Gaurav Sharma is a serial entrepreneur, sustainability coach, 3-time TEDx speaker, podcaster, and regional changemaker committed to building scalable impact ventures at the intersection of climate, innovation, and youth leadership. In 2016, he founded Thankyou Waste with the vision of creating a world without waste. Since then, the company has pioneered decentralized, easy-to-deploy, fully automatic waste management solutions that are both affordable and financially viable. Under his leadership, Thankyou Waste has diverted over 30,000 tonnes of waste from landfills and reduced more than 120,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, earning Gaurav the moniker “Trashman of Rajasthan” in national media. His solutions have been implemented in over 120 hotels, restaurants, university campuses, and private estates, creating localized economic value and jobs through bio-methanation, composting, recycling, and circular material recovery.

A landmark initiative was his collaboration with the Rajasthan Royals (IPL), where he led a successful zero-waste stadium pilot, processing over 10 tonnes of waste per match and launching behavior-change campaigns with fans on responsible consumption and climate action. Over 2 seasons, 140 tonnes of waste has been processed from the stadium.

Gaurav currently leads ACIC VGU Foundation, one of India’s most dynamic university-based startup incubators. Under his leadership, ACIC has supported over 140 startups, helping them access grants, develop go-to-market strategies, and secure investor connections. He has mobilized ₹32 Cr+ (USD 4M+) from government schemes and corporate CSR partners to fuel early-stage innovation in sectors like climate tech, agritech, health, and education. Many of these startups are student-led, with several progressing toward seed and Series A funding. His work at ACIC reflects his broader vision of embedding innovation within academic ecosystems and building university-based entrepreneurial pipelines for regional development.

In 2024, Gaurav was Co-Lead of Shape South Asia, a flagship regional initiative under the Global Shapers Community. In this role, he co-curated a high-impact gathering of 100+ shapers across South Asia, bringing together policymakers, social entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and grassroots innovators to shape the region’s sustainability and inclusion agenda.

Gaurav was earlier selected as a Future50 Shaper for the inaugural cohort by the WEF & Global Shapers Community's program, acknowledging his vision and commitment to intergenerational change.

He also hosts the "Behind the Success with Gaurav Sharma" podcast, where he deep-dives into the psychology of leadership, resilience, and personal growth. His conversations with impact-driven founders, thinkers, and community leaders explore how the mind, body, and emotional awareness shape entrepreneurial journeys and transformative work. His storytelling — both on stage and through media — aims to humanize entrepreneurship and make success more accessible.

Over the past decade, Gaurav has built cross-sector collaborations with stakeholders from sport (IPL), academia (Vivekananda Global University), government bodies (urban local bodies, ministries), and global platforms (GSC, Unicef, GiZ). He is frequently invited to speak at national conferences, panels, and international summits on sustainability, startup ecosystems, circular economy, and youth innovation. His recognitions include Patrika 40 Under 40 (2021) and several institutional and regional awards for social impact.