Prosus-Dealroom index highlights the growing role of India-raised entrepreneurs in global technology and startup ecosystems
Indian-origin entrepreneurs are playing an increasingly significant role in the global startup economy, with founders who grew up in India linked to about $560 billion in founder-attributed value across 205 current and former unicorns outside the country, according to a new Prosus-Dealroom study, timesofindia.indiatimes.com reported.
The findings, highlighted in the Indian Diaspora Index, identify 638 founders who grew up in India behind 323 unicorns globally. Of these, 205 are based outside India, while 102 are in the country. The overseas companies have a combined value of about $1.1 trillion, the study said.
The $560 billion figure does not represent the personal wealth of the founders. It refers to company value attributed to founders under the methodology used by the index.
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The United States is the main hub for these businesses, accounting for around 91 per cent of the overseas unicorns identified in the study
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Cybersecurity, enterprise software, fintech and artificial intelligence are among the sectors in which India-raised founders have built billion-dollar companies
The findings also underline the continuing role of Indian higher education in the global technology ecosystem, with institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology featuring prominently in the educational backgrounds of several founders.
The wider diaspora story is also extending into new approaches to education. Gagan Biyani, the Indian-origin co-founder of Udemy, is leading the Andreessen Horowitz Academy, a San Francisco-based programme designed as an alternative to conventional university education.
The academy plans to admit its first group in 2027, with about 50 students. It will not award a traditional degree and will focus on practical projects in areas including AI and entrepreneurship. The programme has received backing from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and technology leaders.
The developments reflect how India-linked talent is contributing not only as employees and professionals overseas, but also as founders, technology leaders and education innovators.
