Forbes 30 Under 30 2025: 8 Indian-origin innovators shine in in AI category

Eight individuals of Indian origin have been recognized in the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list for class of 2025 in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) category. This achievement highlights the growing influence of Indian talent in the rapidly advancing field of AI, with these young innovators making significant contributions to technology, entrepreneurship, and research.

The 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 list of eight Indian-origin individuals in the AI category are Surya Midha, Adarsh Hiremath, Nikhil Cheerla, Nischal Nadhamuni, Anand Kannapann, Sneha Revanur, Arjun Desai, and Aman Sanger.

Their inclusion reflects the global impact of Indian-origin professionals in shaping the future of artificial intelligence and driving transformative advancements across industries.

From launching AI-powered companies to shaping the future of sales automation and document processing, these trailblazers are driving change in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Surya Midha, and Adarsh Hiremath – Founders of Mercor

At just 21 years old, Surya Midha, Foody, and Hiremath dropped out of college to launch Mercor, an AI-powered job marketplace. Founded in 2023, Mercor has already raised $32 million in funding from notable investors like Benchmark and Peter Thiel, with a valuation of $250 million. The company’s AI interviewer has vetted 300,000 job applicants, and the founders claim Mercor is already generating tens of millions in revenue and turning a profit. The trio is on a mission to revolutionize the hiring process using AI to bridge the gap between employers and job seekers.

Nikhil Cheerla – Cofounder of Nooks

Nikhil Cheerla and Daniel Lee co-founded Nooks in late 2020, positioning the company as a “virtual office” for remote teams. Initially focused on providing remote workers with a digital space to collaborate, Nooks has since pivoted to develop an AI-powered sales automation tool. Trained on a massive dataset of over 100 million sales conversations, Nooks helps sales reps save time by automating manual tasks such as finding working phone numbers and leaving voicemails. The company has raised $70 million, including a recent $43 million Series B round led by Kleiner Perkins.

Nischal Nadhamuni – Cofounder of Klarity

Nischal Nadhamuni, a cofounder of Klarity, serves as the startup’s Chief Technology Officer. Klarity leverages AI to automate document and data review for businesses. Founded in 2018, Klarity quickly gained traction and was accepted into Y Combinator. The company raised $70 million in Series B funding in June 2024, bringing its total funding to $90 million. Klarity’s clients include major players like OpenAI, Zoom, and Cloudflare, and the company continues to scale its solutions for enterprises seeking efficiency in data management.

Sneha Revanur – Founder of Encode Justice

At just 19 years old, Sneha Revanur founded Encode Justice, a youth-led organization advocating for safe and equitable AI. Her organization is focused on legislative advocacy and public education to ensure the ethical development and deployment of AI technologies. Encode Justice’s policy platform, AI 2030, aims to push global leaders to commit to AI safety measures, such as banning fully autonomous weapons. Revanur’s efforts have been endorsed by prominent figures, including former Ireland President Mary Robinson and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Anand Kannappan – Cofounder of Patronus AI

Anand Kannappan and Rebecca Qian, former Meta AI researchers, co-founded Patronus AI in 2023 to address concerns about the risks of AI products. Patronus AI focuses on evaluating and improving AI safety by developing tools that assess the risks of AI systems, such as detecting when AI models generate copyrighted content or harmful responses. The company raised $20 million in funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners and other investors to further develop its AI evaluation tools and ensure the responsible use of artificial intelligence.

Arjun Desai – Cofounder of Cartesia

Arjun Desai, a former Stanford researcher, co-founded Cartesia along with Karan Goel, Albert Gu, and Chris Re. Cartesia specializes in creating AI that can operate efficiently even without an internet connection. The company has developed a new AI architecture called “state space” models, which the founders claim work more efficiently than current language models like ChatGPT. Cartesia has raised over $20 million in funding and is positioning itself as a leader in AI systems that do not rely on constant online access, a key innovation for remote and disconnected environments.

Aman Sanger – Cofounder of Anysphere (Cursor)

Aman Sanger is one of the cofounders of Anysphere, better known as Cursor, an AI-powered coding tool that is revolutionizing the software development process. With a user base of 30,000 developers, including those at major AI companies like OpenAI and Midjourney, Cursor is building a next-generation “code editor” that integrates AI models like GPT-4 and Anthropic’s Claude. The company has raised $75 million in total funding, with investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Thrive Capital. With a valuation of $400 million, Cursor is poised to continue its rapid growth and reshape how developers write and refine code.