Young & Working: Top Billionaires in India to Learn from

May 8, 2020 | BIZ, India, TECH

Divyank Turakhia – Barrel Rolling With A Thrillionaire Entrepreneur ©Forbes Life Youtube

The majority of the billionaires in the world are self-made. These people are proof that it is not impossible to achieve a dream. Take a look at some of the Indian self-made billionaires that have cemented their empire. 

Before one can become a billionaire, they must build their first million. But can you imagine making an insane amount from scratch? 

It turns out, it’s anything but impossible, and young self-made billionaires from India are proof. A huge chunk of these successful entrepreneurs are tech moguls. Take a look at these inspirational tycoons below. Unlike typical billionaire lists, this compilation does not include heir and heiresses.

Divyank Turakhia

The founder and driving force behind Directi, Divyank Turakhia’s vision enabled his company to transform from a start-up to a powerful global enterprise through growth, expansion, strategic partnerships, and most importantly, innovation. The billionaire’s love for programming started when he was just 9 years old when he ran a free dial-up bulletin board system during the pre-internet days. 

His company was hailed as one of the Top 500 fastest-growing companies in Asia for four consecutive years. Skenzo was founded in 2005 as part of the Directi Group and in just one year, it became the fastest-growing domain parking company in the world. Now, he has expanded to other media businesses, particularly in the field of online advertising and web services.

Ritesh Agarwal

If you’re a frequent traveler, you probably know a thing or two about Oyo Rooms. Founded by young billionaire Ritesh Agarwal, the business has a network of thousands of hotels all over the world. After his success in India and Asia, Agarwal has also set his sights on the US, where Oyo is on its way to become a household name. 

You may be struggling with school when you were 19 years old. Well, Agarwal started his journey at that age. While backpacking in India, he found out that there is a lack of predictability and reliability when it comes to accommodations. This realization became the foundation of his empire. He used his $100,000 grant from Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel to start Oyo Rooms.

Nithin Kamath

Nithin Kamath is one of the most successful internet entrepreneurs in India. Hailing from a middle-class family in Bangalore, Nithin Kamath founded an online-only Indian discount stock brokerage called Zerodha, a successful company with more than $1 billion retail trading turnovers per day. He also founded the financial technology startup Rainmatter. 

His father U.R. Kamath worked as an executive of the Canara Bank. When he was young, his dad would let him come with him on work travels. It turns out, this became his major inspiration. Kamath started managing his father’s trading account at the young age of 17 and worked as a professional trader before he founded Zerodha with his brother, Nikhil Kamath.

Sachin Bansal

The founder of Flipkart, Sachin Bansal worked as an Amazon executive before he teamed up with his friend Binny Bansal to build the online bookselling company, Flipkart. Despite having the same surname, the two are not related. 

Starting with only $6,000 of their combined savings, the two started operating in their apartment. The two would deliver books in Bangalore on their scooters and would personally ask buyers for insight. In 2018, Wal-Mart bought 77% of their company for a whopping $16 billion. This became the biggest internet film deal in the world. Sachin then cashed out his minority stake for $1 billion.

Amod Malviya

The man who built the technology backbone behind Flipkart, Amod Malviya founded B2B marketplace Udaan, which became widely successful in under 26 months. His company is responsible for bringing together retailers, traders, manufacturers, and traders into a single effective platform. It handles products that range from electronics, apparel, and even fresh produce. 

The businessman firmly believes that everyone’s experience is becoming more “algorithmized” and this is determined by online behavior and preference.

The New Era of Billionaires

For the longest time, it seems the only billionaires in the world were those born with a golden spoon in their mouth. However, these young Indian tycoons are changing the game – proof that anyone can accomplish just about anything. Let us know how they inspired you in the comments.