Anupam Mittal is a man of many hats. A well-known name in the e-commerce industry, he is the founder and CEO of People Group, an umbrella platform comprising Shaadi.com, Makaan.com, Mauj Mobile, and People Pictures.
His brainchild ‘Shaadi.com.’ is one of India’s best matrimonial sites. The portal that claims to have brought together millions of couples was started in 1996. The aim was quite simple: give a better matchmaking experience to people through numerous possibilities. It was his own experience that triggered Mittal to start the venture.
The story goes on like this. After his studies, Anupam returned to India. He used to do web development projects sitting at his father’s office. It was during the same time an old school matchmaker spotted him. He was determined to find a match for Mittal who did not want to go for it. Mittal thought of alternatives. An idea of a virtual matchmaker struck his mind. He found it appealing as the space ensured a safe and reliable environment where people can share their details and find the right match. Thus, happened Shaadi.com.
The initial version came out as Sagaai.com. Mittal handled the website along with his employment and invested in it. But, by 2000-2001, when the dot.com bubble burst, leaving many firms bankrupt, Micro Strategy where he was working also collapsed. This forced Mittal to look for options. Fortunately, around the same time, Anupam came across Shariah [SP].com. It dawned on him that a lot of people NRIs, especially those in the United States, UK, and Canada were looking for partners. He saw potential there. He also realised that the internet penetration in India was at its nascent stage. So, he shifted his focus to the US market. It was because these people were geographically separated from their homelands but still wanted to marry within their communities. But, they had no place to search for. This was where Shaadi.com would come into play.
The company claims that it serves more than 30 million customers.
Born on December 23, 1971, in Mumbai, Anupam Mittal holds an MBA in Operations and Strategic Management from the Boston College in the USA. He has a net worth of $40 million as of February 2022. He is married to Aanchal Kumar, a model-turned-actor. Over the years, Mittal’s valuations increased 10-fold, thanks to more than 40 investments in various sectors like Shaadi.com, Ola cabs, Makaan.com, and Mauj mobile.
He has grown up to be one of the most powerful business figures in India. He was one of the judges of the Indian business reality tv show Shark Tank India. Mittal made 24 Business deals in Shark Tanks India and invested Rs 5.4 crore in 24 startups in the programme. He has also funded some Bollywood movies.
The company is known as one of the most inventive in the country, and Mittal is lauded for his strong business acumen and attention to detail.
His other ventures Makaan.com is India’s fastest-growing online real estate platform and Mauj Mobile is India’s top mobile media firm. Mittal is also a successful angel investor. In his tenure, he has done over 200 investments in companies like Big Basket, Interactive Avenues, Ola Cabs, Druva, Fab Hotels, PropTiger, DocsApp, Rupeek, Porter, Ketto, Trell, Lets Venture, and others. He is also an adviser to some of India’s top venture capital businesses. Mittal is the founding Co-chair of H2 India and a founding member and past chairman of the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
Business week named Mittal as one of India’s 50 Most Influential People while TiE recognised him as Outstanding Serial Entrepreneur & Angel Investor in January 2020. The Week has listed him in the list of ’25 People to watch out for’.He received the Karmaveer Puraskar (Award for Social Justice and Citizen Action) in the area of “Entrepreneur for Social Change.”
