The new start-up billionaires in the age of Gen Z
Underestimate Gen Z, and it will build the next start-up—be it commercial or political.
- Aug 1, 2026,
- Updated Aug 1, 2026 6:32 PM IST
The Cockroach Janata Party is, by all accounts, the newest political start-up in town. What began as a reaction to a courtroom observation quickly acquired a life of its own. An upset Gen Z has electrified the country’s politics and forced attention on India’s examination system with an agitation that took the Centre by surprise. The education minister has stepped down, and the larger hope is that the Nandan Nilekani committee set up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will design a robust system for foolproof examinations.
Against this backdrop comes our latest issue on the new start-up billionaires, many of whom founded their companies when they were in the Gen Z age cohort. It is about people who have built companies from scratch and created large businesses in a relatively short period of time.
The lead essay looks at India’s new generation of billionaires. As the data shows, the time taken to move from an idea to a billion-dollar fortune has collapsed over the past couple of decades. Technology, cheap bandwidth, digital payments, lower entry barriers, and the rise of consumer businesses have created a much longer runway for ambitious founders to take off. The median age of this new crop is just 33, compared with 67 for India’s billionaire population overall. The late Dhirubhai Ambani was nearly 60 when he became India’s first self-made dollar billionaire in 1991-92. Azim Premji entered the club eight years later, in his mid-50s, when Wipro’s valuation surged during the dot-com boom.
Elsewhere in the issue, we turn to the second coming of founders who had already built and exited businesses. These serial entrepreneurs have made a comeback—returning with deeper pockets, more experience, stronger networks, and sharper business instincts. Investors are backing them readily because these entrepreneurs bring a proven record to the cap table.
Then come the rocket men. India’s space sector, under state-control until six years ago, is now witnessing the growth of entrepreneur-led private-sector firms. We profile four space-tech start-ups building rockets and propulsion systems, and launch technologies as they seek a place in the stars.
Together, these stories capture an India where founders are starting up with conviction and with the ambition to build fast. This new generation of Indian founders is pushing ahead, innovating, and building for the future.
Earlier this year, our first-of-its-kind survey showed how Gen Z is redefining consumption, forcing Indian companies to rethink their products and pricing. That cover image, shown here, now seems less a look back and more an early warning: a generation that can reshape business through its consumption choices will demand the same responsiveness from Indian politics.
Underestimate Gen Z, and it will build the next start-up—be it commercial or political.
The Cockroach Janata Party is, by all accounts, the newest political start-up in town. What began as a reaction to a courtroom observation quickly acquired a life of its own. An upset Gen Z has electrified the country’s politics and forced attention on India’s examination system with an agitation that took the Centre by surprise. The education minister has stepped down, and the larger hope is that the Nandan Nilekani committee set up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will design a robust system for foolproof examinations.
Against this backdrop comes our latest issue on the new start-up billionaires, many of whom founded their companies when they were in the Gen Z age cohort. It is about people who have built companies from scratch and created large businesses in a relatively short period of time.
The lead essay looks at India’s new generation of billionaires. As the data shows, the time taken to move from an idea to a billion-dollar fortune has collapsed over the past couple of decades. Technology, cheap bandwidth, digital payments, lower entry barriers, and the rise of consumer businesses have created a much longer runway for ambitious founders to take off. The median age of this new crop is just 33, compared with 67 for India’s billionaire population overall. The late Dhirubhai Ambani was nearly 60 when he became India’s first self-made dollar billionaire in 1991-92. Azim Premji entered the club eight years later, in his mid-50s, when Wipro’s valuation surged during the dot-com boom.
Elsewhere in the issue, we turn to the second coming of founders who had already built and exited businesses. These serial entrepreneurs have made a comeback—returning with deeper pockets, more experience, stronger networks, and sharper business instincts. Investors are backing them readily because these entrepreneurs bring a proven record to the cap table.
Then come the rocket men. India’s space sector, under state-control until six years ago, is now witnessing the growth of entrepreneur-led private-sector firms. We profile four space-tech start-ups building rockets and propulsion systems, and launch technologies as they seek a place in the stars.
Together, these stories capture an India where founders are starting up with conviction and with the ambition to build fast. This new generation of Indian founders is pushing ahead, innovating, and building for the future.
Earlier this year, our first-of-its-kind survey showed how Gen Z is redefining consumption, forcing Indian companies to rethink their products and pricing. That cover image, shown here, now seems less a look back and more an early warning: a generation that can reshape business through its consumption choices will demand the same responsiveness from Indian politics.
Underestimate Gen Z, and it will build the next start-up—be it commercial or political.