Twenty-two founders across 15 new-age tech companies earned a combined ₹66.87 Cr in fixed remuneration in FY26, up 2.3% from ₹65.34 Cr in FY25
Bonuses, performance incentives, and ESOP-related benefits substantially exceeded fixed salaries for some founders, underscoring the limits of salary-only comparisons
MobiKwik’s Bipin Preet Singh and Upasana Taku led in fixed pay at ₹6.3 Cr each, while Ghazal Alagh recorded the biggest percentage increase at 60% and Bhavish Aggarwal the steepest decline at 34.8%
Twenty-two founders across 15 new-age tech companies earned a combined ₹66.87 Cr in fixed remuneration in FY26, up 2.3% from ₹65.34 Cr in FY25, according to data compiled by Inc42. Average fixed remuneration per founder increased to ₹3.04 Cr from ₹2.97 Cr.
Of these, 16 founders received increases in fixed pay, four saw reductions, and two reported unchanged remuneration.
Honasa Consumer cofounder Ghazal Alagh recorded the highest percentage increase, with her fixed remuneration rising 60% to ₹2.4 Cr from ₹1.5 Cr. Delhivery cofounder Sahil Barua followed with a 21.4% increase to ₹3.4 Cr from ₹2.8 Cr.
Ola Electric founder Bhavish Aggarwal recorded the steepest percentage decline, with his remuneration falling 34.8% to ₹4.5 Cr from ₹6.9 Cr. Nykaa founder Falguni Nayar’s fixed pay fell 14% to ₹74 Lakh from ₹86 Lakh, while Swiggy cofounder Sriharsha Majety’s remuneration declined 12.5% to ₹1.4 Cr from ₹1.6 Cr.
MobiKwik cofounders Bipin Preet Singh and Upasana Taku topped the list of founders tracked, drawing fixed remuneration of ₹6.3 Cr each in FY26. Lenskart cofounder Peyush Bansal followed at ₹5.7 Cr, down 1.7% from ₹5.8 Cr.
Meesho cofounders Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Kumar each earned ₹4.8 Cr, ahead of Aggarwal at ₹4.5 Cr, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma at ₹4 Cr, and RateGain founder Bhanu Chopra at ₹3.7 Cr. Sharma’s and Chopra’s fixed remuneration remained unchanged from FY25.
However, fixed pay tells only part of the story. Peyush Bansal received ₹12 Cr in bonuses and performance incentives – more than twice his fixed remuneration – along with perquisites and retirement benefits. Fellow Lenskart cofounder Neha Bansal received ₹6 Cr in bonuses and performance incentives, in addition to her ₹2.7 Cr fixed pay.
Honasa Consumer cofounder Varun Alagh received ₹2.4 Cr in performance incentives, equal to his fixed remuneration.
Share-based compensation also featured prominently. Majety’s ESOP gains stood at ₹549.3 Cr, while Delhivery cofounder Kapil Bharati recorded ₹6.9 Cr in ESOP gains.
Separately, the cost of stock options granted to FirstCry founder Supam Maheshwari stood at ₹31.7 Cr. He also received ₹2.1 Cr in perquisites and ₹84 Lakh in performance incentives.
These components require separate treatment. Stock-option costs and ESOP-related benefits do not necessarily represent cash received by a founder during the year and should be distinguished from fixed salaries and cash incentives.
Inc42 has been tracking founders’ remuneration since FY23, covering the startup ecosystem’s shift from the era of funding boom to the funding winter and now, more recently, towards profitability and IPOs.
Building on the FY25 edition, the FY26 tracker examines changes in fixed pay, other compensation components, and the financial performance of the companies these founders lead.
Editor’s Note: This is a running tracker and will be updated periodically. Companies are listed alphabetically in the table. The aggregate and average remuneration figures above cover fixed pay only. Other compensation components are discussed separately.
Bipin Preet Singh & Upasana Taku | MobiKwik
MobiKwik cofounders Bipin Preet Singh and Upasana Taku each earned ₹6.3 Cr in fixed remuneration in FY26, up 3.3% from ₹6.1 Cr a year earlier. They drew the highest fixed pay among the founders tracked.
In FY26, the company’s net loss nearly halved to ₹61.9 Cr from ₹121.5 Cr in the previous year. Revenue from operations declined 4.4% to ₹1,119.2 Cr from ₹1,170.2 Cr in FY25.
The Lenskart cofounder and CEO earned ₹5.7 Cr in fixed remuneration in FY26. In addition to his fixed pay, Bansal also received ₹12 Cr in bonus and performance incentives, along with ₹24.04 Lakh in perquisites and ₹7.5 Lakh in retirals.
Lenskart’s net profit rose 69% YoY to ₹500.9 Cr in FY26, while operating revenue increased 33% YoY to ₹8,814 Cr. Its profit growth was aided by operating leverage, premiumisation, and growth in international markets.
Meesho cofounders Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Kumar each earned ₹4.8 Cr in fixed remuneration in FY26, up 6.7% from ₹4.5 Cr a year earlier.
The data reviewed by Inc42 did not disclose additional perks for either founder.
The ecommerce company’s operating revenue increased 34.5% YoY to ₹12,626 Cr in FY26, while its net loss narrowed 65.6% YoY to ₹1,357.7 Cr.
Its annual transacting user base grew 33% YoY to 26.4 Cr in Q4 FY26, while order volumes increased 43% YoY to 71.7 Cr during the quarter.
Ola Electric founder and CMD Bhavish Aggarwal earned ₹4.5 Cr in remuneration in FY26, compared with ₹6.9 Cr in FY25.
In FY26, the EV maker’s net loss narrowed nearly 20% to ₹1,833 Cr from ₹2,276 Cr in the previous fiscal. Operating revenue nearly halved to ₹2,460 Cr from ₹4,932 Cr.
RateGain founder and CEO Bhanu Chopra earned ₹3.7 Cr in fixed remuneration in FY26, unchanged from FY25.
The company’s operating revenue rose 69.4% to ₹1,823.6 Cr from ₹1,076.7 Cr, while net profit declined 6.9% to ₹194.4 Cr from ₹208.9 Cr.
Delhivery cofounders Sahil Barua and Kapil Bharati earned ₹3.4 Cr and ₹3.3 Cr, respectively, in fixed remuneration in FY26.
Barua’s fixed pay increased 21.4% from ₹2.8 Cr in FY25, while Bharati’s rose 17.9% from ₹2.8 Cr.
In addition, Barua received ₹33.7 Lakh in performance incentives. Bharati received ₹33 Lakh in performance incentives and ₹6.9 Cr in ESOP gains.
The logistics company’s operating revenue rose 17% YoY to ₹10,486 Cr in FY26, while net profit grew 8% YoY to ₹321 Cr.
Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma earned ₹4 Cr in fixed remuneration in FY26, unchanged from the previous year. He also received ₹33 Lakh in perquisites.
The fintech company reported its first full-year net profit of ₹552 Cr in FY26, compared with a loss of ₹663 Cr in FY25.
Operating revenue increased 22.3% YoY to ₹8,437 Cr. It also posted an EBITDA of ₹502 Cr, against an EBITDA loss of ₹1,506 Cr in the previous year.
Ather Energy cofounders Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain each earned ₹2.1 Cr in fixed remuneration in FY26, up 5% from ₹2 Cr a year earlier. They also received ₹90 Lakh each in variable compensation, taking their individual fixed and variable pay to ₹3 Cr.
The EV maker’s operating revenue rose 62.8% YoY to ₹3,671.8 Cr, while its net loss narrowed 36.3% YoY to ₹517.2 Cr.
EBITDA loss declined 51.6% YoY to ₹257 Cr, with its EBITDA margin improving to -6.7% from -23% in FY25.
Last Updated: October 20, 2026, 12:30 IST
Source: Inc42
