India’s business landscape through innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership, and meaningful contributions to society. From emerging entrepreneurs and business leaders to creative thinkers and industry pioneers, these individuals are building enterprises, challenging conventional ideas, and creating new opportunities across sectors.
Bhavin Vora, Founder and CEO of TravelOne Technologies (Canada), is reimagining travel around a simple truth: the same place can offer a different experience to every traveller. With two decades of leadership in enterprise technology, digital transformation and travel innovation across India, the UK and North America, Vora brings a global perspective to a human question: how can travel become more personal, relevant and meaningful?
His answer is Traveller DNA, TravelOne’s proprietary intelligence framework. It combines behavioural, preference and contextual signals to understand what a traveller seeks from a journey. Rather than asking people to search through generic options or follow recommendations driven by trends, Vora believes travel should start with understanding each traveller’s unique Traveller DNA.
By combining AI, behavioural insight and commercial discipline, Vora is contributing to the evolution of predictive travel intelligence enabled by AI, creating a more intuitive, personalised and meaningful next generation of travel experiences. For more information, visit: traveloneglobal.com
Lakshana Asthana & Manoviraj Singh | Co-Founders, House of Tarq
Lakshana Asthana & Manoviraj Singh | Co-Founders, House of Tarq
Lakshana Asthana and Manoviraj Singh are building House of Tarq around a provocative idea: that Corporate Social Responsibility can create measurable returns not only for communities, but also for businesses, institutions and wider ecosystems.
Within its first 10 Months, The House of Tarq has crossed ₹40 crores in CSR value while collectively assessing and managing programmes and portfolios exceeding ₹110 crores across 15 Indian states.
The founders’ approach brings together three functions that have traditionally operated independently – CSR Strategy, CSR Solutions (under Tarq Foundation) and CSR Story – under one single architecture. Their portfolio spans infrastructure, health, public awareness, education, climate, and livelihoods, with organisations including DIAGEO India, Colgate-Palmolive India, Lenovo, ABInBev, Motorola, Signify, Vertis and Arvind Ltd to name a few.
Reach your target audience via high-impact campaigns, sponsored content and high-impact solutions.
For Asthana and Singh, however, scale is only one part of the ambition. Their larger thesis is to move CSR from a compliance-led mandate towards what they call Corporate Social Returns – applying greater strategic discipline to how social investments are designed, executed, measured and communicated. By combining corporate thinking with implementation depth, the duo is redefining what lasting business impact through CSR can look like.
To Know More About Their Work, Visit: www.tarq.org | www.tarqfoundation.org
Ankit Mathur: Turning Stalled Projects into Delivered Dreams
Ankit Mathur, Co-founder and MD of Autograph group
Most developers build from the ground up. Ankit Mathur has built his reputation by rebuilding what others could not finish.
A Chartered Accountant with more than two decades of experience across project finance, restructuring, valuation and risk management, Ankit has evolved from financial strategist to real estate entrepreneur. He has helped revive 15+ residential projects spanning approximately 15 million sq. ft. and nearly 10,000 homes—bringing financial discipline, strategic restructuring and execution to some of real estate’s most complex challenges.
But for him, project revival is about more than unlocking distressed assets. Behind every stalled development are families whose savings, aspirations and patience are invested in a promised home.
His philosophy is simple: complexity can be transformed into opportunity through disciplined capital, rigorous risk assessment and relentless execution.
As a Co-founder and MD of Autograph group, with approximately 8 million sq. ft. under development across Delhi-NCR, he is building an institution where success is ultimately measured not by projects acquired, but by promises delivered.
Rajendra Prasad Alapati, Founder, Fly Wellness
Rajendra Prasad Alapati, Founder, Fly Wellness
From India to the World: The Rise of Fly Wellness: Rajendra Prasad Alapati is leading a bold global transformation in wellness through Fly Wellness, an India-born enterprise built on the belief that true prosperity begins with well-being. His vision extends beyond nutrition: he is creating an ecosystem where science, innovation and entrepreneurship work together to improve lives. Through advanced wellness solutions and an expanding network of Brand Partners, Fly Wellness seeks to make healthier living more accessible while enabling economic opportunity and community progress. As the company advances into markets across Asia, the Middle East and beyond, Alapati’s leadership represents a new generation of Indian enterprise—globally ambitious, purpose-driven and focused on lasting human impact. His mission is clear: to take an Indian wellness vision to the world.
Kartikye Gupta: The Film Editor Behind Global Streaming Hits
Kartikye Gupta, co-founder ScrollX.io
Kartikye Gupta, a Los Angeles-based film and television editor working across music, branded content, and premium nonfiction. He has contributed to productions for Netflix, Hulu, ABC, Showtime, and TIME Studios, with projects collectively surpassing 100 million views on YouTube and 300 million streams on Spotify. He served as Supervising Editor on Netflix’s four-part docuseries The Indrani Mukerjea Story: Buried Truth, which reached the Global Top 10 in more than 18 countries. His other credits include Hulu’s Perfect Wife and Showtime’s Supreme Team. He also edited T-Mobile’s Super Bowl social campaigns, most recently the Backstreet Boys spot for Super Bowl LX. Drawing on his experience in film and television post-production, Gupta also co-founded ScrollX.io, a technology platform to simplify creating broadcast film end credits.
Arvind Kumar: Making Every Run Count for Bharat
Arvind Kumar, Founder, Rashtriya Cricket League (RCL) and Hunger Free Bharat
Arvind Kumar is redefining how sport can serve society. As Founder of the Rashtriya Cricket League (RCL) and Hunger Free Bharat he is turning cricket into a platform for social responsibility, combining sporting excitement with a mission to fight food wastage and hunger. His campaign, “Every 10 Runs, 100 Meals” gives every run a larger purpose helping provide meals while inspiring people to respect food. His vision goes beyond cricket, promoting grassroots sports such as air rifle shooting and archery in schools, enabling children to discover discipline, focus, confidence and talent from an early age. Kumar believes change begins at the grassroots, where every meal saved, every child empowered and every talent nurtured can contribute to a stronger and sporting Bharat.
Isht Sethi, Founder & CEO of Texas Smokehouse
Isht Sethi, Founder & CEO, Texas Smokehouse
Isht Sethi, Founder & CEO of Texas Smokehouse, is an entrepreneur, food entrepreneur and producer whose journey has evolved across technology, digital ventures and consumer businesses. His experience building businesses across different sectors has now brought him to food and hospitality, where he is focused on creating a scalable, operations-led quick service restaurant brand.
Ritesh Goyal, Co-Founder of Texas Smokehouse, brings expertise in business development and operations, working alongside Sethi to translate the brand’s concept into a structured and scalable enterprise.
Together, Sethi and Goyal are building Texas Smokehouse, an American-style quick service restaurant brand built around slow-cooked, wood-smoked chicken and adapted for the Indian consumer. The brand is focused on creating a differentiated proposition in a category traditionally dominated by fried fast food, while building a model designed for expansion. With its growing presence across North India, Texas Smokehouse is now looking beyond its regional footprint with ambitions to expand across India and eventually into international markets.
For more info visit: https://texassmokehouse.in
Raye Wells, co founder, PeptideCrib
Raye Wells, co-founder, PeptideCrib
Peptides have moved from laboratory journals into mainstream wellness conversation faster than reliable information has followed them. PeptideCrib, co-founded by Raye Wells, was built to close that gap. The platform catalogues research materials and their suppliers, and publishes explainers on what individual compounds are, how they are studied, and how purity and sourcing standards vary between vendors. Wells works alongside Meghana, who leads the platform’s editorial content, and Marline. The team is explicit that research compounds are sold for laboratory use, and its content is written for researchers and informed readers rather than as health advice. In a category crowded with marketing claims, Raye’s emphasis is on documentation over promotion.
Raghunandan Lahoti, Arunima Earth Foundation: SOWING PURPOSE: BLUEPRINT FOR MODERN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Farmer turned Entrepreneurs, in drought prone Jalna District, IIM alumni Raghunandan and Kavita Lahoti learned that lasting impact requires sustainable models not temporary fixes.They built hundreds of check dams, conserving billions of Litres water and established holistic development through indigenous cow based Rural Economy.
Taking legacy forward, on the occasion of their son Sudarshan (MBA-ISB) and CA Vrinda’s one day joyful wedding they are planting 1.25 lakhs mango trees at marginal farmers.
Their business success and social vision thrive on a formula:Dedicate one hour of time and talent daily and one day’s earning monthly for Mother Earth & Mankind.
Life of purpose doesn’t hinder commercial success- it redefines it
Sampath Vuchuru: Helping Businesses Grow Through Smart Data Solutions
Sampath Vuchuru, Specialist, B2B Web development
Sampath Vuchuru is an Indian freelancer specializing in B2B list building and web scraping. With over 1,000 completed projects worldwide and consistent 5-star ratings, he has built a reputation for delivering reliable data solutions.
He uses tools such as Apollo, Crunchbase, BuiltWith, StoreLeads, Lusha, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator, along with custom Python scripts, to collect targeted business information. His expertise includes extracting data from platforms such as Zillow, Realtor, Redfin, Yellow Pages, G2, Clutch, and Houzz.
Sampath supports technology companies, marketing agencies, and lead generation businesses by providing data for customer outreach, market research, competitor analysis, and pricing insights, helping them find potential customers and make informed business decisions.
The individuals featured in The Impact List: India’s Builders, Innovators and Change-Makers represent a generation of leaders who are contributing to India’s evolving business and entrepreneurial landscape. Through their vision, determination, and commitment to progress, they are building enterprises, exploring new possibilities, and creating meaningful contributions across industries.
Their journeys reflect the many dimensions of leadership in a rapidly changing world. From entrepreneurs transforming ideas into businesses to professionals introducing new perspectives and innovators addressing emerging challenges, each individual brings a distinct approach to growth, problem-solving, and value creation.
Beyond business achievements, their stories highlight the importance of resilience, adaptability, and purposeful action. Building something meaningful requires navigating uncertainty, learning from setbacks, and remaining committed to long-term goals. These qualities not only define successful leaders but also inspire others to pursue their ambitions with greater confidence and clarity.
India’s development is shaped by diverse forces, from economic policies and technological advancements to social transformation and entrepreneurship. Understanding developments across India, Politics, and Tech offers valuable perspectives on the changing landscape in which businesses, professionals, and innovators operate.
As India continues to expand its economic potential and strengthen its presence across global markets, the contributions of emerging leaders will become increasingly significant. Their work can help create employment opportunities, encourage innovation, strengthen industries, and inspire future generations to pursue entrepreneurship, leadership, and social progress.
Ultimately, The Impact List is a celebration of individuals who are turning ideas into action and ambitions into achievements. Their stories remind us that progress is driven by people willing to take initiative, challenge conventions, and build for the future. By recognising their journeys and contributions, this list honours the spirit of enterprise and innovation that continues to shape a more dynamic, progressive, and opportunity-driven India.
The pages slugged ‘Brand Connect’ are equivalent to advertisements and are not written and produced by Forbes India journalists.