Established entrepreneurs like Ritesh Agarwal, the founder of OYO Rooms, and Bhavish Aggarwal, the founder of OLA, have been making significant waves in their respective industries. They serve as inspirational figures for the younger generation, encouraging them to consider entrepreneurship as a successful career option. However Entrepeneurship is not new in India, we’ll take a look at 10 experienced and oldest Indian entrepreneurs who have been in the industry for a considerable amount of time.
Lachhman Das Mittal, 92
Lachhman Das Mittal, Currently India’s oldest billionaire at 92, founded Sonalika Group, the country’s third-largest tractor maker. He has a net worth of 260 crore USD. Mittal began his business at age 60 after retiring from the Life Insurance Corporation of India. His company, Sonalika Group, is also India’s largest tractor export brand. He is on 79th position in forbes 2023 list of Richest Indian.
Pratap Reddy, 90
Prathap Reddy was born on 5 February 1933. He is a Cardiologist. He established Apollo Hospitals Enterprise in 1983. This company, with over 73 hospitals and a network of more than 5,000 pharmacies, now generates $2 billion in revenue. His net worth is 240 crores USD.
Cyrus Poonawalla, 82
He was born on 11 May 1941.
He established the Serum Institute of India in 1966, which has become the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. Located in Pune near Mumbai, the institute produces over 1.5 billion vaccine doses annually, including those for measles, polio, and the flu. His Net Worth is $20.7 billion and is on 6 position in forbes 2023 list of Richest Indian.
Karshanbhai Patel, 79
He was born on May 23, 1945. He founded Nirma in 1969. He began his journey by blending detergents in his backyard and peddling them door-to-door on his bicycle. His affordable Nirma brand has a fierce competition in the detergent industry, challenging major players like Unilever and Procter & Gamble. Today, Nirma stands as one of the world’s leading producers of soda ash in terms of volume.
Azim Premji , 78
He was born on July 24, 1945, in Bombay (now Mumbai). He is the former chairperson of Wipro Industries (WIT), a software and technology company that many have compared to Microsoft. Premji is sometimes referred to as India’s Bill Gates. He has an informal title of “czar” of the Indian IT industry. Azim Premji is one of India’s wealthiest people, who is, perhaps, best known for his philanthropy, rather than his wealth and business skills. He is worth an estimated 1,140 USD, with 17th position in forbes 2023 list of Richest Indian.
Shiv Nadar , 78
He was born on 14 July 1945. He founded HCL Infosystems in 1976, starting with calculators and microcomputers. The company expanded, making him a billionaire with a net worth of over $24.5 billion. Shiv Nadar is also a notable philanthropist, donating $1.1 billion to his Shiv Nadar Foundation. His net worth currently stands at 2,840 USD, is on 3rd position in forbes 2023 list of Richest Indian.
Narayan murthy, 77
Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy, commonly known as NR Narayana Murthy, was born on August 20, 1946. He is the co-founder of the IT powerhouse Infosys (INFY), which began with an initial investment of 10,000 rupees, equal to just a few hundred dollars in today’s currency. He is often hailed as the founding figure of the Indian IT industry. Murthy served as the CEO of Infosys from 1981 until 2002, and later as its chairman until 2011. His net worth is 420 crore USD, is on 48th position in forbes 2023 list of Richest Indian.
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, 70
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw was born on March 23, 1953. She is an esteemed female entrepreneur, serves as the Managing Director of Biocon. She is not only a prominent figure in the business world but also one of India’s wealthiest self-made women. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw founded the biopharmaceutical company, Biocon, in 1978, and under her leadership, the company has made successful inroads into the lucrative U.S. market. Notably, Biocon operates Asia’s largest insulin factory located in Malaysia’s Johor region. Her net worth is 220 crore USD, and is on 92nd position in forbes 2023 list of Richest Indian.
Dilip Shanghvi, 68
Dilip Shanghvi established Sun Pharmaceutical in 1982 with investment of 10,000 rupees. He was born on October 1, 1955. His father was a pharmaceutical distributor. He had solidifyed Sun Pharma’s position as India’s leading pharmaceutical company. Currently, Dilip Shanghvi’s net worth stands at approximately 1,820 crore and is on 6 position in forbes 2023 list of Richest Indian.
Radhakishan Shivkishan Damani, 68
He was born on 12 July, 1955. In 2002, he established his own hypermarket chain, DMart, by opening the inaugural store in Powai. He is one of richest person in India with net worth of 1,630 crore, and is on 5th position in the forbes 2023 list of Richest Indian.
