Forbes 30 Under 30, 2026 / Forbes

The 15th annual Forbes 30 under 30 class of 2026 was released on Dec. 2, featuring several Indian Americans ranging from entrepreneurs, innovators, and social impact leaders, who, according to the magazine, are creating meaningful change with business, culture, and entrepreneurship.

The honorees this year are recognized under various categories, including: Sports, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Finance, Social Media, Retail and E-Commerce, Manufacturing and Industry, Healthcare, Arts And Style, Hollywood And Entertainment, Education, Social Impact, Transportation And Aerospace, Food And Drink, Science, and Venture Capital.

Sports

Akshat Prakash is the chief technology officer at Camb.ai, which he cofounded in 2023 and which builds AI-powered translation systems that preserve the speaker's tone and timing in more than 150 languages. The technology, which generates dubbed versions of live sports broadcasts faster and cheaper than traditional workflows can, has powered translations for Major League Soccer, Nascar, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 soccer in France, and the Australian Open.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Adit Abraham and Raunak Chowdhuri are the co-founders of Reducto, an AI document intelligence platform that transforms complex, unstructured documents like PDFs and images into structured, usable data for AI systems. Both are MIT graduates who have successfully scaled the company to process nearly a billion pages per month for clients, including Fortune 10 enterprises, and secured over US$100M in funding at a valuation of US$600M.

Karun Kaushik is the co-founder and CEO of Delve, an AI-native compliance automation platform designed to simplify security audits like SOC 2 and HIPAA. A high school and MIT dropout, he is known for his innovative work in leveraging artificial intelligence to automate manual, spreadsheet-based compliance tasks. Under his leadership, Delve has achieved profitability, serves over 1,000 companies, and recently secured US$32M in Series A funding to expand its B2B security services.

Samir Dutta and Kunal Tangri are the co-founders of Farsight, an AI platform that automates financial workflows for investment banking, private equity, and wealth management firms. The MIT alumni work on developing high-accuracy AI systems for finance. Dutta, the CEO, leverages his prior experience at Evercore and General Atlantic to understand the industry's pain points, while Tangri, the COO/president, brings deep machine learning expertise from his time as an ML engineer at Hugging Face.

Advith Chelikani is the co-founder of Pylon, an AI-powered operating system for B2B customer support designed as a modern alternative to legacy systems like Zendesk. He leverages his background in software engineering to lead Pylon's product development and strategy. The company, which he co-founded in 2022 with Marty Kausas and Robert Eng, has raised over US$50M in funding from top investors.

Nikhil Gupta is the co-founder and CTO of Vapi, a B2B voice AI platform that provides developers with tools to build, test, and deploy human-like conversational AI agents. He co-founded Vapi with Jordan Dearsley in 2020 after an initial idea for an AI therapist. Under his technical leadership, the Y Combinator-backed company has built low-latency, scalable infrastructure and raised over US$25M in funding from investors like Bessemer Venture Partners.

Finance

Stanford alums Ashi Agrawal and Kalyani Ramadurgam are the co-founders of Kobalt Labs, an AI-native platform that automates risk and compliance operations for financial institutions. Ramadurgam, the CEO, previously conducted AI research at Stanford and built financial security products at Apple, while Agrawal, the CTO, is an experienced infrastructure engineer who worked at Meta and Affirm. 

Arkin Gupta is a prominent trader who was recently hired by the hedge fund Citadel to help build its macroeconomic trading strategy. Previously, he was a vice president at Morgan Stanley, where he managed a US$2B long-short equities portfolio and specialized in quantitative research and trading using AI models. 

Sid Malladi is the co-founder and CEO of Nuvo, a B2B trade network platform that digitizes and modernizes how businesses establish trust and manage trade credit, effectively serving as a "LinkedIn for B2B trade." Under his leadership, Nuvo has raised a total of US$45M from top investors, including Sequoia Capital and Founders Fund, to build a modern infrastructure that helps businesses onboard customers digitally, protect against fraud, and accelerate trade. 

Yash Thukral is a founding partner at White Lion Capital LLC, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm that invests in late-stage public companies across life sciences, technology, and industrial sectors. 

Social Media

Monica Ravichandran is a popular beauty content creator and influencer known for her advocacy for inclusive beauty and "no-BS beauty for brown skin." She gained viral fame through her #LipstickColorTheory and #browngirlmakeup trends.

Retail and E-commerce

Mit Patel is the co-founder and CEO of SwiftSku, a B2B technology platform that provides management and analytics software for independent convenience store owners. The company aims to modernize the c-store industry by offering real-time insights and data-driven recommendations to help small, family-owned businesses remain competitive against larger chains. 

Yash Daftary is the founder and CEO of FanBasis, an all-in-one platform for internet entrepreneurs and creators to build, manage, and scale digital businesses by selling courses, coaching, and services. He has successfully grown the Miami-based company, which has raised over US$20M in Series A funding to expand its global operations and product offerings. 

Manufacturing and Industry

Ayna Arora is the co-founder and CEO of MorphoAI, an AI-powered software platform that automates the design and engineering of robots and machines by generating ready-to-manufacture designs from task requirements in minutes. 

Meher Akhil Birlangi is the co-founder and CTO of Craitor, a defense and space manufacturing company specializing in rugged, portable 3D printers for extreme environments. He was instrumental in leading the electrical design for the company's flagship FieldFab printer, which enhances supply chain readiness for the Department of Defense by allowing on-demand production of mission-critical parts anywhere in the world. 

Anand Lalwani is the co-founder and CEO of Cardinal Robotics, a robotics solutions provider that focuses on the adoption and management of large fleets of robots for enterprises. He co-founded the company in 2020 with a "human-first approach" to augment frontline workers (like janitors) with technology rather than replacing them. 

Healthcare

Arya Rao is an M.D./Ph.D. candidate in the highly competitive Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program. She leads the AI research group at the Massachusetts General Hospital's MESH Incubator, where she developed an AI-powered "Future Patient Persona" to simulate patient interactions for medical students, earning her the 2024 Massachusetts Medical Society Information Technology Award. 

Karthik Bhaskara is the co-founder of Arlo, a health tech company that offers value-based, level-funded health plans for small and medium-sized businesses by leveraging AI and data-driven insights. The company has raised US$4M in seed funding and aims to make healthcare more affordable and transparent for patients and employers. 

Rohit Rustogi is the co-founder and COO of Mandolin, an AI automation platform that streamlines the complex administrative tasks (like insurance verification and prior authorizations) involved in accessing specialty medications for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's. Mandolin is now deployed in over 700 clinics, serves hundreds of thousands of patients annually, and recently raised US$40M in funding to scale its AI platform and accelerate patient access to life-saving therapies.

Arts and Style

Arushi Kapoor, cofounder and lead advisor at The Agency Art House, connects collectors with blue-chip and emerging artists through a global network of advisors. She also serves on boards, including UNICEF Next Gen and the Tate Modern’s South Asian Acquisition Committee.

Teya Kepila, founder of The Turmeric Times, is a Brooklyn-based ceramic artist whose work advances holistic living. Her practice blends craft, community engagement, and lifestyle storytelling.

Hollywood and Entertainment

Abhinaya Govindan, a stand-up comedian and writer, toured internationally and staged her solo show off-Broadway in 2025. She recently completed a European run and is preparing for an India tour this winter.

Education

Anahita Dalmia, co-founder of Alterea, created the “Agents of Influence” media-literacy game that teaches adolescents digital safety. The platform has reached more than 120,000 students and shown measurable gains in misinformation detection.

Rajya Atluri, co-founder of Coral AI, built a research-analysis platform used by 630,000 people across 190 countries. The tool processes academic materials into searchable databases and automated outputs and has passed US$1M in ARR.

Amareen Dhaliwal, co-founder of CCRPS, runs a global clinical research training program that has served 25,000 students in 82 countries. The bootstrapped venture crossed US$500,000 in 2025 revenue.

Kausi Raman, cofounder of Chompshop, helped create the kid-safe ChompSaw, now used in classrooms and homes across multiple regions. The company expects revenue to jump to US$12M in 2025 after appearing on “Shark Tank.”

Rochelle Prasad, founder of SPARK Foundation, leads a youth-run nonprofit offering leadership programs, scholarships, and life-skills training to more than 500,000 young people. She is also developing Chalkfund, a platform for teachers to crowdfund classroom resources.

Aryan Bhadouria, co-founder of TeachShare, builds AI tools that streamline lesson planning, grading, and differentiated instruction. More than 300,000 users rely on the platform, which has raised US$2.3M.

Social Impact

Sarika Bajaj and Tushita Gupta, cofounders of Refiberd, developed AI technology that sorts textiles for recycling and resale with one-to-two percent accuracy. Their system has attracted partners, including eBay and GANNI and secured US$4.7M in funding.

Amrita Bhasin, cofounder and CEO of Sotira, has diverted two million pounds of unsold inventory from landfills through her reuse and resale platform. Sotira has raised more than US$2.2M along with major climate-focused grants and awards.

Shiv Soin, cofounder of TREEage, helped build a 2,500-member youth climate network that has backed major New York climate legislation. The group has raised more than US$923,000 and expects US$800,000 in revenue this year.

Mohan Sudabattula, founder of Project Embrace, repurposes surplus medical equipment to deliver supplies and host camps for underserved communities. His nonprofit has supported more than 12,000 patients in the U.S. and abroad.

Transportation and Aerospace

Shashwat Murarka and Sheel Patel co-founded Doorstep, a startup that uses phone-sensor technology to verify driver arrivals and reduce last-mile delivery failures. The company raised US$8M in seed funding in 2025 to expand its system across major delivery platforms.

Ashika Gopalkrishnan, product director for NASA’s SBIR/STTR program, redesigned funding systems to cut processing time by 92 percent and save US$2M annually. She also digitized NASA’s spinoff program to speed up commercialization.

Dhruv Gupta, cofounder and CEO of Drumkit, develops AI tools that automate workflows for freight brokers and logistics providers. The company has raised US$6.7M and projects US$3.8M in 2025 revenue.

Vishaal Mali, cofounder and CEO of Salient Motion, builds electromechanical actuation systems for commercial and military aircraft. Backed by US$16M, the company’s first certifiable platform is set to debut on Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 aircraft.

Arhan Chhabra, co-founder of Rove, created a platform helping Gen Z earn airline miles on everyday spending through partnerships with major travel programs. The company has raised US$3.5M from investors such as Y Combinator and Peak XV Partners.

Onkar Singh, founder and CEO of Apolink, developed a hybrid radio-optical relay system enabling continuous communication for low-Earth-orbit satellites. The company has raised US$4.3M and plans a 2026 demonstration mission.

Food and Drink

Mitalee Bharadwaj co-founded Transcendence Coffee, a brand known for whole-spice–based coffee syrups inspired by her South Indian heritage. Her clean-label products have grown from a direct-to-consumer launch into wider foodservice and retail distribution.

Science

Navvye Anand, co-founder of Bindwell, uses AI to design safer pesticides with reduced ecosystem impact. The company launched with US$6M raised in 2025.

Shaurya Luthra, co-founder of Northwood Space, created a ground network capable of connecting antennas to ten satellites simultaneously. Backed by US$36M, the company opened its first ground station later this year.

Shreyas Vissapragada, a Carnegie Observatories researcher, studies exoplanet atmospheres and orbital decay. His recent work includes criteria to assess whether distant planets may retain atmospheres, backed by nearly US$1M in research funds.

Venture Capital

Manmeet Gujral, vice president at CapitalG, sourced deals at Magic and Baseten and contributed to major AI- and healthcare-focused investments. He previously worked at Tecton, building a large AI developer community.

Divya Dhulipala, principal at Haystack, sources early-stage deals in areas including AI infrastructure and real estate tech. Her prior experience spans TrueBridge Capital Partners and March Capital.

Vinay Iyengar, founder of Anansi Capital, invests in AI rollup startups with backing from prominent industry leaders. He has also made angel investments in companies such as Discord and Canva.

Saveena Mandadi, principal at Mantis VC, works across cybersecurity, infrastructure, and AI, contributing to more than 30 early-stage investments. Her portfolio includes companies such as Whop, Rogo, and Cloaked.