Since times immemorable, every generation has seen the rise of young entrepreneurs who fiercely march on the path of success. There are many names in the list including some well-known personalities such as agriculturalist Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1800s) to Steve Jobs (1900s) founder of tech giant Apple. Now is the time when millennials are turning the world upside down with their innovative ideas and efficient use of digital technology. Many such young and visionary millennials have pursued entrepreneurship as a means to carve their names in the history of mankind.
In India, where cut-throat competition is an inevitable constant. There is constantly a race to be the ace in the world. With the recent technological developments happening at an unforeseen pace, immeasurable resources such as widespread internet connectivity and quick access to it, several software and programs available at the tip of fingers, a global network with a rapid exchange of information, knowledge, news, etc. are available for young entrepreneurs and it depends on them, whether to utilize these resources to become successful in their lives. Two young minds who rightly made use of the available resources and have emerged successful in the fields of digital media and entrepreneurship are Akhilendra Sahu and Divya Gandotra Tandon.
Often heeded Akhilendra Sahu as the ‘World’s Youngest Serial Entrepreneur’ from the town of Narsinghpur in Madhya Pradesh, Akhilendra Sahu’s success story is something that you just can’t simply overlook. At an age when most teenagers are worried regarding their future and careers, Akhilendra firmly stood by his dream to establish his own company, a place where he could be the boss and a leader by example. He was just 16 when he stepped on the path of entrepreneurship and since then he has never looked back no matter how big a challenge stands in front of him. While his friends were busy choosing career paths for themselves at the age of 19, Akhilendra had already built a business empire of his own.
As the founder and CEO of ASTNT Technologies Pvt. Ltd., he is at the helm of many subsidiary companies including Technical Next, StartUp199, 2NewsWire, ASTNT Startups, ASTNT Newswire, Fcertify, ASTNT Media, InfinityFame, and clothing brands such as Rico Desgaste. As he has ample knowledge about the digital world, Akhilendra has established himself as a pro in social media marketing who has transformed the lives of many individuals as influencers. Also, he has brought fame to several brands and got the best online exposure they deserve. By taking into consideration feedback received from his clients, the young entrepreneur has always strived to improve upon his products and services. He was awarded India Young Achievers Award in 2019 and has even been nominated for the e-REX Karmaveer Global Youth Fellowship and Karmaveer Chakra Awards instituted by iCONGO in partnership with the United Nations for two straight years in a row.
Divya Gandotra Tandon is recognised as ‘India’s Youngest Women Entrepreneur’ and another name that has become popular on the lips of most people working in the digital realm. Divya hails from the state of Jammu and Kashmir but has left her hometown to focus on her entrepreneurial journey. She started her career as a Tech YouTuber in 2015 with a channel by the name of ‘Technical Divya’ and later went on to change it to ‘Tech Divya’. Due to intriguing tech content and videos being posted on her channel regularly, she managed to gain thousands of subscribers in just a couple of days. She decided to pursue entrepreneurship when she realized that she can provide useful knowledge to people around her and at the same time enjoy it. Her first business and entrepreneurial venture was ‘Scoop Beats’ which she initially started as a Facebook page and used to create and post engaging and relatable content for her followers.
Throughout her journey, Divya has remained a strong supporter of social media and has uplifted the lives of many individuals as influencers using the same. Through her digital media company, she has put the limelight on several Indian and international brands who were finding a hard time surviving in the market. Other than being an entrepreneur she is also an author and has two books published on Google Books and Amazon. She is a certified professional in the ‘Fundamentals of Digital Marketing’ by Google Unlocked. Divya has been awarded the Entrepreneur Young Achievers award in Delhi and the Incredible Indian Icon award in Indore and has emerged as a beacon of hope for all the young female entrepreneurs in India.
Together Akhilendra and Divya have started several business ventures and all of them are aimed at helping the ones who deserve success in their lives but cannot do it on their own. As directors of ‘Scoop Beats Private Limited’, a project that they started in 2021, they donate 10% of the total revenue generated by the project to charity. They always believe that when you have sufficient for yourself, you should share the rest with others. They are also planning to set up a charity foundation of their own in the coming months.
A couple of months ago the young duo of entrepreneurs an initiative called ‘ASTNT Startups,’ which was a part of ASTNT Technologies Pvt. Ltd and it offered deserving startups an opportunity to grow themselves. The initiative is aimed to provide startups with all the necessary assistance such as growth strategies by implementing web design and development, blogging, search engine optimization, reputation management, social media management, and other methods of building a solid online presence. What most deserving startups lack is the proper means to expand their footprint and reach. Through ASTNT Startups, the startups got a chance to take care of their expansion and it no longer posed as a problem to them.
Both Akhilendra and Divya have always strived to make entrepreneurship a good career opportunity for the young generation in the nation. It is evident that their stories are not just about ups but there were significant downs as well, however, they never let it put them down. By standing firmly beside the potential of ideas and pursuing them after ideation and concept development, the two young entrepreneurs, with support from family, the help of academics, social trends, and events, have one thing in common – they seized the opportunity in front of them. That is, in fact, the true spirit of entrepreneurship.
