In a remarkable milestone for India’s new generation of innovators, 22-year-olds Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha have been named among the world’s youngest self-made billionaires — and the youngest ever from India — after their startup, Mercor, reached a staggering $10 billion valuation. 🇮🇳
Founded along with co-founder Brendan Foody, Mercor is an AI recruiting platform that connects leading AI labs with skilled human experts who help label data, test models, and refine artificial intelligence systems — the hidden backbone of today’s generative AI revolution.
The company recently closed a $350 million funding round, propelling its valuation into double digits and cementing its position as one of the most promising startups in the global AI ecosystem.
From humble beginnings to global impact, Hiremath and Midha built Mercor from scratch, now managing tens of thousands of contractors across industries including tech, healthcare, and finance. Their work highlights how human expertise and AI collaboration can accelerate innovation at scale.
With this achievement, the duo have become younger than Mark Zuckerberg was when he first entered the Forbes Billionaires List, signaling a new era of Indian tech leadership on the global stage.
“This is just the beginning,” said Adarsh. “Our mission is to make AI work with people — not replace them.
