From Failing to Get Into IIT to Founding Indias Earliest Unicorn: How Shark Tank India Season 4 new judge and Snapdeal Co-founder Kunal Bahl turned failure into success
Shark Tank India, a popular business reality show is back with season 4. It is streaming exclusively on Sony LIV from January 6. This season, a new judge, Kunal Bahl, has joined the panel. He is the co-founder of Snapdeal and Titan Capital. He joins the returning panel members: Vineeta Singh, Aman Gupta, Namita Thapar, Anupam Mittal, and Peyush Bansal. Most people know Kunal Bahl as the co-founder of Snapdeal, but not many know about the challenges he faced while building his business.
Kunal Bahl is a famous entrepreneur and investor, best known for co-founding Snapdeal. With a proven track record in building successful businesses and investing in promising startups, Kunal Bahl has become a leading figure in the Indian business ecosystem. He has revealed that there were times when it felt like everything was falling apart. From not being accepted into IIT, to having his H-1B visa application denied, Kunal Bahl struggled through critical moments where life tested him at every step but Bahl never gave up. Today, he is a highly successful entrepreneur, and his story is an inspiring example of persistence, commitment, and smart decision-making. Let’s take a closer look at his journey and how he reached this remarkable turning point.
From Delhi to Microsoft: Kunal Bahl’s Journey of education, work, and returning to India
Kunal Bahl was born in Delhi and completed his schooling there. Later, he went to the University of Pennsylvania for higher studies, where he graduated in two different subjects. He also studied executive marketing at the Kellogg School of Management in the U.S. After finishing his studies, Kunal worked at Microsoft for some time. However, due to visa issues, he had to return to India in 2007.
Kunal Bahl’s Success: From Snapdeal to investing in top companies with Titan Capital
Kunal Bahl started Snapdeal in 2010. In 2022, the company underwent some corporate changes and rebranded itself as AceVector. Now, Snapdeal, Unicommerce, and Stellaro Brands come under AceVector. Kunal is also the co-founder of Titan Capital, through which he has invested in several big companies. With Titan Capital, Kunal has invested in companies like Ola, Urban Company, Mamaearth, Credgenics, Shadowfax, Razorpay, and Jiva, among others.
Kunal Bahl: Already part of reality shows before joining Shark Tank India
Kunal Bahl says that he first thought about starting a business when he was 23 years old. Back then, the concept of startups wasn’t even known, and no one was talking about it. He mentions that at that time, he had only two choices: either do a job or start a business. Kunal has also served as the chairman of the National Committee of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for some time.
Failed to get into IIT, H-1B Visa rejected: Kunal Bahl’s struggles to success
Kunal Bahl, co-founder of Snapdeal, wanted to get into IIT but couldn’t, which he regrets. His H-1B visa application was also rejected, leaving him disappointed. He says many things didn’t go as he had planned, but despite all the challenges, he started a business and became a successful entrepreneur.
What is Kunal Bahl’s net worth?
There is no official figure for Kunal Bahl’s wealth, but some media reports mention different estimates. According to these reports, Kunal Bahl’s net worth is believed to be around Rs 3,500 crores.
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