How Shark Tank’s Anupam Mittal became a millionaire and got laid off before founding Shaadi.com

Anupam Mittal, the millionaire Shark Tank India judge and founder of Shaadi.com, revealed how he was laid off early in his career, calling it “the best thing” that could have happened to him.

This was when he was working in the US with business intelligence company MicroStrategy as a sales consultant, rapidly rising up the ranks to become the director of strategic partnerships.

He was given stock options which skyrocketed in value due to the dot com boom. The company’s valuation had gone from $100 million to a staggering $40 billion.

“My career was on steroids. I was a multi-millionaire in my early 20s,” he said in an interview with motivational speaker and life coach Himesh Madaan on his YouTube channel, ahead of Shark Tank’s fourth season.

“It was crazy, I’d never imagined it,” he also said in the Barbershop podcast. “I’d ordered a sports car, we used to party in stadiums, our corporate parties would be on cruise ships. It was next level.”

However, when he was laid off, he said he was “gutted,” but added that “it was the best thing that could’ve happened to me.”

This is because it was one of the factors that pushed him to launch the highly successful matrimonial site Shaadi.com.

Mittal said he continues to take large risks, even turning down offers as big as ₹800 crore.

“I have received so many offers, I could’ve walked away with a $100 million. ₹800 crore is not a small amount. I turned those offers down. I’ve sold a couple of companies for smaller amounts, but I’m still taking risks. There will come a time when I look back and say that I made the right choice,” he said.