Legacy planning takes centre stage for India's startup founders

India's startup founders are getting serious about estate and trust planning — and for good reason. With rapid wealth creation, global exposure and maturing business outlooks, founders are no longer building companies — they're thinking legacy.

- Dipti Sharma

once reserved for old-money families. Founders are now thinking beyond growth. Asking: How do I preserve this? How do I pass it on smoothly? It's about protecting what they've built from family disputes, future uncertainty and business risks.

Conversation around trusts resurfaced recently following Indian cricketer and investor in lifestyle brand CheQmate Yuzvendra Chahal's separation from his wife. Anshuman Singh, a Supreme Court advocate, said Chahal's pre-established family trust helped shield key assets from legal exposure. As part of the settlement, he reportedly agreed to pay ₹4.75 crore in alimony.

The surge in startup valuations, initial public offerings and high-profile exits has created a wave of newly accumulated wealth, Singh explained. Zerodha's Nithin Kamath publicly stressed the importance of long-term wealth planning, even if the details of his trust arrangements aren't public.