Two 23-Year-Old Indian-Origin Entrepreneurs Build $4.2 Billion Fortunes Through AI

As fears grow that artificial intelligence could replace jobs, two Indian-origin entrepreneurs are making headlines in the same industry. Surya Midha and Adarsh Hiremath are both 23. Their startup, Mercor, is now valued at $20 billion after a funding round. Forbes estimates each of its three co-founders is worth $4.2 billion, based on individual 21% stakes. That is around Rs 37,000 crore, though it represents estimated share value, not cash.

Midha and Hiremath launched Mercor in 2023 with school friend Brendan Foody. They met at Bellarmine College Preparatory in California and competed in debate tournaments. Hiremath studied computer science at Harvard before leaving to focus on the company, according to reports.

Mercor did not create a chatbot like ChatGPT. It began by connecting freelance software professionals in India with American companies. Later, it moved into services for AI developers. Companies building AI models need specialists such as doctors and lawyers to create training material and assess model responses. Mercor connects experts with AI labs and supports data preparation, model evaluation and post-training. OpenAI is among its reported customers.

On November 10, Mercor announced a $750 million funding round involving Benchmark, General Catalyst, Nvidia and Salesforce. The investment raised its valuation from $10 billion a year earlier to $20 billion. In October 2025, Forbes estimated each founder’s wealth at $2.2 billion. The company says it works with more than 100 organisations. Mercor plans to use the funding to expand evaluation and post-training services as demand for AI grows across the industry.