Kunal Bahl’s Bio: The Snapdeal’s Co-Founder Who Changed the Face of Shopping Industry

Kunal Bahl is an Indian entrepreneur and investor. He made headlines after he co-founded the e-commerce company, Snapdeal.

Wiki/Bio

Kunal Bahl was born on 1 January 1984 (age 39 years; as of 2023) in New Delhi, India. Bahl completed his schooling at Delhi Public School R.K. Puram, New Delhi. Soon after completing his higher secondary education, he relocated to Philadelphia. Later, he pursued the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Meanwhile, in the university, he earned two bachelor’s degrees in Entrepreneurship, Operation and Information Management from The Wharton School and Engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Later, he pursued an executive engineering program at Kellogg School of Management.

Family

Kunal Bahl was raised in a middle-class family in New Delhi. His father initially worked in a coal mine in Chattisgarh. However, the job was not financially fulfilling. Owing to this, Kunal’s father started a company which produced plastic spools. Meanwhile, his mother is a homemaker. Additionally, Kunal has an elder brother, Nikhil, who pursued his formal education at IIT.

Career

• Soon after pursuing his formal education, Kunal Bahl started working for Microsoft. However, he worked there for a short period. Later, he returned to India owing to VISA issues.
• Soon after returning to India, Kunal Bahl contacted his childhood friend, Rohit Bansal. However, at that time, Bansal was working with Capital One, a US Financial Company and was about to shift to the US.
• However, with Kunal’s insistence, Rohit dropped his plan of moving to the US and decided to execute the entrepreneurial plan with him. Initially, the business duo came up with a coupon business and it was named Money Saver. However, after a year, they acknowledged the little scope the company had in the Indian market.
• Later, in 2010, Kunal co-founded the e-commerce company, Snapdeal.
• Besides Snapdeal, he is the founder of Titan Capital. A capital firm, Titan Capital has invested in many startups like Ola, Urban Company, MamaEarth, Bira, and Shadowfax.
• Along with entrepreneurship, Bahl is actively involved with various industry associations and think tanks. He is on the board of governors of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, a member of the executive council of NASSCOM, and the chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Committee on E-commerce.

Personal Life

Kunal Bahl entered into a marriage with Yashna Bahl, owner of a confectionery business. Besides, the couple has a daughter and a son named Aadidev.

Also read – Varun Alagh’s Bio: The Man Who Took MamaEarth to the Pinnacle of Success

What is the net worth of Kunal Bahl?

As of 2023, Kunal Bahl has an estimated net worth of $80 Million, which in INR is 640 Crores, claims sources. Additionally, many sources including Snapdeal contribute to the staggering net worth of Kunal Bahl. Meanwhile, his annual salary is INR 5 crores, according to FY21.

Awards

2014

• Honoured as the BMA Entrepreneur of the Year
• Featured on the ET Top 50 Entrepreneurs of India list
• earned him a spot on Fortune’s 40 under 40 most influential business leaders list

2015

• Received the EY Entrepreneur of the Year – Startup award
• Nasscom NextGen Entrepreneur award
• Economic Times Entrepreneur of the Year award
• AIMA Transformational Business Leader of the Year and Indian Affairs Business Leader of the Year.

Also read – Sriharsha Majety’s Bio: The Man Behind Swiggy

Lesser known facts about Kunal Bahl

• Kunal has been fascinated by entrepreneurship since childhood. Meanwhile, owing to his father’s business, he wanted to start his own business.
• Following in his brother’s footsteps, he started preparing for IIT. However, he failed in his first attempt. Owing to failure, Kunal dropped the plan of joining IIT.
• After the failed attempt, Bahl joined a manufacturing company which was also his father’s friend’s company. Meanwhile, he earned INR 6550/- month there.
• Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal together own a stake of 16 per cent in the company, Snap Deal.