From IIT to Ivy League: Where these 10 Indian-origin entrepreneurs behind billion dollar startups studied
Indian-origin entrepreneurs are at the forefront of global innovation, leading the charge in AI, space tech, fintech, and social impact. While much of the spotlight is on their billion-dollar valuations and high-growth ventures, their academic beginnings often tell a deeper story.
From the corridors of
IIT
and MIT to activism-inspiring classrooms at Stanford, education has played a critical role in shaping how these leaders think, build, and lead.
Here's a closer look at the educational backgrounds that laid the foundation for these 10 remarkable startup founders making global headlines in 2025:
Deepinder Goyal
: Founder, LAT Aerospace and
Zomato
Before revolutionising food delivery with Zomato and now venturing into hybrid-electric aviation with LAT Aerospace, Deepinder Goyal was a math-loving engineering student with a sharp problem-solving mindset.
Education:
Undergrad:
Indian
Institute of Technology
(IIT) Delhi – B.Tech in Mathematics and Computing
Goyal's time at IIT Delhi honed his analytical skills and introduced him to the power of systems thinking, which later translated into Zomato's operational efficiency. Today, he is reapplying that same foundation to innovate regional air mobility.
Balaji Srinivasan: Former co-founder, Counsyl
A serial entrepreneur and one of the most influential thinkers in tech and crypto, Balaji is taking on his boldest vision yet—building a new, decentralised society from scratch on a private island.
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His ideas about governance, networks, and sovereignty are rooted deeply in his academic training.
Education:
Undergrad & PhD:
Stanford University – BS, MS, and PhD in Electrical Engineering
Balaji's years at Stanford, where he also taught, helped shape his worldview around decentralisation, bioinformatics, and future-ready infrastructure. His doctoral research laid the groundwork for projects that combined biology, computation, and systems design.
Bhavish Aggarwal: Co-founder, Ola &
Ola Electric
From transforming urban mobility in India to accelerating the electric vehicle revolution, Bhavish Aggarwal has redefined how India moves.
With Ola, he built one of the country's first ride-hailing unicorns. Now, with Ola Electric, he's betting big on sustainable transportation — from e-scooters to battery innovation.
Education:
Undergrad:
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay – B.Tech in Computer Science
Aggarwal's academic foundation in computer science at IIT Bombay equipped him with the technical skills to scale complex platforms. His campus experience nurtured an entrepreneurial spirit that would eventually lead to Ola.
Today, his dual focus on digital infrastructure and green mobility places him at the forefront of India's climate-tech future.
Nikesh Arora
: CEO, Palo Alto Networks (ex-Google, ex-SoftBank)
Nikesh Arora has consistently operated at the helm of some of the world's most powerful tech companies. After high-impact roles at Google and SoftBank, he is now leading Palo Alto Networks — a global cybersecurity powerhouse — into its next phase of innovation and enterprise dominance. Known for his sharp strategic mind and deal-making ability, Arora blends tech fluency with financial precision.
Education:
Undergrad:
Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (now IIT-BHU) – B.Tech in Electrical Engineering
Graduate:
Northeastern University – MS in Finance
MBA:
Boston College – MBA in Finance
This multidisciplinary education helped him drive multi-billion-dollar growth across tech, telecom, and now cybersecurity — proving the power of cross-domain leadership.
Suchi Mukherjee
: Founder & CEO, Limeroad
Blending fashion, technology, and user experience, Suchi Mukherjee carved a space for Limeroad in India's fiercely competitive e-commerce landscape. A champion of accessible fashion for women, she reimagined online shopping through curated looks, community-driven content, and a clean, mobile-first platform.
Education:
Undergrad:
University of Cambridge – BA in Economics
Graduate:
London School of Economics (LSE) – MSc in Finance & Economics
These skills helped her lead product and business strategy roles at eBay and Gumtree in the UK before returning to India to launch Limeroad — a brand now known for its innovation in social commerce and customer-first design.
Neha Narkhede: Co-founder, Confluent
A trailblazer in the world of big data infrastructure, Neha Narkhede is the co-creator of Apache Kafka, the real-time data streaming platform used by thousands of companies including Netflix, Uber, and Goldman Sachs.
After her time at LinkedIn, she co-founded Confluent, the company behind Kafka's enterprise applications, which went public in a multibillion-dollar IPO. Today, she is also an active investor, supporting the next wave of founders in enterprise tech.
Education:
Undergrad:
Pune Institute of Computer Technology – BE in Computer Engineering
Graduate:
Georgia Institute of Technology – MS in Computer Science
Her journey underscores how rigorous engineering training, paired with a bold product vision, can transform the way the world processes information.
Anand Kannappan: Co-founder, Patronus AI
As AI adoption skyrockets, Anand is one of the minds ensuring it remains responsible and secure. Patronus AI builds tools to validate and test generative AI models at scale.
Education:
Undergrad:
University of Chicago – Bachelor's degree in Economics and Computer Science
MIT gave Anand the chance to work on real-world AI problems and cutting-edge research. His academic work laid the foundation for a career in AI safety and infrastructure.
Arjun Desai
: Co-founder, Cartesia
What if powerful AI tools could run without the internet? That's what Arjun Desai and his team at Cartesia are solving.
Their edge-AI systems have caught the attention of major VCs.
Education:
Undergrad:
Stanford University – BS in Computer Science
Arjun's education trained him in decentralised computing and resource optimisation—skills crucial to developing AI that works offline. He was also part of Stanford's vibrant AI and entrepreneurship communities.
Aman Sanger: Co-founder, Anysphere (Cursor)
Aman is making coding easier and smarter with Cursor, an AI co-pilot used by 30,000+ developers. His vision is reshaping how software is built.
Education:
Undergrad:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology – BS in Computer Science
At MIT, Aman immersed himself in AI, natural language processing, and human-computer interaction. His experience in research labs and startup incubators accelerated Cursor's development from campus to company.
Rahul Garg: Founder & CEO, Moglix
From B2B e-commerce to industrial supply chain transformation, Rahul's Moglix has become one of India's most valued tech unicorns.
Education:
Undergrad:
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur – B.Tech
MBA:
Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad
Rahul's blend of engineering precision and business acumen comes from his dual training at IIT and ISB.
This mix helps him navigate complex supply chains with strategic agility.
These founders show that great ideas don't emerge in isolation. They are often shaped, refined, and challenged in lecture halls, coding labs, and startup clubs. Whether it's Stanford, IIT, Harvard, or ISB — education has been a powerful catalyst behind their global success.
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