Nepal-born entrepreneur Ajar Rajbhandary, founder of the e-commerce company Herd, has been named one of Forbes 30 Under 30, 2026 honourees.

The New York-based Herd, built without a single dollar of external investment, is on track to generate more than $15 million in its first year. The company has emerged as a challenger to capital-heavy Amazon aggregators by showing that operational expertise, technology and brand-building can outperform large pools of money.

Herd currently owns three brands, including electronics seller Mini Mic Pro and beauty brand Trancend, and is preparing to launch five more this year in categories ranging from electric dog collars to car adapters.

Mini Mic Pro has consistently ranked as a best-selling microphone on Amazon, outperforming well-known competitors such as Logitech, RODE and DJI, according to Rajbhandary.

His recognition by Forbes underscores an unconventional rise in the e-commerce world.

Rajbhandary’s journey began in 2006, watching his parents sell on eBay and Amazon. That early exposure, he says, gave him a practical understanding of what makes digital brands succeed.

Unlike many of his competitors that acquire third-party sellers, Herd builds its brands from scratch.

“Most people in e-commerce today come from finance or tech. I grew up watching my parents actually sell online back in 2006,” Rajbhandary told USA News. “That gave me a front-row seat to what really works — not just theory, but hands-on experience building brands before Amazon was mainstream.”

While many players in the sector have raised hundreds of millions in debt and equity to buy existing Amazon brands, Herd has taken a different path. Instead of roll-ups, the company focuses on creating its own labels. Rajbhandary says their edge lies in a blend of deep operating experience and proprietary technology.

“The first decision we made was to never compromise on product quality or brand identity. We’re not just acquiring businesses — we’re building them to last,” he said.

A key part of Herd’s strategy is an in-house AI system that identifies high-potential product categories, streamlines supply chain operations and automates key processes, enabling the company to focus on creativity, quality and long-term brand value.

With ambitions that extend beyond Amazon, including expansion into retail stores, Herd sees itself as an operator-driven, culturally attuned “house of brands” designed for the next generation of global consumers, he told the US media.