Founder Salaries Tracker FY26: How Much Did India’s Startup Founders Earn?

Sixteen founders across 10 new-age tech companies earned a combined ₹43.4 Cr in fixed remuneration in FY26, up 8.2% from ₹40.2 Cr in FY25, according to data compiled by Inc42. Average fixed remuneration per founder increased to ₹2.7 Cr from ₹2.5 Cr.

Of these, 12 founders received increases in fixed pay, three saw reductions, and one 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.

Nykaa founder Falguni Nayar saw the steepest percentage decline at 14%, with her fixed pay falling to ₹74 Lakh from ₹86 Lakh. Swiggy cofounder Sriharsha Majety’s remuneration declined 12.5% to ₹1.4 Cr from ₹1.6 Cr.

Lenskart cofounder Peyush Bansal drew the highest fixed remuneration among the founders tracked, despite a 1.7% decline to ₹5.7 Cr from ₹5.8 Cr. Meesho cofounders Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Kumar followed with ₹4.8 Cr each, while Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma received ₹4 Cr, 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.

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. The aggregate and average remuneration figures above cover fixed pay only. Other compensation components are discussed separately.

Founder Remuneration Tracker FY26

Peyush Bansal | Lenskart 

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.

Vidit Aatrey & Sanjeev Kumar | Meesho

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.

Sahil Barua & Kapil Bharati | Delhivery 

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.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma | Paytm 

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.

Tarun Mehta & Swapnil Jain | Ather

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.

Edited By Vinaykumar Rai

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