The Rise of India’s Content Creators as Founders, CEOs, and Brand Builders
Once dismissed as “just internet entertainers,” India’s digital influencers are now rewriting the rules of entrepreneurship. From fashion and fitness to food and finance, creators with loyal followings are transforming into founders of multimillion-dollar brands, product lines, and tech platforms.
2025 isn’t just the age of influencers—it’s the rise of the influencer-entrepreneur.
💄 1. Shreya Jain – SJ Luxe Beauty
📍 New Delhi | 1.2M YouTube Subscribers
From beauty tutorials filmed in her bedroom to launching SJ Luxe, a clean beauty label now retailed in Nykaa and Shopper’s Stop, Shreya Jain’s pivot into business has been legendary.
📰 Hindustan Times – “India’s Beauty Guru Now Runs a ₹30 Cr Brand”
🏆 Nykaa Femina Beauty Entrepreneur of the Year, 2024
🍽️ 2. Chef Ranveer Brar – Tag Taste & House of Brar
📍 Mumbai | 5M+ Followers Across Platforms
He started with recipes on Facebook. Today, his cloud kitchen chain, House of Brar, runs in 6 cities, while TagTaste, his AI-driven culinary platform, links food creators with restaurants globally.
📰 Economic Times – “The Chef Who Coded a Culinary Network”
💃 3. Awez Darbar – BYOU App
📍 Mumbai | 12M Instagram Followers
A TikTok star turned tech founder, Awez launched BYOU, a dance learning and fitness app with gamified AR tutorials. It now has 1.5 lakh paid users across India and UAE.
📲 Top 3 in App Store India (Health & Fitness, 2024)
🎖 Google Play Creator Impact Award, 2024
🎙️ 4. Ankur Warikoo – Growth School & Warikoo Media
📍 Delhi NCR | 3.5M LinkedIn Followers
This former Nearbuy CEO turned content educator has built a ₹100 crore media and ed-tech empire, offering startup and mindset courses to over 1 million learners.
📰 Business Insider – “LinkedIn’s Favourite Uncle Is Now India’s Edutainment Mogul”
💼 5. Prajakta Koli (MostlySane) – SoulFuel Clothing
📍 Mumbai | 7.6M YouTube Subscribers
Known for comedy and acting, Prajakta quietly launched SoulFuel, a gender-neutral apparel brand made from 100% recycled materials. It sold out within days of launch.
🌍 Sold across 14 countries
📰 Vogue India – “MostlySane, Mostly Sustainable”
📈 Why Influencer Brands Are Booming in 2025
| Key Factor | Impact |
| Built-in audiences | Influencers already have trust + followers |
| Instant feedback loops | Product tweaks based on DMs, polls, comments |
| Direct-to-consumer model | No middlemen, just Insta → Checkout |
| Diverse monetization | Courses, merch, NFTs, books, product lines |
💬 Real Talk from Real Creators
“My audience helped me launch, test, and build a brand—all in my DMs.”
— Shreya Jain, SJ Luxe
“Content made me visible. Community made me valuable. Business made it last.”
— Ankur Warikoo
“From reels to revenue, it’s all about real impact now.”
— Awez Darbar, BYOU
👀 Micro-Influencers, Major Impact
Even creators with 20k–50k followers are launching digital products and boutique brands. From regional recipe books to virtual astrology consultancies, India’s creator economy is expanding beyond big metros.
🧠 Editor’s Note: Influence Is the New Infrastructure
In 2025, creators aren’t just entertainers—they’re ecosystem builders. With audience-first thinking, minimal marketing costs, and instant global reach, they’re doing what traditional companies can’t—building loyalty, product, and community all at once.
The camera is still rolling. But now, it’s on a business empire.
