Siddhartha Saxena, an IIT Kanpur graduate and co-founder of AI startup Merlin, has shared how he made $8 million in a single day, a milestone that turned him into a millionaire at the age of 26. The revelation came during a recent interview, where he spoke about his entrepreneurial journey from Alwar, Rajasthan, to building a fast-growing AI company in the United States.
Saxena graduated in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 2019. Before launching his startup, he worked as a researcher and machine learning engineer with organisations including Wadhwani AI, Aalto University in Finland, Envestnet | Yodlee, and Jumio Corporation. These experiences helped shape his expertise in artificial intelligence and product development.
In 2022, Saxena co-founded Merlin with fellow IIT Kanpur alumni Pratyush Rai and Sirsendu Sarkar. Merlin is an AI-powered productivity platform and Chrome extension that helps users with writing, summarisation, research, and other generative AI tasks. According to reports, the company is now valued at around $50 million.
Reflecting on his success, Saxena said one of the biggest differences between Indian and American startup ecosystems is mindset. He believes many founders in India grow up with a “scarcity mindset,” while successful entrepreneurs are often driven by an “abundance mindset” that encourages greater risk-taking and long-term thinking.
Today, Siddhartha Saxena’s journey has become an example of how technical expertise, global exposure, and bold entrepreneurship can help Indian founders build globally competitive AI businesses. His story also highlights the growing influence of IIT graduates in shaping the next generation of technology startups.
