In celebration of International Youth Day on August 12, Onlinekhabar.com has unveiled its list of 40 Under 40 Influential Youths in Nepal. The list honours 40 young individuals under the age of 40 who have made significant contributions in diverse fields, including politics, society, culture, art and literature, youth and sports, knowledge and science, entrepreneurship and the diaspora.

2024 marked the first time Onlinekhabar published its 40 Under 40 list, establishing an annual tradition of recognising exceptional young talents. This time, it is the third edition, honouring 40 young individuals for their contributions to society.

List of 40 Under 40 – 2026

Madan Subedi – Entomologist

A boy who loved collecting old coins and leaves has grown into a determined entomological researcher. Madan Subedi of Parbat has identified 12 new species and three new genera of grasshoppers and is introducing a new genus and species of groundhopper to the world. A new grasshopper species discovered in the forests of Australia has also been named after him.

Chanira Bajracharya – Former Kumari / Credit Analyst

Chanira Bajracharya spent 10 years as the living goddess Kumari in Patan, where she did not have to walk on her own feet and was carried during processions. After stepping down from the throne, she had to learn to walk on her own. Overcoming significant academic and social challenges, she has become a senior credit analyst at an Australian company. Beyond the corporate world, she remains active in cultural preservation, reconnecting with her roots. She was included in the BBC 100 Women influential women list in 2016.

Dr Saroj Kumar Aryal – Diplomacy Scholar

Saroj Kumar Aryal worked as a hotel receptionist in Kathmandu while pursuing higher education. He moved to Poland in 2013 and earned a PhD on a scholarship in 2019. He is an assistant professor of international relations at the University of Warsaw and is involved in three international research projects. His primary research focuses on the diplomacy of small states amid the global balance of power. During this period, he has received the Rector’s Award for three consecutive years as well as Poland’s Outstanding Young Scientist Award.

Saurav Subedi / Prajjwal Sharma – Technology Entrepreneurs

The Nepali startup Edex, launched in 2022, attracted an American company with its rapid growth and reached an agreement to be acquired for $2.4 million just three years after its establishment. Having secured a rare exit for a Nepali startup, its founders now have another ambition: empowering citizens through technology. Through the launch of Pratipakshya.com, they have begun digitally monitoring government promises, actions and decisions.

Saigrace – Storyteller

The storytelling skills Saigrace learned from his father during nights when the electricity went out found an outlet in a room in Barcelona during the silence of the lockdown. He turned digital platforms into his stage, where stories of love, pain, memories and human relationships have touched millions of people around the world. For him, stories are not merely words but bridges that connect people.

Akanksha Karki – Theatre Artist / Director

A failed film project pushed her into deep disappointment, but that turning point gave rise to Kaushi Theatre and helped shape her as a director. Having directed more than 15 plays, Akanksha Karki is not a director who seeks to provide society with answers. Rather, she is a powerful voice that asks uncomfortable questions, challenges the status quo and seeks change.

Majid Ansari – Gen Z Activist

Questions remain even after a change in power. Some questions are uncomfortable, while others are unpopular. Yet the health of democracy depends on the ability to ask such questions. Majid Ansari is a young activist who continues to raise those uncomfortable questions, viewing the movement not as a temporary wave of excitement but as a continuing journey of scrutiny and accountability.

Rahul Bisunkhe – Social Entrepreneur

Having witnessed the hardships of Chepang settlements and the struggles of Himalayan communities, Rahul Bisunkhe saw an opportunity for change in plastic waste. Through an initiative led by Rahul and his friends, waste in Rigaun, Dhading, is being transformed into plastic boards, chairs and furniture. By turning a persistent waste problem into a solution, they are pioneering a new practice of the circular economy in Nepal.

Nishkal Rai – Member of Parliament, House of Representatives

Nishkal Rai returned to his village to support his widowed father and later came back to Kathmandu carrying the voice of his constituents. After becoming involved in Nepal Students’ Union politics, he moved into academia. He not only challenged the entrenched hierarchy within his own party but also opened the door for the Nepali Congress in a traditional leftist stronghold. In Parliament, his style is expressed through pointed questions rather than a loud voice. By calling for a moment of silence for martyrs from the parliamentary floor, he even compelled the ruling side and the Speaker to engage with his agenda. He continues to remind a powerful government of democratic values.

Sahas Bhandari – Esports Player

Sahas Bhandari, known as Killer YT, once played PUBG secretly to avoid his parents’ attention. He is now one of Nepal’s highest-earning esports athletes. Having once been willing to sell his beloved bicycle to raise money to buy a phone, he has now gifted a car to his parents. As a member of DRS Gaming, he helped change Nepali society’s perception of esports after finishing second in the world at PMGC 2022.

Swastima Khadka – Actress

Swastima Khadka, who studied architecture, entered the film industry while initially treating acting as a part-time profession. But her journey from Bulbul to Lalibazar has established her as a leader in the Nepali film industry. Over an 11-year career, she has demonstrated strength in both commercial and arthouse cinema and has won the National Film Award twice. She has also led the debate over equal pay for male and female actors in Nepal’s film industry.

Saroj Kumar Mahato: Blood Donation Activist

Saroj Kumar Mahato once travelled from Dhanusha to donate blood to a child with cancer, only to learn upon reaching a hospital in Chitwan that the child had already died. Deeply affected by the experience, he refused to remain silent. Determined to ensure that blood reaches patients on time, he launched a campaign that has so far provided 25,000 pints of blood. Patients’ families still struggle enormously to secure every pint they need. That is why the national ‘Blood for Nepal’ campaign, led by Mahato, continues.

Sompal Kami – Cricketer

Sompal Kami once played street cricket in Patiala, India, wearing slippers. Today, he is the only Nepali cricketer to have played in three T20 World Cups. He is also Nepal’s leading wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup, with 10 wickets. An aggressive pace star on the field, he is known off the field as a “dog father” for his efforts to rescue and care for stray dogs.

Meghraj Budhathoki – Handicraft Entrepreneur

When New Zealand wool is transformed into art through Nepali craftsmanship, it finds its way into homes across developed countries. Along with the products comes recognition of Nepali labour, skills and creativity. Meghraj Budhathoki, who has led this journey, sees business not merely as a means of making profit but as a source of dignified employment for thousands of Nepalis.

Krishnabahadur Damai – Sanskrit Scholar

There was a time when Krishnabahadur Badi (Damai) was denied a tika at a temple because of his caste. Today, he is challenging discrimination from within the same religious tradition. After earning an Acharya degree from Nepal Sanskrit University, he has even delivered religious discourses from the Vyasasan at Pashupatinath. His goal, however, is not simply to become a priest but to turn religious rituals into a cultural campaign against caste-based discrimination.

Yash Puri – Fish Feed Entrepreneur

A business idea born during the COVID-19 pandemic has grown into an industry challenging the dominance of Indian products in Nepal’s fish-feed market. Established in Chitwan using modern technology, the industry has not only helped reduce farmers’ production costs but has also captured 33 per cent of the market within three years of its establishment, raising hopes that Nepal can become self-sufficient in fish feed.

Kanchhalal Jimba – Chairperson, Mahabharat Rural Municipality

Kanchhalal Jimba once joined the Maoist insurgency carrying a gun on his shoulder. Today, he is serving his second term as chairperson of Mahabharat Rural Municipality in Kavre. The rural municipality was once without roads, electricity or effective government services. Jimba has brought changes through roads, electrification and coffee farming while also presenting a model of good governance by maintaining zero outstanding audit irregularities for three consecutive years, according to the Office of the Auditor General.

Maya Basyal – Auxiliary Nurse Midwife

Maya Basyaal is an auxiliary nurse midwife who rushes to assist pregnant women on a motorcycle with her husband whenever she receives a call at night, and has even donated her own blood to save a woman after childbirth. Her dedication has contributed to three consecutive years without a maternal death in Janaki Rural Municipality, Banke. However, she remains troubled by the reality that some fathers still leave hospitals after learning that their newborn is a daughter.

Dipesh Nepal – Agricultural Entrepreneur

It is easy to campaign against the use of chemical fertilisers in farming, but what are the alternatives? That question, raised by disadvantaged Chepang farmers in Chitwan, kept Dipesh Nepal awake at night. It eventually gave birth to Chhahari Farm. Started as a small vegetable farm with his friends from the agricultural college, the initiative has now grown into a commercial enterprise. Through the Agriculture for Food campaign, it has also completed an organic farming awareness journey across 22 districts.

Namrata KC – Associate Professor and Kathak Artist

What distinguishes Namrata KC is her dual identity as an associate professor at Lalitkala Campus and an established performer of Nepali classical dance. After training in Kathak in Lucknow, she returned to Nepal with a mission to transform dance from mere entertainment into a medium of dialogue with society. By bringing historical figures such as Rajendra Lakshmi to the stage, she is also helping popularise dance drama in Nepal.

Alok Khatri – AI Trainer 

From serving as president of the India chapter of the global youth leadership organisation ‘AIESEC’ and representing at the UN General Assembly, to post-earthquake reconstruction campaigns. From being a gym trainer in Kathmandu to successfully finishing an ‘Iron Man’ marathon in Frankfurt. Having studied industrial engineering, what hasn’t he done? After his health startup failed, he turned to deep learning, and now teaches AI to human resources at Commercial Bank and various institutions at home and abroad.

Deepa Khadka – Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM)

While statistics showing that 25 per cent of children under five in Nepal are stunted, 19 per cent underweight, and 8 per cent wasted are deeply troubling, the warmth of healthcare workers like Deepa offers equal relief. From bathing malnourished children and counselling mothers on nutrition, to paying bus fares and buying medicine out of her own pocket, her dedication has made the ANM profession itself exemplary.

Dhiraj Jha – Entrepreneur 

During the chaos of the 2005–06 movement, he fell from a rooftop and suffered severe injuries to his spine and legs. He attended school in a wheelchair through grade 10 but could not continue his studies further. Yet the company built through his determination and dedication now does business worth billions of rupees annually and has enabled more than three hundred workers to stand on their own feet.

Mingma David Sherpa – Mountaineer and Member of Parliament 

A journey that began as a porter took him to the summit of Everest 10 times. He has completed more than three dozen climbs of peaks above 8,000 meters. Mingma David, who led the record-setting team that summited Pakistan’s K2 in winter 2021, recently lost his climbing partner Nims Dai in Pakistan. He has been active in mountain rescue efforts for the past decade and has now entered parliament carrying the cause of the mountains.

NJ Subedi – Tech entrepreneur

A young man who dropped out of computer engineering studies midway and returned to Pokhara faced numerous failures. But the ‘Ludo’ game created by his startup ‘Yarsa Labs’ during the COVID period has now been downloaded more than 200 million times worldwide, while users across another dozen-and-a-half games have reached 500 million. NJ, an engineering college dropout, now runs a company with 200 engineers, built together with friends.

Dilisha Shrestha – Women’s health entrepreneur 

Sanitary pads used by women are thrown away every month, but that waste, made from non-biodegradable plastic, remains in the environment for years. On the other hand, sanitary pads carry their own problems: burning, rashes, and increased infection risk. This dual concern gave birth to ‘Period Panty Flowy.’ This product has changed the daily lives of about 50,000 women and reduced the environmental impact of roughly 500,000 sanitary pads.

Nadish – Poet 

Poet Nadish is emotional, but not a prisoner of emotion. He is philosophical, but doesn’t put philosophy on display. He is modern, but doesn’t get swept up in the fashion of modernity. He is not a trader of words; he is a silent seeker.

Prakash Bohara – Gen Z protester 

Prakash Bohara’s blood-stained shoe became an icon of the movement. After the RSP made him a proportional representation candidate, he campaigned for the party day and night on crutches. But his name didn’t make it onto the list of elected MPs. He also lost the election for the party’s central committee. Yet even without holding any formal position, he remains confident that his shoe will continue to hold the government accountable.

Badri Panta – Ward Chair, Nalgad-4 

Having first attended adult classes before starting school at age 13, who could understand the value of education better than him? Badri Panta, who spent 12 years in journalism, is now the ward chairperson of Nalgad in Jajarkot. He has mobilised support and budgets from home and abroad to improve local school infrastructure. Carrying a spade, he built roads through community labour and introduced an “allowance program for postpartum buffalo” to support farmers.

Aditya Subedi – AI entrepreneur 

A national-level tennis player, Aditya Subedi had earned a generous scholarship to Harvard University. But he left his studies unfinished to go to Silicon Valley, where he founded the AI company ‘Architect Labs.’ Having raised $24 million in investment, the company aims to automate the world’s chip design process. His technology will also make the work of companies like Google and Amazon easier.

Deepak Kafle – Entrepreneur 

Carrying the dream of freeing his family from financial hardship, Deepak came to Kathmandu from Dang at the age of 16 and opened a tea shop, but failed. He then went to India, returned and ran a clothing business in Kathmandu that also collapsed. To make ends meet, he worked as a loader carrying liquor cartons, then went to Qatar for manual labour. After returning to Nepal, he opened a momo shop in Dang, which also failed. But he picked himself back up and started a cake business in Dang, and this time failure gave up before he did. Today, ‘Rani Cake’ is one of the biggest brands in western Nepal, with branches in various cities employing more than 60 people.

Rabindra Dhant – Mixed martial arts fighter 

Having broken stones in Pithoragarh, carried electric poles, and made tea in a Delhi office, Rabindra Dhant has now become the Nepali fighter who reached the semifinals of the UFC selection. Unable to afford bus fare, he trained by walking every day from Kirtipur to Jhamsikhel and delivered Nepal’s first historic win on ‘Road to UFC.’ Once seen crying while cleaning stairs with a bucket as he watched boys his own age go to school, he is now an inspiration to millions of young Nepalis.

Khusbu Oli – Member of Parliament 

Once Miss Teen Nepal, Khusbu Oli now serves as chief whip of Rastriya Prajatantra Party in parliament. Having continuously raised her voice in parliament to bring back Sharmila Darji, who was trafficked to Kuwait, she has established herself as a vocal MP who consistently raises questions on such socio-political issues. Her style of speaking with preparation and following up on issues she raises has lent her debates real weight.

Jenny Khadka – Burn survivor counsellor 

The acid her husband threw at her caused her pain, but society’s treatment of her burns caused even more. Jenny Khadka, who initially covered her face with a scarf to hide her scars, has now turned that very identity into strength, counselling other burn survivors. Burn patients coming to Kirtipur Hospital draw the most encouragement from her story and resolve.

Amigo Khadka – Entrepreneur 

Amigo Khadka had a job at JP Morgan Chase on Wall Street, but was drawn instead to the dream of running delivery vans through the streets of Nepal. After shaping and accelerating ‘Upaya Logistics,’ he went on a scholarship to the London School of Economics, then returned to Nepal once again to industrialise the country’s tea culture, turning ‘Nepal Tea Collective’ into a global brand. The company’s revenue has grown fivefold in four years to reach $2 million.

Ajar Rajbhandari – E-commerce entrepreneur 

What to do with clothes returned by customers at the family shop? Ajar Rajbhandari’s mother had the idea of selling them cheaply online. In the US, he followed his mother’s same approach to institutionalise e-commerce on Amazon. His startup ‘Herd,’ with just seven employees and reliance on AI, did about $15 million in business in its very first year. The products he sells on Amazon consistently remain bestsellers.

Priya Rai – Trail runner 

Twenty-six-year-old Priya Rai from Khotang, who came to trail running via taekwondo and rugby, has set a record by winning the ‘Asia Trail Master’ title twice in a row. Flying Nepal’s flag from Thailand to Europe and dominating world trail running, her beginnings were far from easy. There was no one to teach her what shoes to wear or how to run. She learned to run by watching videos of ultra-runners online, and today she is an inspiration to many she has never even met.

Dr Yadav Prasad Kandel – Quantum scientist 

Having grown up cutting grass and firewood in the hills of Gulmi’s Shringa, Dr Yadav Prasad Kandel now works as a ‘Staff Scientist’ at IBM, a leading global tech company. IBM aims to build a large quantum computer named ‘Starling’ by 2029, capable of self-correcting errors in complex calculations and delivering reliable results. As a staff scientist on that very project, his plans also include opening a new quantum technology company in Nepal and building a research team at a university there.

Dr Suman Giri – Data scientist 

Pfizer, the vaccine manufacturer, became well known in Nepal too during COVID-19. The Senior Vice President and Head of AI at this company, which supplies over 600 products across 140 countries, is Dr Suman Giri. Having grown up in the narrow alleys of Ason, he is now responsible for developing and implementing data science and AI strategy to further expand Pfizer.

Archana Tuladhar – Churpi entrepreneur 

A background in chartered accountancy combined with a fondness for dogs gave birth to Actent Exports. This company, which produces Himalayan Dog Treats, has today become Nepal’s largest churpi industry. Eighty per cent of this export company’s income goes directly into the accounts of more than a thousand farmers across districts including Ilam, Panchthar, and Taplejung in eastern Nepal. The factory in Kathmandu’s Kapan employs 87 workers, 80 per cent of whom are women.