The Underground CEO: India's Silent Business Giants
Mayank Singhal
1/8
🔥 The most powerful CEOs in India?
You've never seen them on LinkedIn.
No posts. No panels. No podcasts.
But they move crores, hire millions & shape the real economy.
Here's why India's real operators stay silent, and win.
2/8
💼 They don't go viral.
They go generational.
While tech bros chase likes, India's MSMEs employ 20+ crore people, drive exports, and run 6 crore+ units, all without a tweet.
Real impact doesn't trend. It pays salaries.
3/8
🛍️ Your sabzi, shampoo & salary, all powered by people you'll never see post.
Kirana shops = 95% of food & grocery sales.
12 million stores, 10% of GDP - no branding, no fluff.
Just trust, delivery, and "bhaiya kal de dena."
4/8
🧾 No CAC, no CRM.
Just "likh do bhaiya."
These stores offer credit to 500 million+ Indians.
No paperwork. No swipe. Just memory and trust.
Faith-tech > Fintech.
5/8
👨👩👧👦 Family-run firms = India's industrial skeleton.
75% of GDP today.
Projected to hit 85% by 2047.
Board meetings? Mostly dinner tables.
Growth plan? Next generation.
Playbook? Product + people > PR.
6/8
🛠️ While unicorns chase burn & buzz, invisible startups chase cash flow.
No PR agencies.
No valuation peaks.
Just profit, focus, and real demand.
They dominate niches VCs ignore, and quietly scale past them.
7/8
🏗️ Legacy isn't loud.
It's layered.
From Marwaris in metals to Sindhis in retail, these communities built billion-dollar empires with zero digital footprint.
No influencers. Just influence.
8/8
🤫 Not every builder wants to trend.
Some want to last.
India's silent giants aren't on your feed.
Because they're too busy running the country's economic heart.
Look beyond the noise - that's where power lives.