Anupam Mittal is an Indian entrepreneur, angel investor, and founder of Shaadi.com. CEO of People Group, he pioneered online matchmaking in India. A Shark Tank India judge, he mentors startups, advocates innovation, and supports technology-driven businesses across media, consumer internet, and digital platforms, with global experience and strong startup leadership.
Introduction :
Anupam Mittal is an Indian entrepreneur, investor, and business leader best known as the founder and CEO of People Group and Shaadi.com, one of the world’s most successful online matrimonial services. Over the past three decades, Mittal has built and shaped multiple ventures in technology, internet services, and real-estate marketplaces, emerged as one of India’s most prolific angel investors, and become a household name through his role as a Shark on the television series Shark Tank India.
Born in December 1971 in Mumbai, Mittal’s journey from middle-class beginnings to global entrepreneurial prominence has been marked by bold risks, spectacular setbacks, and transformative successes that not only changed his life but redefined matchmaking and tech entrepreneurship in India.
Early Life and Family Background
Anupam Mittal was born on 23 December 1971 in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India. Although detailed public information about his family background and parents’ professions is limited, what is well documented is that he grew up in a generation that saw India’s economic environment evolve rapidly through liberalization in the early 1990s. His formative years were spent in a city that was already emerging as the financial and cultural hub of the country.
Growing up in Mumbai, Mittal displayed an early affinity for academics and ambition for broader horizons. This ambition would later take him abroad for higher education — a decision that played a significant role in shaping his worldview and entrepreneurial path.
Education Background
Education played a critical role in molding Anupam Mittal’s professional abilities. He completed his schooling at Jai Hind College, one of Mumbai’s reputable institutions known for its strong academic ethos and vibrant student culture.
After finishing his schooling, Mittal took a bold step that many of his peers did not at the time — he moved abroad to pursue higher education. He enrolled at Boston College in the United States, where he graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Operations and Strategic Management.
Studying in the U.S. exposed Mittal to advanced business methodologies and innovative tech environments that were far ahead of what was available in India during the early 1990s. This immersion in global business practices later proved invaluable as he launched internet ventures in India during the dot-com boom and beyond.
Early Professional Career
After completing his MBA, Mittal began his professional journey in the United States. His first significant role was at MicroStrategy, a business intelligence and analytics software company. He started as a product manager — a role that gave him firsthand experience in product strategy, technology deployment, and market positioning.
It was during this period that Mittal became part of the extraordinary valuation run of MicroStrategy in the late 1990s, when the company’s market value soared dramatically amid the dot-com boom. His compensation included stock options, and for a time, that made him a multi-millionaire in his early 20s.
However, this period of professional and financial success turned abrupt and painful when the dot-com bubble burst. The engine of the global tech market reeled under the collapse, stock values plummeted, and Mittal’s personal wealth evaporated almost overnight. He would later describe this phase as the most humbling moment of his career — he not only lost his wealth but also faced unemployment, debt, and an uncertain future.
While the crash was devastating, it also triggered a shift in his perspective: it pushed him to reconsider his career path and gave him the courage to launch his own ventures. The failure that might have broken a lesser entrepreneur eventually became the foundation for his future successes.
Founding People Group and Shaadi.com
Genesis of the Idea
After his departure from MicroStrategy and the dot-com collapse, Mittal returned to India in the early 2000s determined to build something of his own. He observed that traditional methods of matchmaking in India — through family networks, newspaper classifieds, and local matchmakers — were deeply rooted but often inefficient. With the internet beginning to penetrate Indian households, he saw an opportunity to combine technology with one of the most socially significant institutions in Indian culture: marriage.
In 1996, he founded Sagai.com, India’s first online matrimonial portal designed to allow people to search for life partners based on profiles and preferences. The site was later renamed Shaadi.com, a more marketable and memorable brand that today is synonymous with online matchmaking in India.
Early Challenges and Market Reception
At the time of Shaadi.com’s launch, India’s internet ecosystem was nascent, and many people were skeptical of using an online service for matchmaking — an activity traditionally managed through close personal networks and family ties. The idea that people could find life partners on the internet faced cultural resistance and slow adoption.
Still, Mittal persisted. Part of his strategy was positioning Shaadi.com not simply as a dating portal but as a trusted platform that respected Indian cultural norms, privacy, and seriousness of purpose. With targeted marketing and community outreach, he gradually built a user base.
Anupam Mittal Networth
Growth into a Global Leader
As internet penetration in India increased and global Indian communities expanded, Shaadi.com’s growth accelerated dramatically. The platform began gaining massive traction among Indians living abroad who were more open to digital tools for serious matchmaking. By the late 2000s, Shaadi.com had become the world’s leading matrimonial portal for Asians, serving millions of registered users across geographies.
By 2011, the platform had more than 20 million users, a milestone that symbolized its dominance in the space and its cultural significance in India and among South Asian diaspora communities.
Shaadi.com later augmented its digital presence with physical Shaadi Centres — retail outlets that provided personalized matchmaking assistance to users — and initiatives like collaboration with mainstream media to produce cultural content based around marriage.
People Group and Expansion into Multiple Ventures
Building on the success of Shaadi.com, Anupam Mittal officially structured his entrepreneurial endeavors under the umbrella of People Group — a conglomerate of digital and tech ventures.
Makaan.com
In 2007, People Group launched Makaan.com, an online marketplace for real estate that connected buyers and sellers and provided tools for property search and discovery. Makaan.com aimed to bring transparency and efficiency to India’s sprawling and fragmented property market.
Mauj Mobile
People Group also entered the mobile entertainment space through Mauj Mobile, one of India’s early mobile gaming and content platforms. Mauj offered video content, wallpapers, ringtones, and messaging apps at a time when mobile internet usage was soaring.
Both ventures showcased Mittal’s willingness to adapt and explore new markets, even as his core expertise remained in creating platforms that connected people and marketplaces through technology.
Leadership, Industry Bodies, and Influence
Beyond founding companies, Mittal has played influential roles in shaping India’s digital and startup ecosystem. Most notably, he served as Chairperson of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) from 2006 to 2007 — a period when digital adoption in India was rapidly increasing and industry standards were still being established.
IAMAI is a key industry body representing the interests of online and mobile businesses in India. Under Mittal’s leadership, IAMAI helped advocate for favorable policies, encouraged digital literacy, and supported emerging internet businesses.
In addition, he is a founding co-chair of H2 India, an initiative focused on empowering startup founders through networks, mentorship, and community resources.
Mittal also serves on the boards of key startup and investment platforms like LetsVenture Online and Zepo, and acts as an advisor to companies such as ShaadiSaga, Grip Video Game, and Kae Capital.
Angel Investing and Shark Tank India
Becoming an Angel Investor
As his entrepreneurial success continued, Anupam Mittal became an active angel investor, supporting early-stage startups across a range of sectors from fintech and e-commerce to healthtech and consumer brands. By the mid-2010s, he had invested in more than 200 startups, including high-profile companies like Ola Cabs, BigBasket, Rapido, Rupeek, Agnikul, and many others.
His investment philosophy often emphasizes problem solving, scalability, and strong founder vision, and he has been known to support ventures that address real-world challenges at scale.
Shark Tank India
In 2021, Mittal reached a new level of public recognition when he joined the cast of Shark Tank India as one of the judges (or Sharks) on the show — a localized version of the global reality series where entrepreneurs pitch their businesses to investors.
As a Shark, Mittal brought his unique mix of business acumen, candid feedback, and investment capital to the table. Across multiple seasons, he has evaluated pitches, mentored founders, and invested in numerous promising startups. His role on the show broadened his public persona beyond entrepreneurship into mainstream influence, especially among young aspiring founders.
Through Shark Tank India, he has invested in dozens of businesses spanning tech, consumer goods, services, and innovative new categories. His presence also served to inspire an entrepreneurial culture in India, encouraging young professionals to think boldly about building and scaling startups.
Media Presence, Thought Leadership & Public Influence
Anupam Mittal is an active voice in India’s business community. He regularly shares insights on leadership, innovation, and startup thinking through interviews, podcasts, social media, and industry fora. His perspectives often stress resilience, adaptability, and consumer-centric business models — lessons he learned through his personal experiences of success and failure.
Through LinkedIn posts and public talks, Mittal often discusses topics ranging from investment philosophy to life lessons, branding, and organizational culture. He has also been candid about personal insights, such as parenting reflections and lifestyle learnings, that resonate broadly with audiences beyond the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Personal Life
Anupam Mittal is married to Anchal Kumar, a model, and the couple tied the knot on 4 July 2013 in a ceremony in Rajasthan, India. They have a daughter together.
While Mittal is intensely dedicated to his professional pursuits, he also shares personal reflections on family life and work-life balance through his social posts and interviews, illustrating a nuanced view of success that includes personal fulfillment alongside business achievement.
Awards and Recognitions
Over his career, Anupam Mittal has received multiple awards and recognitions that acknowledge both his entrepreneurial achievements and contributions to the startup ecosystem:
- The Karmaveer Chakra Award for entrepreneurship and social change.
- Recognized by Business Standard as one of India’s top angel investors in 2014 and 2015 for his portfolio and investment impact.
- Ranked among the 50 Most Powerful People in India by The Week magazine.
- Received the Outstanding Serial Entrepreneur and Angel Investor award by TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) in 2020.
These accolades reflect a blend of business impact, investment foresight, and leadership in shaping India’s digital economy.
Business Philosophy and Leadership Style
Anupam Mittal’s leadership philosophy is grounded in resilience, innovation, and customer empathy. His career demonstrates a willingness to take measured risks, learn from setbacks, and pivot when necessary — traits he often highlights as essential for entrepreneurs.
Mittal also stresses the importance of creating value before capturing value, focusing on platforms that genuinely serve users’ needs and then building monetization strategies organically. His approach to investing mirrors this ethos, giving preference to startups that address real market problems and show long-term viability.
Furthermore, he often emphasizes the need for ongoing learning, strategic execution, and disciplined financial decision-making — principles that resonate in his own ventures and the guidance he offers to founders on public platforms.
Legacy and Impact
Anupam Mittal’s influence goes beyond the enterprises he founded. Through Shaadi.com, he transformed how millions of Indians approach matchmaking and marriage. Through his investments, he supported the rise of some of India’s most influential startups. Through Shark Tank India, he helped popularize entrepreneurship among mainstream audiences and inspired countless innovators to pursue their business dreams.
His story — from early personal wealth to a dramatic downfall and then back to success — embodies the challenges and possibilities of the entrepreneurial journey. It serves as a powerful narrative of determination, vision, and relentless pursuit of opportunity.
Conclusion
Anupam Mittal’s life and career are emblematic of India’s transformation into a global entrepreneurial powerhouse. From pioneering online matchmaking to fostering emerging tech ventures and mentoring future business leaders, his multifaceted contributions have left a lasting imprint on India’s digital and startup ecosystem.
Today, he stands not only as a successful entrepreneur and investor but also as an inspiration — a figure demonstrates how setbacks can be steps toward bigger successes, and how innovation rooted in cultural understanding can change lives at scale.
Anupam Mittal Date Of Birth ?
23 December 1971
Anupam Mittal Was Founder ?
Shaadi.com & People Group
Anupam Mittal Working Know ?
Anupam Mittal is the Founder & CEO of People Group the parent company .