Founders are seeing their wealth skyrocket due to rising stock prices.

The surge in market capitalization of companies like Zomato, Policybazaar, Mama Earth, Ease My Trip, TBO , and Ixigo signals a promising future for Indian startups eyeing public offerings. This trend has not only enriched shareholders, retail investors, and founders but also catapulted Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal into the billionaire club, as his company surpassed a market cap of Rs 2,00,000 crore ($24 billion). According to startup data intelligence platform The Kredible, founders of public-listed Indian startups hold substantial stakes, with Nykaa's Falguni Nayar and her family leading with a collective worth exceeding $3.25 billion. Sanjeev Bikhchandani follows closely with holdings valued at $3.24 billion through Info Edge, an early investor in Zomato and Policybazaar. Deepinder Goyal's stake in Zomato now values over $1 billion, while founders of MapMyIndia, Rashmi and Rakesh Verma, hold $830 million in shares. Varun and Ghazal Alagh from Mamaearth have holdings valued at $657 million. Despite challenges post-IPO and regulatory scrutiny, Paytm's Vijay Shekhar Sharma holds stocks worth $319 million, and PolicyBazaar's Alok Bansal's stake is valued at $129 million. Ichigo's founders, Aloke Bajpai and Rajnish Kumar, have created a combined value of $81.5 million since the company's recent listing as a unicorn. The liberalisation in founder compensations and options in recent years has also benefited professionals and non-founders, fostering a culture where startup founders invest in diversified portfolios that yield substantial returns. However, as these individuals attain significant wealth, there is an increasing expectation for them to give back to society and lead by example in responsible wealth management.