Jury for ET Startup Awards 2026 just dropped. Heavy hitters from India's tech and business worlds. They'll sift through a sea of startups, looking for the next big thing in entrepreneurship across the country .
Leading the charge is Rishad Premji,executive chairman of Wipro. Took over in July 2019 from father, Azim Premji. Rishad's been at Wipro since 2007,held roles like general manager in banking and financial services. Also kicked off Wipro Ventures, a $100 million fund for startups and AI.
Then there's Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder and CEO of Paytm. Launched in 2010, turned Paytm into financial services heavyweight . Paytm's parent, One97 Communications, hit headlines in 2021 with India's biggest IPO.
Sachin Bansal, co-founder of Flipkart,is on board too. After Walmart bought Flipkart,he pivoted to fintech,founding Navi Technologies. Digital banking, personal loans…Bansal's made waves in startup world.
Irina Ghose,managing director of Anthropic India, brings tech leadership savvy. Took the reins in January 2026,aims to grow this AI safety firm in India. Spent over two decades at Microsoft India in senior roles.
Joining them is Mukesh Bansal, founder and CEO of Nurix AI. He’s also behind Myntra and Cult.fit. Bansal's known name in Indian tech.
Mithun Sacheti, founder of CaratLane, is another juror. Recently sold big stake to Titan for ₹4,621 crore . Now he's with Singularity Growth,an investment firm.
Abhiraj Singh Bhal,co-founder and CEO of Urban Company,joins to assess startups . His home services firm has 55,000+ trained pros since 2014. Urban Company won ET Startup of the Year last time.
Adwaita Nayar,co-founder of Nykaa and CEO of Nykaa Fashion,oversees the fashion side. She’s expanded Nykaa's reach since the early days.
Ajit Mohan,chief business officer at Snap, brings social media chops. Former Asia-Pacific president there,helped launch Instagram's Reels in India while at Meta.
Paras Chopra,founder of Lossfunk, wraps up the jury. Previously founded Wingify,which he sold in January 2025 after boosting revenue.
Finally, Aryaman Vikram Birla,businessman and ex-cricketer, adds fresh perspective. Son of industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, founded Aditya Birla Ventures in 2021 for new business investments.
Satyan Gajwani,chairman of Times Internet and Times Bridge, rounds out the lineup. His digital and global investment leadership makes him a media force.
The ET Startup Awards 2026 aims to spotlight India's most innovative startups . This jury's set to find the next wave of talent…but who will rise to top?
