We present YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018, our compilation of emerging thought leaders, whose thoughts and opinions mattered to our readers in 2018 and whose voices, we believe, will gain prominence in 2019 and beyond. We recommend you watch out for these emerging voices in the year ahead to stay informed and inspired by their deep, insightful, and engaging content.

Every year, YourStory brings you thousands of inspirational, insightful and impactful stories of entrepreneurs who’ve defined and continue to shape the narrative of the Indian startup ecosystem. Along with these stories, we also bring you the insights and opinions of expert voices from various fields, whose writings go beyond the world of startups and businesses and delve into pertinent political, social, gender, and environmental issues.

We’ve published hundreds of such in-depth articles and opinions by experts and influencers on YourStory, as well as on our different properties, including HerStory and SocialStory. But among these experts, we have found that every year, there is always a crop of new and Emerging Voices whose thoughts and opinions are worth watching out for, particularly as they begin to write more frequently on their areas of expertise.

Today, we’re proud to present YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018, our recommendation of experts whose voices will matter in the year 2019 and whose writings, we believe, you should watch out for to stay informed and inspired in the year ahead.

YourStory's 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018 includes entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, activists, healthcare workers, journalists, authors, and bloggers from across India and the world, who have contributed high-quality, insightful and engaging content for our readers.

Through their writings, they have empowered our readers, by being better informed, learning something new, and being better equipped to handle news and issues at hand.

To compile the list of YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018, we scoured through thousands of articles contributed by specialists in various fields, carefully selecting those that garnered the highest engagement from our readers, using measures such as number of page views, time spent per user, likes, comments and shares.

In essence, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018 is a compilation of emerging thought leaders, whose voices mattered to our readers in 2018, and whose voices, we believe, will gain prominence in the year ahead and matter moreso going forward.

#1. Shailesh Jha, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about:  For anyone looking for an expert voice on China or the global macroeconomic, business, financial markets, and political landscape, Shailesh Jha’s voice is the one to follow. From his writings on trends emerging in China, to the recent rupee depreciation, to the likely impact of the China-U.S. trade war, to issues that warrant the focus of the upcoming Indian elections, to even a potential recession in the East, Shailesh Jha provides a well-informed, data-driven analysis of world events that matter.

Sample this: “What India decides to do in May is important not just for the country, but for the world. If one sixth of humanity decides to vote for inclusive growth within a democratic set-up, the coming two decades will see global poverty decline and new markets open up for economies across the world, much as China emerged from being the world’s biggest factory in the 1990s to the world’s preferred market in the current decade. Indian youth of today, who comprise more than half of the electorate, have a choice at hand -- 40 years from now, what kind of country they would like to breathe their last in,” Shailesh writes in India 2019 general elections: The critical overs of the power play begin

His story: Shailesh Jha, who hails from Bokaro in Jharkhand, lives in Shanghai, where he is currently pursuing an MBA at the China Europe International Business School. Shailesh is also armed with a dual Master's degree in Finance and Electrical Engineering from BITS Pilani. Shailesh has worked with Credit Suisse's private banking and asset management division, where he worked on long-term thematic investment ideas with the Credit Suisse Research Institute and was promoted as the assistant to the Chief Asia Economist in Singapore. At Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank in the UAE, he advised UAE firms with a significant presence in Asia on economic policy issues, via research notes and briefings.

#2. Puneet Kumar, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about:  Puneet, an investor and tech enthusiast, writes about the trends emerging in the way technology is being adopted across the country. He outlines the opportunity he sees for various sectors, in particular the mobile gaming ecosystem, in India as people across rural India go digital, thanks to the Jio effect. Puneet’s timely article where he lays out a first-hand account of his own observations when playing the highly popular Tencent game PUBG in Rajasthan, was extremely well-loved by our readers and one of our most-read pieces this year.

Sample this:

"When Jio rolled out its nationwide network and slashed wireless broadband prices, it unleashed – among other things – the tailwind needed for the development of the Indian mobile gaming ecosystem. Global games with a massive following in other markets have been waiting on the sidelines for a long time. PUBG, from Tencent, has not only taken the lead in gaining the Indian gaming mindshare but is leading the way for the creation of amazing games for India over the next decade," Puneet writes.

His story: Puneet is Vice President at Nexus Venture Partners, who has tried his hand at entrepreneurship, consulting and advising startups in education, entertainment, SaaS and consumer tech. Prior to Nexus, he led one of McKinsey’s first sales acceleration programs for a leading SaaS startup in India as well as projects that helped companies bring new and disruptive technologies to market in the US, Europe, and India. His most engaging experiences pre-McKinsey include stints at a global macro hedge fund (Passport Capital), and with start-ups in Silicon Valley and India in consumer tech.

#3. Zubin Ajmera, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about:  Zubin is a marketer and founder of two online businesses, who writes on the nuances of starting up and tips on earning an extra income. He also shares his tips on what aspiring entrepreneurs should do next when they have rough ‘business ideas’.

Sample this: “Let me introduce to you a simple litmus test that you can use when you come up with any idea to check if you can proceed with it or not. Motivation is good. Getting excited is good. We all should absolutely love our idea. But I'd rather do a little bit of research on any idea before I start dreaming. In fact, I've developed this invisible skill of always “not loving” my idea first. Meaning, thoroughly dissecting each part of the idea first,” Zubin writes in You have a ‘rough’ business idea in mind. What should you do next?. 

His story: After a 5-year stint in the U.S., Zubin returned to India. He’s a Marketer, Founder of 2 online businesses, and started Progress and Win, a site where he helps working professionals and beginner bloggers start an online side business from scratch, using tested techniques and strategies. He believes in a strict “no-B.S” approach and has been featured on YourStory and other brands.

#4. Harsh Shah, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about:  Harsh writes about his learnings and experiences running an e-commerce business as a co-founder of Fynd, the unique fashion ecommerce portal that brings the latest in-store fashion online. His article on why Fynd took the bold decision to stop Cash on Delivery (COD), which is the lifeline of an e-commerce business, was much-loved by readers seeking to understand the importance of COD for online retailers.

Sample this: “In January 2018, we shut down COD completely. We trusted our genuine customers to still transact with us and shut off the noise of unfulfilled orders which were mere numbers for us. Completely shutting down COD definitely impacted our top line numbers... but we were well prepared for it. In the end, we were okay doing less business with genuine orders than more business with false orders,” Harsh writes in Why we stopped supporting Cash on Delivery (COD) – and are loving it!

His story: Harsh Shah is one of the three co-founders of Fynd, the unique fashion e-commerce portal which brings the latest in-store fashion online. He has a keen interest in consumer-facing technology in the retail sector, and specialises in management consulting. At Fynd, he brings his valuable experience in technology and entrepreneurship to the table, and oversees the supply side of operations, including managing partnering brands and stores.

#5. Siddarth Pai, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: Finance is a critical element for any business, be it in large corporations or startups and Siddarth's writings reflect his acute understanding of that critical element, with his solid knowledge of financial models. His writings also serve as a guide for startups to navigate through the complexities of the legal world.

Sample this: “As the entire Startup and Angel Investor ecosystem in India cheers the recent relaxations by the Tax authorities about “no coercive measures” to recover outstanding amounts and a clear deadline for the disposal of pending appeals by 31st March 2018, we must be aware that every silver cloud has a dark lining. While many column inches have been dedicated to the angel tax (section 56(2)(viib)), none have spoken about a far more nefarious section: Section 68 (Unexplained Cash Credits),” Siddarth wrote ominously in February.

His story: Founding Partner and CFO at 3one4 Capital, Siddarth Pai leads a team of finance professionals and business analysts that manage the end-to-end processes from deal evaluations and diligence over legal and financial dimensions to portfolio management operations across the set of deployments. He has successfully closed more than 60 investments in companies through the fund and is regularly consulted by the top audit, accounting, taxation, and legal professionals in the venture investment field in India. Siddarth has also led over 30 investments in other investment vehicles across multiple asset classes in India and the US.

#5.  Gagan Singla, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: As trade-related tensions escalate between the US and China, Gagan Singla writes about the likely impact on the Indian and global economies in the event of an implementation of tariffs and a full-blown trade war between the two countries.

Sample this: “Today, the world is witnessing an unprecedented trend of synchronous growth, a growth which is dynamic in nature. Hence, there is a necessity for preparedness for all types of eventualities, as on the other end of the spectrum, if the trade war does not materialise, there is the possibility of tremendous growth in the Indian and world economy,” Gagan writes in The US-China trade war and its possible economic impact on India.

His Story: Gagan Singla is the CMO of AngelBroking, a leading stock broking and wealth management firm in India. He holds a BTech degree (Computer Science) from IIT Delhi and an MBA from IIM, Lucknow. All in all, he has over 15 years of experience in analytics, consulting, and marketing. He has been instrumental in delivering analytics-driven transformations in multiple industry sectors, including banks, insurance, ecommerce, AMCs, and the public sector across numerous geographies, including the US, UK, Europe, Malaysia, India, and Canada. In the last couple of years, he has taken up leadership roles in digital marketing to drive business growth in the new digital age.

#6. Meena Ganesh, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What she writes about: Meena Ganesh writes about entrepreneurship. And as a seasoned entrepreneur herself, she has some great insights to share on the journey of an entrepreneur and offers tips on best practices to adopt to make your entrepreneurial adventure a smooth and easy one.

Sample this: “The most difficult thing is to know when to pivot or stop the journey. Most people tend to get immensely attached to an extent that they transcend economic reasoning. It is hence important to think practically and start over during these times,” Meena writes in her article in HerStory.

Her Story: As the MD and CEO of Portea Medical, Meena heads India’s leading consumer healthcare brand. Meena is also a partner in Growthstory.in, and has co-promoted more than a dozen, new-age Internet / Technology enabled start-ups.

#7. Neerja Birla, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What she writes about: Neerja writes about issues and topics that she is passionate about: children, education, and mental health. She also writes about women empowerment and offers advice on how one can best manage one's mental and physical health. 

Sample this: “Indian women are used to sacrificing their own needs for those of the family. This must stop. Instead, women must actively pursue their personal dreams and goals, and learn to set aside a little bit of “me time”. As they say on flights: “If the oxygen mask deploys in case of an emergency, put your own mask on first before assisting a child or any other passenger.” Similarly, women need to put their own mental health and needs before those of others. They owe it to themselves,” Neerja writes in her article on HerStory.

Her Story: Neerja Birla is the Founder and Chairperson of Aditya Birla Education Academy. She is passionate about children, education and mental health. She is actively engaged as the Chairperson of Aditya Birla World Academy, The Aditya Birla Integrated School and Mpower.

#8. ElsaMarie D’ Silva, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What she writes about: Elsa’s writings are focused around women safety and creating safe spaces.

Sample this: “…it can feel overwhelming to think about all the ways there is still gender discrimination. But I believe we can each play a part in changing it by first reflecting on our own lives and where we are on the empowerment scale. No one standard can be applied across the board, as everyone’s experience is different,” Elsa writes in her article that was published on HerStory.

Her Story: ElsaMarie D’Silva is the Founder and CEO of Safecity that crowdmaps sexual harassment in public places, and is a 2015 Aspen New Voices Fellow. Elsa’s work has focused on women and youth empowerment in the area of gender-based violence.

#9. Nikita Bhatia, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What she writes about: As a Chartered Accountant and company secretary by profession, Nikita’s writings highlight her wide experience and knowledge in topics related to accountancy, taxation and corporate governance.

Sample this: "With a new set of rules that simplify the process of company incorporation, the government aims to make it easier to do business in India. The government is definitely expecting a spur in company incorporations with the new set of rules, which aim at not only simplifying the procedures but also making them foolproof."

Her story: Nikita Bhatia is the co-founder of VenturEasy, an online platform for company registration, book-keeping, accounting, tax consultancy and legal compliances in India. A Chartered Accountant and company secretary by profession, she has wide experience in the fields of audit, accountancy, taxation and corporate governance.

#10. Vinod Kumar Reddy, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: An expert in the e-commerce space and founder of a healthcare startup, Vinod is constantly look out for fresh ideas which can be successfully run as a business. His writings reflect his strong experience in and knowledge of the healthcare sector in the country.

Sample this: “In India, though the healthcare sector is seeing a giant leap in providing services to the consumers, it has still not been able to expand its market in rural areas. Around 75 percent of the rural population is struggling with insufficient infrastructure and technological awareness,” Vinod writes.

His story: Vinod is the founder and CEO of Zoylo Digihealth. He is a constant learner, a perpetual experimenter with ideas, and seasoned business manager with hands-on experience in defining business strategy from scratch. He has an in-depth understanding of what works in the industry and on the web exemplified by successful ventures in Indian eCommerce space handling overseas product procurement, distribution, and fulfilment.

#11.  Sanna Vohra, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What she writes about: Armed with an Ivy league degree and experience of working across investment banking, advertising, Sanna had the flair for entrepreneurship right from her college days. Her writings are a valuable guide to all those youngsters who plan to make it big.

Sample this: "If you cannot articulate why what your company is doing is significantly better than anything else in the market, an investor is not going to invest in you (for more on this, read Peter Thiel’s Zero to One). Remember, investors are looking for 10x returns in less than a decade – and if you can’t figure out how you are going to compete, the likelihood of getting those returns diminish in their eyes,” Sanna writes in an article on how to attract investors.  

Her story: Sanna Vohra is the Founder and CEO of The Wedding Brigade, an online portal where users can discover the best wedding content, buy curated wedding fashion, and book verified vendors and services. Prior to The Wedding Brigade, Sanna worked in investment banking at Morgan Stanley in New York, and at the advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi X. She discovered her passion for building businesses at Brown University, when she co-founded the largest student-run business at the time, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna cum Laude.

#12.     Vishnu Vengala, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: As a sales professional turned entrepreneur, Vishnu guides young entrepreneurs on how to leverage the various tools available on the internet to build an optimal brand for any new venture.

Sample this: “If you just started an online business, or are thinking of starting one, sooner or later you will worry about productivity, progress, and minimum resources at your disposal to help do things fast. You will be demotivated, and doubts about your abilities will creep in. You may feel lonely and short of help. You will identify some skills missing from you, such as producing great designs, implementing digital marketing campaigns on time, little to no knowledge about SEO, etc. But here’s the kicker – you are not alone.”

His story: Vishnu is a sales professional-turned-entrepreneur, and a cricket fan like most people. He writes about startups and online businesses and focuses on how to excel online using internet tools, on his blog FreshersBuddy.

#13. Faisal Ahmad, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: Faisal Ahmad provides an overview of the technological disruptions that is currently underway and helps firms navigate through this maze. His thoughts and solutions on the topic give a glimpse into the way forward for the country.

Sample this: “The explosive economic growth in the last few decades in India has given us much to celebrate, but it has also had its unpleasant consequences. Today, 19 out of the 35 most polluted cities in the world are in India.  For the last two years, New Delhi has had the ignominy of being the most polluted city in the world, as a confluence of factors turns the capital’s environment into a haze of smog and potentially lethal pollutants.”

His story: Faisal Ahmad is the founder and CEO of BIS Research, a global market intelligence, research, and advisory company that helps businesses navigate through technological disruption.

#14.  Saswata Shankar De, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: The modern world throws up innumerable challenges and mounting pressures for individuals that have the potential to cause people to suffer a breakdown. Saswata’s writings is essential in today’s world as he offers advice on how to navigate through the ups and down you face in life.

Sample this: “Behavioural studies show (and I think we know this already as a team), that the most difficult part to execute is constant context switching (hopping in and out of unrelated tasks). Trying to keep yourself mentally alert and contributing at the highest levels 10-12 hours a day, can turn out to be incredibly stressful indeed. No matter how well versed you are on different subjects, frequent context switching takes a toll on your brain and it starts shutting down. Try to force it beyond a limit, and the result is stress.”

His story: Saswata Shankar De leads SquadVoice (part of Squad), which combines Humans + A.I. to help businesses de-risk large-scale operations and improve their time-to-money cycles. Before this, he has worked as a freelance writer, a procurement manager in one of India’s leading HVAC companies and co-founded two startups. His last startup - The First Meal - was acquired in early 2016.

#15.  Vivek Steve Francis, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: As an entrepreneur who started early and has two ventures to his name, Vivek is able to capture the excitement of entrepreneurship in his writings. He also has the knack of spotting new business opportunities through technology.

Sample this: “Blockchain technology has emerged as the talk of town, especially after the recent rollout of the budget. While announcing the Union Budget 2018-19, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stated that the government was looking at adopting blockchain tech for disrupting and streamlining various sectors. While the sprawling financial services landscape seems to be the foremost sector to benefit from this revolutionary technology, other industries also seem poised to benefit from it.”

His story: Vivek Steve Francis is the CEO of Coinome, a Mumbai-based Digital Asset Exchange. Prior to this, Vivek had co-founded and is the Director of MobME Wireless Solutions Ltd. MobME has also yielded two successful spin-offs, in the form of a Startup Village and Chillr. Vivek holds a B-Tech degree in Electronics & Communication from Kerala University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from International Management Institute, New Delhi.

#16. Ramathreya Krishnamurthi, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: Ramathreya offers strategic advice on ensuring the transformation of organisations, particularly in relation to the critical topic of jobs. He writes eloquently about trends unfolding in the job market, whether it is in traditional or new and emerging sectors.

Sample this: “When it comes to today’s blue-collar workforce, it is teeming with semi-skilled or unskilled workers. However, this cannot be the case with coders for coding needs a high level of technical skill for perfect execution. Even though there are employers who strive to make code learning more accessible, it will surely take years to maintain equilibrium between the demand and supply of coders. But looking at the current scenario and considering facts, it can be concluded that those days are not far when coding will fall into the category of blue collar jobs.”

His story: Ramathreya Krishnamurthi is the Business Head at TimesJobs and TechGig. A business strategist and a transformational leader, he is known for his strategic thinking skills along with the art of managing complex transactions with simple and bottom-up solutions.

#17. Soha Moitra, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What she writes about: Soha, in her writings, brings to the fore various social issues afflicting the country. She provides valuable insights on these social issues and taps her grassroots experience to bring depth to her voice. She is committed to bringing about social impact and her writings reflect her deep concern and passion for these issues.

Sample this: “This brings us to the more fundamental question that if the aim is to build more toilets, or is it about getting more people to use them. As of now, the narrative seems to highlight how many toilets are built – often aiming largely at the points of access. However, on-ground experience from the intervention areas of CRY suggests that more focus is needed on changing mindset and behaviour patterns of people, when it comes to using toilets on a regular basis. When schools have proper and usable toilets, its health and hygiene implications are many fold and far-reaching.”

Her story: A post graduate in Social Work from M.S University, Vadodara, Soha Moitra joined CRY in 1997. In her initial years, she worked with the Youth division in Delhi and later the Development Support Division. After gaining experience at the grassroots she went on to anchor the Volunteer Action Division at CRY. Today, she is Regional Director – North.

#18.  Prabhakar Mundkur, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: Prabhakar has close to four decades of experience in advertising which makes him an authority on branding. However, his insights also extend to topics like net neutrality.

Sample this: “Brands are like people,” said Stephen King, a long time ago. So taking off from that wisdom, if a brand is dying it can be revived. But once it is completely dead it is difficult to revive it. When an individual placed cyanide in Tylenol bottles in the 1980s it almost killed the brand. But Tylenol made it back to the shelves when the company recalled every bottle and introduced 'gelcaps' which were tamper-proof.”                 

His story: Prabhakar Mundkur is a Brand Strategy Advisor. He spent 38 years in the advertising business with companies like JWT, Havas and Y & R in India, Africa, and Asia. His favourite platform is LinkedIn where he writes a few times a week. In his spare time, he is a closeted jazz musician.

#19. Arjun Kalyanpur,  YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: Dr Arjun, who is a serial entrepreneur in the healthcare space, has written about lessons that entrepreneur can learn from watching Rafael Nadal train. His writing reflects his unique ability to derive insights for entrepreneurs from a completely unrelated field like sports and offer tips on how one can apply these insights in real-life and business-related situations.

Sample this: “The incredible thing is that even though Rafa is world number one, it is as though his glorious past does not exist for him. He is completely engaged in every tennis practice session as seriously as though he is a neophyte. The learning for the entrepreneur is that the hallmark of true greatness lies in the ability to constantly seek improvement and to be open to feedback. ”

His story: Dr Arjun Kalyanpur is CEO and Founder of Teleradiology Solutions (TRS), a global healthcare company headquartered in Bangalore that reports radiology scans for over 150 Hospitals in the US, Singapore, India, Europe, and Africa. He is also the Co-founder of RxDx, a chain of neighbourhood primary health care clinics in Bangalore. Dr Kalyanpur is a Board-certified and Fellowship-trained radiologist and obtained his medical and radiologic training at AIIMS, New Delhi, Cornell University, and Yale University in the US.

#20.  Professor U Dinesh Kumar, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: As part of the IIM Bangalore faculty, Professor Dinesh Kumar exudes a deep understanding of technology and writes about how this can benefit the nation as a whole, provided the right measures are taken.

Sample this: “Countries such as India can benefit a lot from the use of AI by focusing on sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure etc.  Another area we need to focus upon is the use of AI in defence. Issues such as tax evasion, money laundering etc can be easily addressed using AI. The government will play an important role in encouraging AI research among Indian scientific community. "

His story: Professor U Dinesh Kumar, Faculty, Decision Sciences & Information Systems, IIM Bangalore. His research interests include areas such as Business Analytics and Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning Algorithms, Stochastic models (Reinforcement Learning Algorithms), Reliability, Optimization, Six Sigma and Performance Based Logistics. He has published several research articles in reputed academic journals. He has authored a book titled, “Business Analytics – The Science of Data Driven Decision Making”.

#21. Sumit Ghosh, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: Sumit Ghosh writes about marketing on platforms like Facebook. He guides entrepreneurs and small businesses on what they need to do to make sure their ads stand out on Facebook and generate the most leads. From single video ads to carousel ads to slideshow ads, Sumit provides a detailed guide on the best practices to follow when posting Facebook ads. He has also written about the fast growing innovation ecosystem in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Sample this“In your Facebook ads, the kind of images you use is also important. Contextually relevant images are e: specially preferred if you want your Facebook ads to work. It is always better to select and include those images which properly deliver the message of your brand and depict the label well. Do avoid using random stock images,” Sumit writes in his article.

His Story: Sumit Ghosh is a serial entrepreneur, who started his entrepreneurial career with an IT Services company Globussoft and scaled it to USD 2 million in annual revenues. His second venture Socioboard is into building automation products for digital marketing space. The Socioboard product suite, which includes PowerAdSpy, has MRR of $150,000 and comprises of desktop apps, three SAAS products, and mobile apps which have more than 1 million downloads and 300,000+ daily active users.

#22. Aravind S, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: Aravind has deep knowledge of finance world and this makes him the ideal candidate to guide startups on how to handle money in their business. Besides, he also has the added advantage of an acute understanding of law.

Sample this: “There are various factors that determine the valuation of a startup, like number of users of the platform or product, revenue forecasted, market size, technology and its future, etc. Traditional valuations are usually based on the forecasted revenue and profit the company can make. However, in the current age, various other factors determine the valuation.”

His story: Aravind S is the Founder of QED Corporate Advisors LLP and The Filings.in. He is a specialist in Corporate restructuring and M&As. He is a Startup enthusiast and takes care of the Tax, Startup and FEMA Advisory services of the firm.

#23. Amit Dua, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: As an entrepreneur running a technology company since 2009, Amit helps startups navigate the various challenges of IT. He writes extensively about new and emerging technologies such as chatbots, AI and IoT.

Sample this: “Through this combination of artificial intelligence and the internet of things, we can teach decision making to machines. Hence, empowered machines will act as smart assistants for us. These smart assistants could be devices like Alexa telling the devices in a smart house what to do. For example, a smart home will be managed by a smart assistant device which manages the devices at home.”

His story: Amit Dua is Co-Founder and CEO at Signity Solutions, a technology consulting company since 2009. He also has the experience of working with telecom companies.

#24. Hemendra Mathur, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: Hemendra Mathur has assumed many roles and this is very lucidly evident in his writings, especially on the subject of startups. His articles provide deep insights on agritech – a complex yet emerging sector of interest in the startup world.

Sample this: “India is witnessing an agritech revolution spurred by a bunch of about 300 entrepreneurs who are trying to disrupt the agricultural supply chain with their innovations. A majority of them are trying to make intervention to make supply chain efficient, transparent, market-driven and traceable. Technology is at the core of most new-age innovations that are enabling access of high-quality inputs to farmers, farmers’ linkages to the market, reduction of post-harvest losses and addition of the extra dose of nutrition in the food we eat.”

His story: Hemendra is working as Venture Partner with Bharat Innovations Fund. He has over 21 years of experience in venture capital, private equity, management consulting and investment banking. Hemendra has investing experience across sectors in the Indian agricultural supply chain from farm to fork. He also mentors many agtech start-ups with innovations in agri-inputs, market linkages, mechanization, data and farmer financing.

#25. Samir Lambay, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: Samir writes about the logistics industry, leveraging his deep experience and knowledge of the sector provide data-driven insights. He outlines the kind of benefits that can be derived once focused digital initiatives are employed in the manufacturing sector.

Sample this: “The Indian logistics sector, regarded as the backbone of a healthy economy, is highly fragmented and unorganised. As a result, the logistics spend in India currently amounts to 14-15 percent of GDP compared to the 5-6 percent of the GDP spend in developed economies. However, with focused initiatives on manufacturing, like the Make in India campaign, and thrust on digitisation with the Digital India campaign, the Indian logistics sector has slowly begun its disruptive transformation.”

His story: After working in the shipping and logistics industry across both family businesses and multinational companies, Samir Lambay, CEO and Director, launched Freightcrate Technologies Pvt Ltd in September 2017. His goal is to improve business productivity, save cost, and improve delivery schedules for customers while simultaneously increasing revenue and optimizing quote management for the vendors.

#26. Tarun Pasricha, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: Tarun Pasricha, who has more than two decades of experience in the corporate world, writes authoritatively to help organisations and individuals navigate through various growth challenges.

Sample this: “Having worked in the corporate sector for over 25 years, I can say with certainty that the best on-the-job learning comes from startup environments, where you are building something from scratch. If you join a well-oiled and established organization, you are merely a cog in the wheel. Somebody in the distant past did all the hard work in building the organisation and your role is merely sustaining the momentum.”

His story: Dr Tarun Pasricha is a Professor of Marketing at the S.P. Jain School of Global Management, Mumbai. He has over 30 years of corporate experience in senior leadership positions in FMCG majors such as ITC, Pepsi, Dr Scholl’s, and Boots Healthcare. His PhD thesis was on Foreign Direct Investment in Retail Markets of India and its Impact on Key Stakeholders.

#27. Vivek Kumar, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: Vivek writes about Big Data and related fields such as Data Science, Data Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning. He provides insights on the growing demand for skilled and trained professionals in the field of data analytics and data science. He also writes about data security, which is a prominent threat in an increasingly digital world.

Sample this: “The focus of data science is to delve into data to unravel useful insights and use those insights creatively to drive the growth of businesses and organizations. As more and more enterprises continue to join the Big Data bandwagon, the demand for skilled and trained professionals such as data scientists, data architects, data analysts, and data engineers is on the rise.” How Data Intelligence and Analytics are changing the Indian business landscape

His story: Vivek Kumar is MD, India at Springboard. He was previously the President of Consumer Revenue at UpGrad, an online education platform providing industry-oriented courses like Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with world-class institutes, some of which are MICA, IIIT Bangalore, and BIT

#28. Varun Manian, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: Varun’s writings are a confluence of his interest in and knowledge of real estate, technology and environmental best practices.

Sample this: “Green building is a futuristic idea, to begin with, as structures devour 14 percent of consumable water, 40 percent of crude materials, and 39 percent of energy consumption in the US alone, as indicated by the US Green Building Council. That is 15 trillion gallons of water and three billion tons of crude materials every year.”

His story: Varun Manian is the Managing Director of Radiance Realty and Radiance Media Group all of which are a part of the Radiance Group of Companies. A graduate of New York University, he decided to return to his roots and joined the family’s business, NAPC Construction Ltd. In 2012, Varun Manian entered the residential real estate business with the inception of Radiance Realty Developers India Limited. Radiance Realty, is a property development firm based in Chennai and it focuses on building luxury residential projects.

#29.     Bhupinder Singh, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: Operating in the fintech space, Bhupinder has his ears to the ground as far as lending goes. His columns give deep insights from ground zero, as it were.

Sample this: “A big reason for the success that NBFCs have registered in India of late has been their unique value proposition. Most NBFCs, whether online or offline, leverage alternative and tech-driven credit appraisal methodologies to gauge the creditworthiness of prospective borrowers."

His story: A graduate of IIMA, Bhupinder Singh is the Founder and CEO of InCred. Singh was formerly the head of the Corporate Finance division of Deutsche Bank. InCred is a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) in India and focuses on consumer loan, home loan, education loan, and SME lending. It is headquartered in Mumbai.

#30.     James Altucher, YourStory’s 100 Emerging Voices of 2018

What he writes about: If you are ever at the crossroads and wonder which way to turn,