From Rickshaw Pullers to Refugees, These Indians Proved Everyone Wrong
They weren’t trust-fund babies. They weren’t IIT-IIM grads. They had no venture capital, no viral marketing. Just grit, late nights, rejection emails—and the kind of hustle you can’t fake. These are the real underdogs of Indian entrepreneurship—people who came from the margins and made it to magazine covers.
If you’re looking for proof that odds don’t matter when ambition burns bright, meet the 10 Indian entrepreneurs who turned their pain into profits, and setbacks into spotlight.
🚖 1. Praveen Kumar (Indian entrepreneurs) – From Ola Driver to Fleet Owner
📍 Bangalore | Startup: RideFast Cabs
Praveen drove an Ola cab 14 hours a day. One day, he noticed customers complaining about inconsistent drivers. He pitched the idea of a “trained, verified-only fleet” to a local angel investor. Cut to 2025: RideFast now operates 500+ cars across 3 states.
📰 Featured in: Indian Express – “From Driver to Director: How Praveen Changed the Ride-Hailing Game”
♻️ 2. Geeta Rawat (Indian entrepreneurs) – Delhi’s Waste Warrior Queen
📍 Delhi | Startup: EcoSakhi
Once a ragpicker in East Delhi, Geeta now employs over 100 women in solid waste recycling, turning plastic trash into eco-tiles, coasters, and export goods. Her journey was covered by The Hindu, calling her “India’s female version of Narayana Peesapathy.”
🏆 Winner: NITI Aayog’s Women Transforming India Award, 2024
🛍️ 3. Mohsin Khan (Indian entrepreneurs) – Old Delhi Shopboy to D2C Mogul
📍 Delhi | Startup: Khan-e-Kurta
Mohsin once folded kurtas at a Chandni Chowk store. In 2021, he started filming TikTok videos styling himself in festive wear. Fast forward: Khan-e-Kurta now has ₹15 crore annual turnover and customers in 11 countries.
📰 Covered in: Hindustan Times – “The Shopboy Who Became a Style CEO”
🛠️ 4. Pushpendra Singh (Indian entrepreneurs) – Failed UPSC Aspirant to Tool Tycoon
📍 Jaipur | Startup: BuildKart India
After four failed UPSC attempts, Pushpendra launched an online marketplace for construction tools from Tier-2 manufacturers. Today, BuildKart powers over 1,200 contractor networks and was acquired by InfraBazaar for ₹22 crore in 2024.
📈 Profiled by: Mint – “Startup Dreams Built on Rejection Letters”
🩳 5. Rupa Mahato (Indian entrepreneurs) – From Tailor’s Daughter to Loungewear Legend
📍 Ranchi | Startup: Mahato Modes
Tired of urban brands ignoring comfort for Indian women, Rupa launched a D2C women’s innerwear and loungewear label—starting from her one-room home. In 2023, she shipped her 1 millionth order.
🏆 Awarded: Femina Startup of the Year – Fashion, 2023
💻 6. Ashfaq Ali (Indian entrepreneurs)– Tea Stall to Tech Trainer
📍 Lucknow | Startup: CodeSip Academy
Selling chai outside a coaching center in Aliganj, Ashfaq overheard Python classes. He bought secondhand books, taught himself coding, and now runs an edtech startup training rural youth in AI and app development.
📰 India Today called him “The Chaiwala Coding India’s Future.”
🚿 7. Vishnu & Ramesh (Indian entrepreneurs)– Daily Wage Laborers to Sanitation Entrepreneurs
📍 Chennai | Startup: CleanKaro Services
These two bonded over construction gigs. One day, they decided to start a low-cost toilet cleaning service for slums, funded by pooling ₹2,000 each. Today, they’ve franchised across Tamil Nadu, employ 300+ people, and bagged contracts with schools and public works.
🏆 Winners: Ashoka Changemakers India Grant, 2024
🎨 8. Pinky Yadav (Indian entrepreneurs) – Tattoo Artist to Skincare Brand Owner
📍 Mumbai | Startup: Inked Glow
Pinky once inked street customers for ₹300. But when she noticed recurring skin issues post-tattooing, she formulated her own organic tattoo aftercare balm. Her startup now sells vegan skincare for tattooed skin and has celebrity clients including rapper Raftaar.
📰 Buzzed by: Mid-Day – “Inked and Incorporated”
🧁 9. Saurabh Jain (Indian entrepreneurs) – Bakery Helper to Sweet SaaS Founder
📍 Pune | Startup: BakeSmart POS
Saurabh worked at a local bakery after school. Frustrated with inventory and theft, he created a basic software to log sales. Word spread. Today, BakeSmart powers 3,000+ bakeries across India with cloud-based POS systems.
📈 Featured in: YourStory – “From Bread Boy to Tech Boss”
📚 10. Afreen Qureshi (Indian entrepreneurs) – School Dropout to EdTech Icon
📍 Bhopal | Startup: Bindiya Baatein
Afreen had to drop out at 15. But she created a WhatsApp-based learning bot for young girls in rural MP. The bot teaches hygiene, maths, and menstruation education in 4 dialects. Her initiative now reaches over 1 lakh girls and was praised by UNICEF India.
🏆 Awarded: Digital Inclusion Hero by NDTV, 2025
📣 Underdogs Are the New Unicorns
They didn’t go viral. They didn’t get Silicon Valley checks. But they got love from the streets, loyalty from customers, and legacy in their own way.
Here’s what they prove:
- Your background isn’t your limit.
- Your side hustle can be your main gig.
- And rejection is often redirection.
Watch the Ones They Laugh At
The next unicorns are not always at WeWork or wearing Apple Watches. Sometimes, they’re brewing chai, folding kurtas, or coding between deliveries. And that’s exactly why they win.
