Founder & Managing Director, Unicorn Next
Sunil Khosla
Building Businesses, Entrepreneurs & Global Pathways
Sunil Khosla is the Founder and Managing Director of Unicorn Next. Over 25 years he has built and scaled businesses across consumer goods, financial services, payments and digital, from the field up and from inception. Today he works with founders, leadership teams and boards on growth, go-to-market and international market access.
The journey
Built from the field up
Sunil has spent his career building: launching brands, creating new routes to market and starting new businesses inside large organisations, before founding his own.
Go-to-market from the ground up
Sales, distribution and brand roll-outs across consumer goods, insurance and payments.
New businesses from inception
New digital, retail and last-mile models that widened access and reached customers at lower cost.
Leadership at the top table
Senior leadership roles alongside boards and management teams through growth and transformation.
Experience across ITC · Max New York Life · Danone · Pidilite · AGS Transact
Today
Building Unicorn Next
Through Unicorn Next, Sunil works with startups, scale-ups, SMEs, enterprises and leadership teams on commercial strategy, go-to-market, transformation, strategic partnerships and international expansion across India, the UK and Europe, North America, Southeast Asia and Australia.
Growth platformScaleXCommercial priorities with execution support: strategy, sales, go-to-market and brand.Growth platformXpanding HorizonsCountry-specific market insight with partner and customer access for international expansion.Co-Founder & CEOThe Smiling Souls ↗A community and experiences platform for adults 50+, from theatre to travel.
Alongside these, BuildX, YouthX and InnoX extend the impact through leadership communities, next-generation entrepreneurship and corporate innovation.
Mentoring & speaking
Mentor, juror and speaker
Sunil mentors and advises founders and leaders through leading entrepreneurship and education ecosystems. He is a TEDx speaker with 75+ keynote, jury and panel engagements across 20+ countries, and was a judge at the Digital Health Hub Awards 2025 at HLTH, Las Vegas.
Draper UniversityTechstarsT-HubISBIITsIIMsSP JainWadhwani FoundationTiEThe Marketing Academy UK
On the ground
SME growth roundtable with LSEG, MumbaiCanada–India Business Forum, MumbaiIndia–London Growth Dialogue, LondonWhatsApp Business Summit 2024I-Venture @ ISBFinnovate Accelerator
Recent moments
SME growth roundtable with LSEG, Mumbai
Canada–India Business Forum, Mumbai
India–London Growth Dialogue, London
WhatsApp Business Summit 2024
I-Venture @ ISB
Finnovate AcceleratorSelected coverage: Aamantran Rangmanch by The Smiling Souls (The Wire / PTI) · Payment-as-a-convenience (Technuter) · Simplifying the process of transacting (CEO Insights India)
Where Sunil helps
Areas of expertise
Commercial & sales strategyGo-to-market & distributionBusiness transformationInternational market entryStrategic partnershipsBoard & founder advisoryPayments & FinTechConsumer & FMCG
Quick answers
About Sunil Khosla
Who is Sunil Khosla?
Sunil Khosla is the Founder and Managing Director of Unicorn Next, a global growth and market-access firm. He has 25+ years of operating experience across consumer goods, financial services, payments and digital, including senior roles at ITC, Max New York Life, Danone, Pidilite and AGS Transact.
What does Unicorn Next do?
Unicorn Next helps startups, scale-ups, SMEs and enterprises grow. ScaleX covers commercial strategy, sales and go-to-market, and Xpanding Horizons supports international expansion with country-specific insight and partner access. BuildX, YouthX and InnoX extend the work through leadership communities, next-generation entrepreneurship and corporate innovation.
What is The Smiling Souls?
The Smiling Souls is a community and experiences platform for adults 50+, co-founded by Sunil Khosla, who is its CEO. It brings seniors together through theatre, travel, events and everyday engagement.
How can I work with Sunil Khosla?
Founders, leadership teams and boards can reach Sunil through the Unicorn Next contact page or on LinkedIn for conversations on growth, go-to-market, market entry and advisory roles.
Let’s talk about your next phase of growth
Go-to-market, market entry, transformation or a board and advisory conversation.