Mumbai To Bengaluru: Hurun's Top 200 Entrepreneurs List Details Where Indian Self-Made Entrepreneurs Are Based

India’s new generation of self-made entrepreneurs is increasingly concentrated in a handful of urban clusters, underscoring the role of cities as capital, talent and innovation hubs.

Mumbai continues to dominate as the country’s top entrepreneurial base, reflecting its deep financial ecosystem, access to capital markets and proximity to large consumer businesses. The city’s strength lies in finance-led entrepreneurship as well as consumer-facing ventures that benefit from scale and market access.

Bengaluru ranks close behind, cementing its position as India’s technology and startup capital. The city’s ecosystem, anchored by software, SaaS, fintech and deep-tech firms, has produced a disproportionate share of young founders, highlighting how digital-first businesses have lowered entry barriers for wealth creation.

Delhi NCR emerges as another major hub, driven by a mix of consumer brands, real estate-linked ventures, manufacturing, and new-age digital platforms. Its broad-based economy continues to attract first-generation founders across sectors.

Beyond the big three, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune are gaining prominence. These cities are benefiting from strong IT services bases, manufacturing corridors and improving access to venture capital, helping decentralise entrepreneurship away from traditional metros.

Interestingly, the report also points to a gradual rise of tier-2 cities, signalling that entrepreneurial success is no longer confined to India’s largest urban centres. Improved digital infrastructure, access to online markets and the democratisation of funding have enabled founders from smaller cities to build scalable businesses.

Overall, the geographical spread reflects a clear shift: while metros remain dominant, India’s self-made entrepreneur story is slowly becoming more geographically diverse, mirroring the broader digitalisation of the economy.