The ₹35 Pen
Starting before you're ready: a nine-year-old's pen trade, and why every big thing he's built since was the same hustle wearing better clothes.
SpeakingTHE SPEAKER ISSUE
Book Harsh Kumar Arya to speak Put him on your poster.
Harsh Kumar Arya is an Indian entrepreneur and speaker based in Delhi NCR. He bootstrapped 98 Entertainment, an influencer-marketing and talent-management agency, building ₹15 Cr+ in revenue with eighteen people across three cities, signed cricketer Ishant Sharma at 21, then closed the agency at the top to do his MBA at ISB. His talks are built for college fests, E-Cells, TEDx events, B-schools and panels, in English or Hindi.
- Based in
- Delhi NCR. Travels anywhere with a stage and a working mic.
- Speaks
- English, Hindi, or the mix your crowd prefers.
- Formats
- 18-minute TED-style talk, 45-minute keynote, panel, fireside chat, campus workshop.
- Bookings
- hi@harsharya.com. Replies fast; faster if the subject line names your event.
Live on stage
Harsh Kumar Arya
Why organisers book himRECEIPTS, NOT RÉSUMÉS
Fluent in their maths. Backed by receipts.
What he brings to a stage is the thing student audiences rarely get: someone close enough to their age to be fluent in their maths, with receipts big enough that the advice isn't theoretical. He has hired, fired, signed, scaled, shut down and started again, all before most CVs get their first bullet point.
21
his age when Ishant Sharma, 105 Tests for India, signed exclusively with his agency
₹15 Cr+
revenue built at 98 Entertainment, 65× on bootstrapped capital
18 / 3
people on payroll, cities, and zero outside funding
57·12·500+
brand clients, athletes and creators on the roster at the peak
The talksALL CUSTOMISABLE
Five talks he can give tomorrow.
Each one road-tested on the hardest crowd available: MBA classmates, teenagers, or clients paying by the hour. All of them bend to your event's theme.
How to sign a fast bowler at 21
Talent, leverage, and cold calls that get returned: inside the deal that, by his count, made him the country's youngest talent manager.
Receipts, not résumés
Bootstrapping ₹15 Cr+ with eighteen people and no investors: what placement season doesn't teach about building things that pay salaries.
The economics of being born in '98
Gen-Z economics with actual numbers: the transition decade, the creator economy, and what this generation refuses to inherit.
Close it at the top
He closed a growing agency, then took his ISB seat: on quitting well, the most unfashionable skill in the founder economy.
FormatsTHE FINE PRINT
Pick the shape of the slot.
Five formats, from an 18-minute TED-style talk to a hands-on campus workshop. Whichever you pick, the talk bends to your theme.
| Format | Length |
|---|---|
| TED-style talk | 18 minutes |
| Keynote | 45 minutes |
| Panel discussion | Set by your run of show |
| Fireside chat | Set by your run of show |
| Campus workshop | Set by your run of show |
Languages
English, Hindi, or a mix your crowd prefers.
Based in
Delhi NCR. Travels anywhere with a stage and a working mic.
On the day
One mic, one clicker, and an introduction no longer than a line. The emcee's line is ready.
On stage so farSTAGES, CLASSROOMS, BOARDROOMS
Proof he can hold a room.
-
Josh Talks
Featured speaker. Told the founder-origin story on one of India's largest youth platforms.
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A conversation with Prof. Prasanna Tantri
Produced and fronted a video conversation with his ISB finance professor, who also sits on the board of Power Finance Corporation. 200K+ views.
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ISB classrooms
Named P2P Champ for the peer-to-peer marketing sessions he taught to 100+ MBA classmates, and designed a Block Week course on sports marketing.
-
Startup competitions
Finalist at Collision (Canada) and Startup Istanbul with Vox Up, the professional-networking platform he founded at university.
-
Boardrooms
35+ C-level sessions to close a five-year, $1M ARR enterprise upsell with Jio. A different kind of stage fright.
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The organiser's side
As Vice-President of his university's student council, he grew event participation 30% year on year. He has sat on your side of the table too.
In printAS COVERED BY
The press got there first.
Expansion and Diversification: Harsh Arya's 98 Entertainment Ventures into Social Media Marketing and Podcasts!
Tech-driven Triumph: Harsh Arya's 98 Entertainment's Innovative Approach to Influencer Marketing Shines!
Innovative Strategies Propel 98 Entertainment to New Heights in Talent Management
BiosCOPY, PASTE, PRINT
Bios, ready to paste.
For the poster, the brochure and the emcee. Take whichever length fits.
Poster line
Harsh Kumar Arya, founder of 98 Entertainment, ISB MBA, and the talent manager who signed Ishant Sharma at 21.
Short bio · 50 words
Harsh Kumar Arya is a Delhi NCR–based entrepreneur. He founded 98 Entertainment in 2020 and bootstrapped it, building ₹15 Cr+ in revenue, a team of eighteen and a roster that included cricketer Ishant Sharma, signed when Harsh was 21. Then he closed the agency at the top for an MBA at ISB.
Emcee introduction · 30 seconds
Our next speaker started trading pens at nine because his parents wouldn't buy him a thirty-five-rupee one. At twenty-one, he signed India fast bowler Ishant Sharma to his agency, 98 Entertainment, which he grew to eighteen people across three cities without a rupee of outside funding. Then he closed it at the top and went to ISB. Please welcome Harsh Kumar Arya.
Long bio · 120 words
Harsh Kumar Arya is an entrepreneur from Ratlam, now based in Delhi NCR. In 2020 he founded 98 Entertainment, an influencer-marketing and talent-management agency he bootstrapped with no outside funding: ₹15 Cr+ in revenue built, eighteen people across three cities, 57 brand clients, 12 athletes and 500+ creators, including cricketer Ishant Sharma, signed exclusively when Harsh was 21. He wound the agency down in mid-2023, while it was still growing, and graduated from the Indian School of Business with an MBA in 2025. A computer-science engineer and former Georgia Tech research scholar, he now runs Ninety-Eight 2.0, a creative-and-strategy practice for founders, helps run his family's school in the NCR, and co-writes GenZ Economics with Prof. Prasanna Tantri.
QuestionsASKED BY ORGANISERS
What organisers ask first.
Who is Harsh Kumar Arya?
Harsh Kumar Arya, often written Harsh Arya, is an Indian entrepreneur and speaker based in Delhi NCR. He founded 98 Entertainment (Ninety-Eight Entertainment), an influencer-marketing and talent-management agency, in 2020 and bootstrapped it, building ₹15 Cr+ in revenue, with a roster that included cricketer Ishant Sharma. He holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business (Class of 2025) and was a research scholar at Georgia Tech in 2019. The long version is on the home page.
What does Harsh Arya speak about?
Starting young, bootstrapping a company without investors, signing and managing talent, the creator economy and Gen-Z economics, and quitting well, all drawn from running a talent and influencer-marketing agency. He has five ready talks, and each one can be tailored to your event's theme.
Is he available for college fests and E-Cell events?
Yes. His talks are built for student audiences: college fests, E-Cells and entrepreneurship summits, orientations, B-schools, sports and media fests, and econ fests. Email hi@harsharya.com with your date and city.
Can he give a TEDx talk?
Yes. Two of his five talks, The ₹35 Pen and Close it at the top, are pitched at TEDx audiences, and an 18-minute TED-style talk is one of his formats.
Will he join a panel discussion or a fireside chat?
Yes. Panels and fireside chats are two of his five formats. His Gen-Z economics talk is pitched at panels, and Close it at the top at firesides.
Does he speak in Hindi?
Yes. He speaks in English, Hindi, or whatever mix your audience prefers.
Where is he based, and does he travel?
He is based in Delhi NCR and travels anywhere with a stage and a working mic.
How do I invite him to speak?
Email hi@harsharya.com with your event's name in the subject line, plus the date, city, audience size, format and theme, or fill in the invite below. He replies fast, and faster when the subject line names your event.
What does he need on the day?
One mic, one clicker, and an introduction no longer than a line. The emcee introduction is ready to copy.
What is his speaking fee?
Fees aren't published. Email hi@harsharya.com with the format, city and date of your event to ask about availability and terms.
Is this the Harsh Arya who founded 98 Entertainment?
Yes. Harsh Kumar Arya, often written Harsh Arya, founded 98 Entertainment (Ninety-Eight Entertainment), did his MBA at ISB (Class of 2025), was a research scholar at Georgia Tech (2019), and was born in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh. harsharya.com is his own site. Other people share the name; this site belongs to the Harsh Arya who founded 98 Entertainment.
InvitePUT HIM ON YOUR POSTER
Got a stage, a mic and a date?
Page updated 24 October 2026