India, the largest global democracy, has experienced remarkable GDP growth in recent decades. Despite significant levels of economic inequity that leave many impoverished, the country boasts a strong tradition of entrepreneurial and capital growth. As a result, India has produced numerous billionaire entrepreneurs.
1. Dhirubhai Ambani
Dhirubhai Ambani (1932-2002) was an Indian tycoon who started his career by selling traditional delicacies to religious pilgrims. His company rapidly grew, and he diversified into various sectors such as telecommunications, power production, consumer products, and logistics.
Currently, Reliance Industries is India’s largest private enterprise and a Fortune 500 company. Mukesh Ambani, the son of Dhirubhai Ambani, is the current CEO of Reliance Industries and is ranked by Forbes with a net worth of seventy billion dollars.
2. Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata
JRD Tata, India’s first pilot and a visionary businessman, served as the Chairman of Tata & Sons for an impressive 50 years. He also founded Air India International, the country’s first international airline, and received the prestigious Bharat Ratna award in 1992. After his tenure with Tata, he ventured out and established Tata Airlines, which eventually evolved into the contemporary Air India.
As a descendant of Jamsetji Tata, who founded the Tata group in the mid-nineteenth century, JRD Tata continued the family legacy of innovation and entrepreneurship. His renowned company, Tata Motors (TTM), is known for producing affordable automobiles accessible to ordinary Indians. By the time of JRD Tata’s passing, the TATA group had expanded to own around 100 different firms across various industries.v
3. Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy
N. R. Narayana Murthy, a brilliant mind, played a pivotal role in establishing the renowned Indian transnational conglomerate Infosys Ltd. He is widely recognized as one of the finest Indian businessmen in the modern era. As a visionary entrepreneur, he contributed significantly to the success of Infosys, a major IT firm offering business consulting, information technology, and outsourcing services. From a young age, Murthy displayed exceptional talent and received education from one of India’s top technology schools. Prior to embarking on his own business venture, he gained experience working for Patni Computer Systems in Pune.
4. Shiv Nadar
Shiv Nadar initiated HCL Infosystems in 1976 with a modest investment of a few thousand dollars, focusing on manufacturing calculators and microcomputers. In a short span, HCL expanded its presence to Singapore and the Far East, achieving sales of over 1 million rupees. Under Nadar’s leadership, HCL has been a trailblazer in the emerging IT sector for four decades, continuously driving technology innovation since its inception. His success with HCL has led to his billionaire status, with a net worth of $23.8 billion.
5. Lakshmi Niwas Mittal
Lakshmi Niwas Mittal, an Indian businessman, began his professional journey in his father’s steel company. However, owing to family conflicts, he ventured out on his own and established Arcelor Mittal, a prominent global steel producer (MT). As of April 2020, Arcelor Mittal’s enterprise value stands at $32.96 billion. Simultaneously, Mittal’s personal wealth is estimated to exceed $18.38 billion.
6. Ghanshyam Das Birla
Ghanshyam Das Birla (1894-1983) was a prominent Indian entrepreneur who initiated his first venture, a cotton and textile mill, in the early 1900s. By 1919, Birla’s companies had diversified into substantial paper and sugar manufacturing. At the time of his passing, the Birla Group had expanded into a globally diversified conglomerate. Presently, Kumar Mangalam Birla, his great-grandson, leads the corporation with a combined wealth of $13.4 billion.
7. Dilip Shanghvi
In 1982, Dilip Shanghvi founded Sun Pharmaceuticals with a modest investment of ten thousand rupees (about $200). As the son of a pharmacy wholesaler, Shanghvi had a strong background in the field. Over the years, Sun India has emerged as the largest pharmaceutical company in India, with a revenue of approximately 2 trillion rupees, achieved through steady growth and strategic acquisitions. Currently, Shanghvi’s net worth is estimated to be around $11.8 billion. Sun Pharmaceuticals holds a prominent position as the largest Indian acute medication pharmaceutical firm in the United States and ranks as the fifth-largest specialty generics company in the world.
8. Azim Premji
Azim Premji, the former director of Wipro Industries (WIT), is associated with a multifaceted software and technology business often likened to Microsoft. Given his significant role as the “czar” of the Indian IT industry, Premji is frequently referred to as India’s Bill Gates. His estimated net worth is approximately $9 billion.
9. Mukesh Jagtiani
Mukesh “Micky” Jagtiani, an Indian entrepreneur, has been a resident of the United Arab Emirates for a significant part of his life. He pursued education in Bombay and Beirut before moving to London for accounting school. During his taxi-driving days, he ventured into entrepreneurship and established his first company, which eventually evolved into the renowned commercial and real estate giant, Landmark. The company is now headquartered in Dubai.
10. Ardeshir Godrej
Ardeshir Godrej (1868-1936) was a co-founder of the Godrej Group, a multinational conglomerate with diverse holdings in real estate, consumer items, security, home appliances, and industrial instruments. While initially facing challenges with hand-crafted medical equipment ventures, Ardeshir and his sibling eventually found success in locksmithing.
Established in 1897, the Godrej Group’s various companies now generate a substantial revenue of over $11 billion. Adi Godrej, Ardeshir’s grandson and the current CEO of the group, is esteemed with a net worth of $2.7 billion.
