he first upgraded and redesigned the old-fashioned hotels and rooms with fashionable, sassy, and elegant next-generation designs and ideas. Secondly, he offered these mod cons at unmatched prices. That’s why OYO was initiated in May 2013 called OYO Hotels & Homes.

 

This strategic visionary is stepping into the furtherance of global business. Recently the @Leisure Group joined the OYO chain, retitled as OYO Vacation Homes. OYO today has expanded its boundaries to more than 800 cities across 80 countries – India, China, Malaysia, Nepal, UAE, UK, US, Europe, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Japan, and Vietnam.

 

OYO has leading sponsors, including the Hero Enterprise, China Lodging Group, SoftBank Vision Fund, Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Ventures, etc. The company recently raised $1 billion and gained unicorn status.

Worth and Recognitions

With its multi-branded approach, as of January 2022, it has a total value of the shares which can be approximated to about ₹330 crores (US$43 million), as per its last valuation of OYO of $9.6 billion.

 

Recognized by LinkedIn as one of the top employee attractors in India four years in a row (2016, 2017, 2018, & 2019). Further, awarded Market Entrant of the Year 2019 (UK-India Awards).

4. Vijay Shekar Sharma

Vijay Shekar Sharma is the founder and CEO of Paytm, one of the predominant fintech companies. The company focuses on digital payments and wallet-based payments. Paytm changed the scenario of making payments very easy and convenient. It is still considered one of the country’s first startup systems of e-wallets.

 

According to the Forbes list of India’s 100 Richest People (2020), Vijay Shekhar Sharma ranks second-youngest billionaire with $2.35 billion in wealth. Contrastingly, Sharma now lost his billionaire status, and as of March 15, 2022, the company’s estimated net worth is $999 million. 

 

The Paytm that Sharma developed is the schema designed to solve the grievances of the poor and economically weaker sections of society. The most disrespected and ignored community sections were allowed to use this app with due dignity. 

 

Vijay Shekar Sharma, along with the Paytm app, has also ornamented Paytm Mall, Paytm payment bank, and e-commerce business. This app is the first of its kind to offer the facility of a zero-balance account. Shopping facilities and UPI payment facilities are available with this app. With its rises and pitfalls, Paytm continues as a brand of e-commerce to date. 

5. Manish Singh

Well-known as the Pioneer of Digital Entrepreneurship in India, Manish Singh is India’s Youngest Digital Entrepreneur and also the Youngest Millionaire in India. He brought a breakthrough in the Indian Market with his exceptional skills in Digital Marketing.

 

Manish Singh’s entrepreneurial journey started in 2019 with the establishment of ZZED Media which is brimming over successfully. Ultimately, Manish metamorphosed from an ordinary digital marketer to a digital entrepreneur.

 

Further, Manish Singh, who made a brand out of nonentity, has now crossed the $2 Million mark and owns four companies ZZED Media, ZZED Software and Corporation, ZZED News and Press Agency, and ZZED Digital University.

6. Siddhant Thakran

Siddhant Thakran is a young Indian tech whiz and also the Founder and CEO of “Webtenium Ventures Worldwide Private Limited. He is a brilliant digital entrepreneur, and Asia’s top Digital Marketing Expert, Business Developer, and Personal Brander.

 

In 2020, Siddhant launched Webtenium Ventures, with a proficient group of web designers, developers, and market strategists. Webtenium is a cutting-edge company staunched to web development, digital marketing, management, and branding. As the CEO and founder, he guides his creative team to success.

 

The company is pressing forward to develop simple technological solutions for the digital world aspirers. Today, Siddhant’s company consists of Widenium Digital (A Digital Agency Built for All), Waypreneur Magazine(News/Media), and recently Started-up with Posh18 Network (Premium Influencer Marketing, Growth & Management Agency).

7. Shravan and Sanjay Kumaran

Shravan and Sanjay, the youngest Indian digital entrepreneurs, are just 17 and 15 years old, bagging exceptional digital skills. The ‘Korea Herald newspaper 2013 explicitly, ranked these kids among the top ten designers in the world. They have cofounded a mind-boggling app development venture called ‘Godimensions’ for Android and iOS mobiles. This app aims to engineer simple and convenient cure-alls for digital media. Further, they have built seven more apps for the App Store and three for Google Play.

 

Interestingly, the app go Donate is a magnificent platform for sharing excess food, clothes, and furniture with those in need. The apps developed by the siblings have walloped many others holding a record of over 70,000 downloads in more than 60 countries.

 

When Shravan and Sanjay began designing the apps before turning fifteen, these wunderkinder astonished everyone with their tectonic achievements. Further, Apple sighted them as the youngest Mobile Application Programmer in India.

 

They also have the credit of developing a device to lock and unlock the house using a mobile app. Dynamically, they have designed a technologically advanced wireless virtual reality Google to give an in-field game experience while playing them. Presently, they are developing a game for it now.

8. Bhavish Aggarwal

Bhavish Aggarwal is an Entrepreneur, Founder, and CEO of the most popular OLA Cabs startup in India. Firstly, OLA started in 2010, in consequence, of a dispute with a cab driver who demanded more money for the ride. The GPS technology and smartphone utility formed the basement of its origin. Based in Bengaluru, Ola earns its income from the holy grails on ride bookings, security charges on new drivers, etc.

 

Further, Bhavish revolutionized with his idea of hailing cabs employing smartphones as it bestowed its users with the convenience of booking from anywhere and at any time. Today, he is known for his success as an entrepreneur because of his sheer will, determination, and courage to take and face risks.

Today OLA is available in countries like London, New Zealand, and Australia and is worth more than $6.5 Billion (Rs 48,750 Crores).

By virtue of his success, Bhavish is the giftee of the Billionth award in 2013, listed in the Forbes 30 under 30 list, and Best startup of the year by IAMAL to mention a few.

Another startup, OLA Electric Scooter, was also launched by Bhavish. For sure, he owes his place among the top digital entrepreneurs of India.

9. Deepinder Goyal

Deepinder Goyal is the duke of the Food Tech Industry. Along with his colleague Pankaj Chaddah, Goyal initially launched Foodiebay in Delhi,  now entitled Zomato, which has revolutionized the online ordering of food in India. Zomato facilitates table bookings, urgent home deliveries, and late-night cravings in 100 cities across 19 countries.

 

Admirably, the app embroiders the menus similar to the restaurant, along with reviews to pick the best. Explicitly, this Indian Restaurant accumulator has spread its wings to almost all Indian cities. It has also laid its steps towards international expansion to befit the sweet tooth. Brilliantly designed, the mobile app is user-friendly, enables you to order from your favorite greasy spoon, and allows hassle-free payments.

 

Inexplicably, this fledgling startup is worth $650 million, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Consequently, Zomato received multiple awards, mostly user’s choice, and Deepinder Goyal has succeeded in taking his venture to alluring acmes!

10. Jeevan Tiwari

Jeevan Tiwari is one of the youngest digital entrepreneurs and the youngest millionaire in India. Besides being an influencer, he is also a Guinness Book World record holder in modeling and acting. He is the founder of Ezee Digital Marketing Companies, with the highest turnover in the digital marketing industry in India.

 

This youngster, whose renown is indeed international, is said to be the pioneer of Digital entrepreneurs in the country. His exceptional digital marketing skills made his company strike a turnover of 3 million. His companies deal with app development, web development, search engine optimization, social media marketing, celebrity management, and influencer development. Thus, he sets an example for digital media aspirers.

11. Shivam Kumar Singh and Varun Sharma

The tag team became the founders and CEOs of Zzonic Media in 2019, which made headway in the digital marketing industry in India. Ever since its inception, there’s been no turning back. The company promotes social media marketing, search engine optimization, website development, lead generation, brand promotion through digital media, and many more.

Further, they lent a hand to many companies to emerge as a brand. Additionally, equipped with advanced strategies and expertise in digital marketing, ZZONIC MEDIA   propped many business units to reach the summit.

On the whole, the work ethic of the partnership has rewarded the company with a six-figure income within the first eight months of its genesis. Shivam and Varun were awarded the ‘youngest digital Entrepreneur’ in a jiff.

 

Moreover, the duo is steering toward starting Magazine Max, an online portal for digitalizing every small business and also to promote brands and startups. Finally, it’s predestined to begin an online learning platform to bring awareness to the scope of digital marketing and teach students about digital marketing and its importance.

Epilogue

As spoken of earlier, Digital Entrepreneurs rechanneled the Indian economy with their inventiveness and ability to think out of the box. India is a jillion of intellectuals, and there is tremendous scope for entrepreneurship. Eventually, Digital platforms are offering the promise of an attractive career.

At the same time, success cannot happen within an imperceptibly brief time. But skill, hard work, and good work ethics cannot go unrewarded.

Finally, the entrepreneurial aspirers with ground-breaking ideas can scrutinize the schemes of such successful entrepreneurs to make their startup a gaga.

Significance of Digital Marketing for Business

Digital marketing has become an essential component for businesses of all sizes and industries. Its significance lies in the ability to reach a large, targeted audience in a cost-effective and measurable way. 

Here are the key reasons why digital marketing is crucial for businesses today:

1. Broader Reach and Global Audience

• Geographical Boundaries: Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing allows businesses to reach a global audience. The internet provides access to markets beyond geographical limitations.
• 24/7 Availability: Online marketing campaigns can run around the clock, offering continuous exposure and engagement opportunities.

2. Cost-Effectiveness

• Lower Costs: Digital marketing typically requires lower initial investments compared to traditional marketing methods such as TV, radio, or print advertising.
• Better ROI: Due to precise targeting and tracking, digital marketing often yields a higher return on investment (ROI).

3. Targeted Marketing

• Precision Targeting: Digital marketing tools and platforms allow businesses to target specific demographics, interests, behaviors, and locations, ensuring that marketing efforts are directed at the most relevant audience.
• Personalization: Personalized marketing messages can be created based on user data, enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of marketing efforts.

4. Measurable Results and Analytics

• Data-Driven Decisions: Digital marketing provides access to real-time data and analytics, allowing businesses to track the performance of their campaigns accurately.
• Performance Metrics: Metrics such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and customer acquisition costs can be analyzed to optimize marketing strategies.

5. Enhanced Customer Engagement

• Interactive Platforms: Social media, email marketing, and other digital platforms allow for direct interaction with customers, fostering stronger relationships and customer loyalty.
• Real-Time Communication: Businesses can respond to customer inquiries and feedback instantly, improving customer service and satisfaction.

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• 15 Highest Paying Digital Marketing Skills – 2023
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FAQs

Q1. What are the primary Digital Business Models?
Ans. The primary digital business models include:

• E-Commerce
• Subscription Services
• Affiliate Services
• SaaS (Software as a Service)
• Premium Models
• Digital Advertising

Q2. What are the key advantages of starting a Digital Business in India?
Ans. Key advantages include large and growing internet user base, increasing smartphone penetration, supportive government, a vibrant startup ecosystem, and access to global markets.

Q3. Do I need to register for GST for my Digital Business?
Ans. Yes, if your annual turnover exceeds ₹20 lakhs (₹10 lakhs in special category states) or if you engage in inter-state supply of goods and services, you need to register for GST.

Q4. What technologies are essential for starting a Digital Business?
Ans. Essential technologies include a robust website or app, secure payment gateways, CRM software, digital marketing tools, cloud computing, and analytics tools.

Q5. What digital marketing strategies are effective in India?
Ans: Effective Digital Marketing Strategies include search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, influencer marketing, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.