While valuations of Indian startups often make headlines, the salaries of their founders tell a different story. According to Inc42’s latest analysis, 17 founders from 10 listed new-age tech companies earned a total of ₹41 crore in fixed salaries during FY25. On average, this comes to about ₹2.4 crore per founder, a big fall compared to FY24’s average of ₹4.93 crore.
The highest salary was drawn by Ola Electric co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal, who earned ₹6.5 crore. He was followed by Indiamart’s Dinesh Agarwal at ₹5.5 crore, while Indiamart’s Brijesh Agarwal and Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma each earned ₹4 crore. Digit’s Jasleen Kohli received ₹3.3 crore, while Info Edge executives Pawan Goyal and Chintan Thakkar earned ₹3.2 crore and ₹2.9 crore respectively.
Among other big names, Delhivery’s Sahil Barua and Kapil Bharati took home ₹2.8 crore each. Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani received ₹2.5 crore, while Hitesh Oberoi earned ₹2.4 crore. Swiggy’s Sriharsha Majety earned ₹1.6 crore, and IdeaForge founders Ankit Mehta, Rahul Singh, and Ashish Ramesh Bhat drew ₹1.5 crore each.
Nykaa founder Falguni Nayar earned ₹78 lakh in FY25, while Zomato’s Deepinder Goyal chose not to take any salary at all. Despite lower fixed pay, many founders continue to gain wealth through ESOP encashments and performance-linked payouts, which significantly add to their total earnings.This data highlights the impact of funding slowdowns, IPO pressures, and a stronger focus on profitability across India’s startup ecosystem. While pay cuts are evident, founders remain invested in the long-term growth and stability of their companies.
