India has made a powerful statement on the global stage, dominating the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 list with 94 young achievers—the highest from any country in the Asia-Pacific region. This milestone edition marks the 10th annual release of Forbes’ prestigious list, spotlighting the region’s most promising individuals under the age of 30.
This year’s class of 300 honorees spans 10 dynamic categories including Artificial Intelligence, Social Impact, Enterprise Tech, Finance, and The Arts. India’s honorees include chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju, Bollywood star Ananya Panday, and sustainability pioneer Jinali Mody.
Indian Stars Who Made the List
- Sheetal Devi (17): Armless archer and gold medalist at the Asian Para Games.
- Gukesh Dommaraju (18): Youngest Indian to beat Magnus Carlsen, reigning World Chess Champion.
- Ananya Panday (26): Bollywood actor and first Indian face of Chanel.
- Jinali Mody: Founder of Banofi Leather, creating sustainable leather from banana crop waste.
- Anuv Jain (29): Independent singer-songwriter behind viral tracks like Husn and Baarishein.
- Anshita Mehrotra (25): Founder of Fix My Curls, a brand revolutionizing curly hair care in India.
- Mukul Chhabra (27): Founder of ScrapUncle, a tech-led doorstep scrap recycling platform.
- Krishna Gupta (27): Cofounder of AamDhanE, empowering rural India through financial literacy.
- Vaibhav Kaushik (27): Cofounder of Nawgati Tech, reducing fuel pump wait times using AI.
- Hunny Bhagchandani (29): Founder of Torchit, developing assistive tech for the visually impaired.
- Manu Chopra (29): Cofounder of Karya, ethically sourcing AI training data from rural India.
- Arghya Bhattacharya (26): Cofounder of Adalat AI, simplifying India’s complex legal system through AI.
- Manu Nair & Prashant Sharma: Space tech entrepreneurs behind Ethereal Exploration Guild.
India’s Tech-Driven Youth Renaissance
With a strong showing in AI, sustainability, fintech, and social entrepreneurship, India’s next-gen leaders are reshaping industries and social frameworks alike. Many of the featured entrepreneurs are leveraging technology to address critical issues—from climate impact and legal access to digital inclusion and AI ethics.
Asia-Pacific Representation
After India, Australia followed with 32 honorees, while China had 30, Japan 25, and South Korea 23. Singapore and Indonesia each had 19, reflecting the regional diversity of innovation and ambition.
The full list is available on Forbes’ official website.
Explore more about India’s booming startup ecosystem or dive into D Gukesh’s chess journey.