This year, India is particularly well-represented, with a talented group of entrepreneurs making their mark in the Consumer Technology category. Here’s a list of Indian rising stars who are transforming the consumer tech landscape in the country:
Navajith Karkera and Jagath Biddappa, Sonic Lamb
Rapture Innovation Labs, led by Navajith Karkera and Jagath Biddappa, is the Indian company behind the immersive headphone brand Sonic Lamb. Their award-winning technology creates a subwoofer-like experience, making Sonic Lamb a standout. Notably, they were the only non-European startup chosen for a prestigious sound technology accelerator program in Denmark. Rapture Innovation Labs has secured funding through angel investors and government/university grants.
Vidya Madhavan and Abhinav Anurag, Schmooze
Schmooze is a meme-based dating app for Gen Z founded by Vidya Madhavan and Abhinav Anurag in 2021. Unlike traditional dating apps that focus on looks, Schmooze uses AI to match users based on their meme preferences and sense of humour. This caters to Gen Z’s meme-centric communication style. The startup has raised $3.2 million in seed funding.
George Francis, Muse wearables
George Francis, CTO of Conzumex Industries (Muse wearables), leads the development of smartwatches, health trackers and a new 5-gram smart ring with advanced health features and NFC. He joined Conzumex in 2017 and became CTO in 2020. The company recently secured $3 million in funding.
Arth Chowdhary, Deyvant Bhardwaj and Oshi Kumari, InsideFPV
Founded in 2020, Surat-based drone startup InsideFPV offers user-friendly “plug-and-fly” drones and parts through their online store. They’ve secured $500,000 in funding.
Kush Jain, ORama AI
Inspired by volunteering experiences, Kush Jain co-founded ORama AI in 2022. The company’s smart glove, with a camera and speaker, assists visually impaired users in learning Braille by reading out touched dots. The company has secured $500,000 in funding.
Pratyush Rai, Siddhartha Saxena and Sirsendu Sarkar, Merlin
IIT Kanpur alumni Pratyush Rai, Siddhartha Saxena and Sirsendu Sarkar launched Merlin in 2022. This Chrome extension leverages ChatGPT and other AI models to assist users with content creation and consumption tasks like emails and website summaries. With over 100,000 mobile app downloads and backing from Better Capital, Merlin is making waves in the AI productivity space.
Gagandeep Reehal and Gursimran Kalra, Minus Zero
Minus Zero, a self-driving software startup founded in 2021 by Gagandeep Reehal and Gursimran Kalra, offers a camera-based solution for autonomous vehicles. This Bangalore-based company’s technology is designed to be affordable compared to competitors by relying solely on cameras instead of expensive sensors. Minus Zero secured $1.7 million in funding last year.
Soumyadeep Mukherjee, Dashtoon
Soumyadeep Mukherjee co-founded Dashtoon empowers anyone to create comics with AI. Users upload narratives, characters, and storyboards and the software generates high-quality comics, saving creators time. Founded in 2022, Dashtoon secured $5 million in funding and recognition from Google Play as a top entertainment app in India.
Harshit Jain and Abhik Saha, OnePlay
Founded by Harshit Jain and Abhik Saha in 2019, OnePlay is a cloud gaming startup based in Mumbai. Using cloud technologies, the company lets users play popular titles such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Palworld without expensive hardware and across multiple platforms, including Windows PC, macOS, iOS and Android. In March 2023, OnePlay raised $1.8 million in funding from investors including Inflection Point Ventures.
Aayush Anand Level SuperMind
Level SuperMind is a meditation app designed to help students and young professionals improve focus and concentration. It offers features such as quick home workouts, bedtime stories, and a journaling program. The app has been downloaded over 500,000 times and was named India’s Best App of 2023 and Best App for Personal Growth in India by Google Play.
Rahul Varma, Unschool
Rahul Varma is the co-founder of Unschool, a Hyderabad-based learning platform established in 2019 that offers courses in various skills, including coding and content writing. Unschool allows users to learn at their own pace and provides internship opportunities with over 500 partners upon course completion. Supported by investors like Village Capital and Y Combinator, Varma previously served as the COO of The Climber, a mentoring platform for students.