Indian founders earned ₹43.4 crore fixed pay in FY26, up 8.2% YoY.
Sixteen founders from ten Indian tech firms received a combined ₹43.4 crore in fixed remuneration for FY26, according to Inc42’s tracker. The average fixed pay per founder rose to ₹2.7 crore, up from ₹2.5 crore the previous year.
Twelve founders saw increases in fixed pay, three experienced reductions and one reported unchanged remuneration. Honasa Consumer’s Ghazal Alagh posted the largest percentage gain, with her fixed salary climbing 60% to ₹2.4 crore from ₹1.5 crore. Lenskart’s Peyush Bansal remained the highest‑paid founder at ₹5.7 crore, despite a 1.7% dip from ₹5.8 crore. Nykaa’s Falguni Nayar suffered the steepest drop, her fixed pay falling 14% to ₹74 lakh from ₹86 lakh.
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.
What we know
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.
Honasa Consumer cofounder Ghazal Alagh recorded the highest percentage increase, with her fixed remuneration rising 60% to ₹2.4 Cr from ₹1.5 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.
Nykaa founder Falguni Nayar saw the steepest percentage decline at 14%, with her fixed pay falling to ₹74 Lakh from ₹86 Lakh.