PNN
New Delhi [India], January 20: As we approach 2025, a new generation of visionary leaders is reshaping industries and the future. These trailblazers drive innovation, transform businesses, and influence societal progress. With bold actions and forward-thinking strategies, they are setting new benchmarks, positioning themselves as the leaders to watch in the upcoming year.
1. Kushal Rastogi: Founder and CEO of Knight Fintech
Kushal Rastogi, an IIT Roorkee alumnus, leads Knight Fintech, a company he founded in 2019, as a transformative force in financial services. The company empowers banks and NBFCs with innovative solutions to improve operational efficiency and drive digital transformation in the industry.
Under Kushal’s visionary leadership, Knight Fintech introduced a suite of innovative products, including treasury management, AI/ML-powered lending platforms, and a flagship co-lending solution. The platform now powers over 120 + partners, including major banks and NBFCs, disbursing Rs3,000 crore in loans monthly, significantly enhancing financial accessibility for end customers, as well as operational and capital efficiency for lending institutions.
With a steadfast commitment to financial inclusion and addressing underserved markets, Kushal has positioned Knight Fintech as a leader in leveraging technology to create a more collaborative and efficient financial ecosystem. His dedication to transparency, innovation, and customer focus has redefined the fintech industry.
2. Asher Gianchandani and Praveen Sinha: Co-Founders of Moksha
Led by CEO Asher Gianchandani and Chairman Praveen Sinha, Moksha excels not only in digital innovation but also in conventional marketing and ad production, ensuring a holistic approach to brand building. From collaborating with global giants like Boat, Bvlgari, and Hummel to working alongside celebrities like Madhuri Dixit and Kartik Aryan, Moksha has established itself as a trailblazer in the industry.
Their in-house reels frequently achieve over a million views, while their client brands have won numerous prestigious awards. Moksha’s secret lies in integrating high-end tech solutions–AI-driven tools, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and even futuristic features like virtual trial rooms–while also mastering traditional strategies that deliver impactful results.
With Moksha, marketing becomes more than just an ad–it’s a journey into the future of branding, where creativity meets innovation and tradition enhances transformation.
3. Dr. Sajjid Mitha: Founder of Polymerupdate
Dr. Sajjid Mitha, is a recognized leader shaping the future of the polymer industry. Recently named one of India’s top 200 entrepreneurs by Forbes and one of the 50 most influential Indians by Elite Magazine, Dr. Mitha has transformed the petrochemical landscape over the past three decades. He founded Polymerupdate 25 years ago, which has since become Asia’s largest market intelligence platform for petrochemical pricing and insights, empowering global manufacturers, traders, and end-users to make informed decisions.
In 2025, Dr. Mitha will spearhead the RACE (Recycling and Compounding Expo), India’s leading exhibition on plastics recycling, further advancing sustainability in the sector. Through the Polymerupdate Academy, he has certified nearly 4,000 professionals, equipping them with cutting-edge knowledge. Dr. Mitha’s dedication to innovation and education drives the global polymer industry, solidifying his legacy as a key influencer.
4. Gaurav Bhatia, Puneet Saxena, and Devendra Nagle: Co-Founders of edept
Gaurav Bhatia, an INSEAD MBA graduate, brings global experience across healthcare, education, and information services. Puneet Saxena, an MBA from IIM Lucknow and CFA charterholder, has 15 years of expertise in the SaaS tech industry. Devendra Nagle, with an MBA from IIM Bangalore, has extensive experience at Google, India Today, and Hindustan Times.
edept collaborates with leading Indian and international universities and industry partners to bridge the gap between education and employment. By aligning curricula with industry needs and offering practical, skills-based learning, edept ensures students are job-ready for the global workforce. Focused on global career mobility, edept empowers learners to access worldwide opportunities, particularly in high-demand fields like business analytics, nursing & cybersecurity.
With a diverse and inclusive leadership team, edept is shaping the future of education by turning vision into impactful action.
5. Hari Haran: Founder & Director of Space Zee Tech
Space Zee Tech, founded in 2018 by Hariharan, is a DPIIT-recognized, tech-driven innovation mentoring startup empowering 1L students nationwide. Focused on innovation and R&D, Hariharan created the platform after struggling to find mentors, allowing users to customize careers from age 17. The system connects students with industry experts for learning, skill-building, and real-world career networking.
It helps students explore career options before graduation, while industries and mentors benefit financially and strategically, with the system elevating all participants in the process.
With 24+ national wins, the company mentors’ students, shapes ideas, and earned the Futuristic award and Trusted EdTech Company of the Year 2024. CEO Mr. Hariharan was named Promising and Visionary Entrepreneur of 2024. The company aims to create a thriving ecosystem, generating thousands of jobs through entrepreneurs and skilling over 1L students by 2025.
6. Kanishk Kapur: Director & Chief Investment Officer of Taurus Mutual Fund
Kanishk Kapur, Whole-Time Director and Chief Investment Officer at Taurus Mutual Fund, epitomizes innovation and leadership in the financial sector. Recognized at the ET Inspiring Leaders Awards 2024 for his exceptional contributions to wealth creation, Kanishk’s journey reflects a unique blend of academic rigor and market expertise. A Claremont McKenna graduate, he redefines investment strategies using First Principles.
Under Kanishk’s leadership, Taurus Mutual Fund doubled its AUM, adopting a non-dogmatic, contrarian value investing approach. His PROFIT framework–Probabilistic, Reflexive, Opportunistic, First Principles, Innovative, Thorough–guides investors to navigate market complexities and maximize long-term value.
Kanishk’s vision, resilience, and commitment to excellence make him a trailblazer shaping the future of investing, inspiring both industry professionals and the broader financial community to embrace adaptability and strategic foresight in an evolving world.
7. Nikunj Thakkar: Founder & CEO of Upsurge Ventures
Nikunj Thakkar, Founder & CEO of UpSurge Ventures, is transforming how companies can effectively leverage AI to drive innovation and growth across their operations. UpSurge Ventures is a SaaS product studio that collaborates with non-tech founders, traditional businesses transitioning to digital, and SMBs to mid-market companies, helping them turn ideas into scalable, impactful solutions tailored to their goals.
As a product studio, UpSurge Ventures offers CTO-as-a-Service and strategic MVP development for non-tech founders, simplifying the journey from concept to launch. For established companies and traditional businesses, it serves as a trusted technology partner, building innovative, scalable products that support growth and digital transformation. With a focus on flexibility and customer success, UpSurge Ventures empowers businesses to embrace AI and achieve meaningful results.
8. Vivek Shaurya: Founder of Omnibuddies
Founded in 2024, Omnibuddies is aiming to bring revolutionary tech solutions impacting lives at Scale. It’s GrinGrin platform revolutionizes interactions between consumers, retailers, service providers and manufacturers of capital consumer goods, streamlining entire lifecycle, enhancing efficiency, experience, and sustainability leveraging AI, voice, and data science. Its other forays are in gamifying societal & life learning, bridging the gaps left by nuclear families & scarce urban spaces. Founder Vivek, with distinguished career at Infosys, awarded top Award for Excellence & Economic Times Global Indian Leader, many patents filed to his name including in areas of Consumertech & Edtech, he co-founded beGalileo with Avneet Makkar, pioneering AI usage in education in partnership with Microsoft. Backed by Abhishek Sinha, COO of L&T technology & Nitish Mittersain, Nazara as Investors & Mentors is focused on mass impact innovation.
9. Suraj Vernekar: Co-Founder & CEO of Aegeus Technologies Ltd.
Suraj Vernekar, the visionary founder of Aegeus Technologies, is at the forefront of revolutionizing solar energy efficiency with innovative and sustainable waterless solar cleaning technology. Drawing on diverse international experience, Suraj returned to India inspired by the “Make in India” initiative, confident in the country’s potential to become a global manufacturing leader. His vision for a sustainable future is driven by integrity, innovation, stakeholder engagement, and environmental stewardship. The inception of Aegeus sparked during his Middle East travels, observing how sand and dust storms affected solar power efficiency. Today, it serves over 10GW of global solar installations, with patented technologies recognized in the US, Australia, China, and KSA. The Company recently won the ‘Forbes Select 200 Companies with Global Business Potential’ award. Suraj credits his success to his dedicated team and a customer-first philosophy, offering tailored solutions backed by exceptional support.
10. Sarath S S V S: Founder of IntentBI
Sarath S S V S, is set out with a vision to enable Business Intelligence in One Click (One Click BI) and put it on Auto-Pilot. IntentBI is an Agentic RAG and Generative AI company with 16+ patents, providing insights via voice or click. Unlike other BI tools that rely on natural language, IntentBI eliminates complexity by empowering non-technical users with instant, actionable insights. It enables autonomous Business Intelligence and Data Democracy, streamlining decision-making without specific questions.
IntentBI can optimise the BI roadmap of a company from years into seconds and the total cost of ownership of Business Intelligence to a fraction of current cost. IntentBI, with a customer base primarily in the US and UK, is expanding into the Middle East. Recently featured in Forbes’ Leap the Unicorn Top 100 startups and FoxStory 40 under 40, Sarath attributes success to his dedicated team and customer-first philosophy.
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