BI Year Roundup: Five entrepreneurs who made a mark for themselves in 2015

It’s no secret that 2015 has been the year of startups. We’re all talking about that fact and accepting it. But, now that the year’s coming to an end, it’s time we take a moment to acknowledge the people behind these successful and efficient startups.

Hence, we at Business Insider round up five entrepreneurs who we think have made a mark this year and who will ensure that 2016 remains an exciting year for startups-



1. Ritesh Agarwal: Ritesh Agarwal, CEO and founder of OYO Rooms, India’s largest budget hotel chain which is present in more than 160 cities with 40,000 rooms under its umbrella is just 22 years old and a college drop-out.

With the success of OYO Rooms, Agarwal has not only managed to change the entire hospitality game but also has rivals scurry to offer customers more budget options. And, to top it, Agarwal is also looking to acquire its rival ZO Rooms. We’re doubly excited to see how 2016 unravels for this young genius.



2. Saurav Kumar: Four-year-old technology innovation firm Cube26 was Saurav Kumar’s brainchild and is backed by Tiger Global and Flipkart amongst others. Kumar is known to bet big on innovations and Internet of Things and 2015 saw the release of its IOTA bulb which works via Bluetooth and can be synced with one’s phone.

We’re expecting bigger things from Kumar next year!



3. Varun Dua: Varun Dua is one of the rare entrepreneurs who’ve looked towards the financial startup space and ended up founding Coverfox, an online insurance portal. The fact that the startup received over $14 million in funding is testimony to the fact that investors are sitting up and taking advantage of the humongous potential that the insurance space holds. For making insurance easier and taking it online, Dua makes it to our list!




4. Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar: From a shared work-space to raising $150 million recently, Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar led Grofers' growth story in 2015 has been tremendous. The startup completely revolutionized the way grocery is shopped and currently the company fulfills over 30,000 orders a day with an average transaction size of Rs 350.



5. Varun Aggarwal: Varun Aggarwal, along with Himsanshu Aggarwal found Aspiring Minds, an Indian employability evaluation and certification company to enable equal opportunity hiring of entry-level talent in the IT industry. They’re the company behind AMCAT and have found reasonable success in the placement business. For taking the route unknown and working towards solving the hiring crisis in the country, Aggarwal has our vote.

Image credit: Indiatimes