Kunal Bahl: The Newest Shark in Shark Tank India

The startup circuit at present is filled with intensive competition that transcends genres. Consider the food-tech startup segment; Zomato and Swiggy are using every possible strategy to increase their reach. Such rivalry can also be in the social media space with brands like Facebook, Twitter, and others fighting for bragging rights.

The Indian startup sector is also at the fore of competitiveness and the stories of Flipkart, Ola, Zomato, OYO, and whatnot attest to this claim. The eCommerce segment in India is interesting. Amazon, Flipkart, etc. know the value that Indian customers bring to the table. With marketing stints like end-of-season sales, these giants are leaving no stone unturned to establish dominance. Snapdeal is one such successful behemoth that has pumped up the e-commerce/retail domain. The credit for its brilliance could largely be attributed to one man, Kunal Bahl. A failed attempt at getting into the IITs didn't deter this gritty man from amazing milestones that people only dream of, with Snapdeal being the biggest of them all.

Learn about Kunal Bahl, his education, career, family, Snapdeal, Titan Capital, his entry into the Shark Tank India season 4, and more from this article.

Kunal Bahl - Biography

Kunal Bahl - Early Life & Education
Kunal Bahl - Personal Life
Kunal Bahl - Snapdeal
Kunal Bahl - Professional Life
Kunal Bahl - Investments
Kunal Bahl - Philanthropy
Kunal Bahl - Shark Tank India
Kunal Bahl - Awards & Recognitions
Kunal Bahl - Advice To Budding Entrepreneurs
Kunal Bahl - An Inspiration For Many

Kunal Bahl - Early Life & Education

Kunal Bahl grew up in India and went to Delhi Public School R.K. Puram for his early education. He later studied at the University of Pennsylvania, where he joined the prestigious Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology. He secured two bachelor’s degrees—one in Entrepreneurship, Operations & Information Management from The Wharton School and another in Engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Science respectively. He also completed an executive marketing program at the Kellogg School of Management to further build his business skills.

During his stay in the United States, he launched a detergent company whose products were sold at Walmart stores. He had to return to India in 2008 due to some visa complications.

Kunal Bahl - Personal Life

Kunal Bahl tends to keep his personal life relatively private, focusing more on his professional journey and entrepreneurial ventures. However, it is known that he is married to Yashna Bahl.

Bahl is also known for his interests outside of business. He enjoys reading and often shares insights from books on social media. He is passionate about technology, innovation, and mentoring young entrepreneurs. Despite the challenges faced in the competitive eCommerce space, Kunal has maintained a positive and resilient approach, balancing his work and personal life effectively.

Kunal Bahl - Snapdeal

Kunal joined Rohit Bansal, his childhood friend who was working for CapitalOne at that time, to get his hands in entrepreneurship. They launched an offline couponing business in 2007-08. The internet was taking baby steps towards popularity during that phase. A couple of merchants working with the duo asked them to shift to an online platform. They then registered a domain and named it 'Snapdeal.com'. There were a lot of glitches in the beginning and Kunal-Rohit made a lot of mistakes. Slowly, they improved Snapdeal's condition by tracking the customers' preferences and using feedback. After consistent improvisations, the site was on the path to profitability.

After setting up the online platform, there was no stopping for the duo. They began hiring people. Today, Kunal credits Snapdeal's success to his employees. The company had no plants and machinery and the team felt that the venture's success pivoted on the workers; determination. His co-worker Vani Kola’s inputs were crucial for Snapdeal. The company grew from a team of 30 to a family of 150. The team also has a dedicated sub-team that takes care of Snapdeal's cultural aspects.

Vani in turn credits Kunal and Rohit for Snapdeal's fortunes. According to her, the duo had a great ability to listen, learn, and absorb like “sponges”. They had unmatched confidence and trust and kept executing their plans diligently. The duo welcomed innovative ideas from their employees without any bias. When it came to HR practices, they focused on their workers' self-improvement and progress, and there was intense cross-learning and skilling.

Kunal's philosophy was to hire people on demand. He sought 100% customer satisfaction. The willingness to fulfill the customer’s needs paved the way for Snapdeal to create the largest assortment of products in the country in 6 months. There were around 2000 brands and merchants selling their products through Snapdeal.

In 2022, the company rebranded itself as AceVector, which includes several businesses like Snapdeal, Unicommerce, and Stellar Brands. Under Kunal Bahl’s leadership, AceVector has transformed the Indian eCommerce market by using new distribution channels, brands, and platforms.

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Kunal’s Learnings And Snapdeal's Culture

Kunal describes Snapdeal’s culture as “smart, generous, and humble”. According to him, culture determines a company's pace of growth. He cites the ability to solve problems as a catalyst for an organization's progression. A team's capability to remain objective helps in all-round development. Kunal attributes Snapdeal’s potential to scale faster than rival companies in topping the charts. Vani’s role in handling people was a differentiator.

Kunal Bahl - Professional Life

In 2015, when Kunal Bahl and Rahul Bansal were fresh from co-founding Snapdeal, they built another company from scratch, Titan Capital. The fund company was created to support entrepreneurs with innovative ideas and futuristic startup ventures financially.

Titan Capital has invested in companies like Ola, Urban Company, Mamaearth, Credgenics, Shadowfax, Razorpay, and Giva. Notably, Titan Capital, which uses the personal funds of Kunal and Rohit Bansal, has achieved returns of over 100 times on several investments, including Ola, Urban Company, and Mamaearth.

Kunal Bahl also holds several important positions. He is on the board of governors for the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, a member of the executive council of NASSCOM, and chairs the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Committee on Ecommerce. He is also a member of the National Startup Advisory Council.

He also serves as an Independent Director on the Board of Piramal Enterprises.

Kunal Bahl - Investments

In addition to his success with Snapdeal, Kunal Bahl gained recognition for believing in Bhavish Aggarwal's ambitious business idea, Ola Cabs now Ola Consumer. Kunal introduced Ola to Rohit Bansal, and together, they invested $60,000 in Bhavish's venture. This investment turned out to be a brilliant decision. Kunal Bahl has made 255 investments including Urban Company, Razorpay, and many more. As an investor, Bahl has 22 exits and 7 Unicorns.

Kunal Bahl - Philanthropy

As the company grew, Kunal and his team decided to install a hand pump in villages. This step changed the lives of hundreds. Kunal says that Snapdeal grows by leaps and bounds, and he and his team will improve the conditions of the society's backward section by providing necessities. His vision is to make Snapdeal India's number one B2C marketplace. He wants his company to be the home to the most admired alumni in India.

Kunal Bahl - Shark Tank India

Kunal Bahl is the newest shark on Shark Tank India season 4, replacing Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal. He will join the show alongside other investors like Ritesh Agarwal, founder of OYO; Namita Thapar, executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals; Aman Gupta, co-founder of boAt; and Anupam Mittal from People Group.

Before this, Kunal Bahl appeared as one of the three judges on Prime Video’s reality show Mission Start Ab aired on 19 December 2023, where 10 founders competed for mentorship and funding.

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Kunal Bahl - Awards & Recognitions

Kunal Bhal has been awarded with the following awards:

• BMA Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 
• ET Top 50 Entrepreneurs of India 2014
• Ranked 25 on Fortune 40 under 40 most influential business leaders list 2014 
• EY Entrepreneur of the Year - Startup 2014 
• Nasscom NextGen Entrepreneur 2014 
• The Economic Times Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2015
• AIMA Transformational Business Leader of the Year 
• Indian Affairs Business Leader of the Year 2015 
• The Joseph Wharton Award for Young Leadership 2018
• The Economic Times Comeback Award 2019

Kunal Bahl - Advice To Budding Entrepreneurs

Kunal advises entrepreneurs not to invest in monetary growth. The willingness to serve society is what entrepreneurs should look out for. He asks people to focus on the social dimension rather than only focusing on earning money. According to him, if the company provides good service or has something unique to offer, customer retention is bound to happen. As almost 75% of the website visits are organic without the help of advertisements, Snapdeal has performed very well when it comes to customer satisfaction. A customer buying a diamond ring was the best purchase for Kunal ever since Snapdeal was conceived.

Kunal Bahl - An Inspiration For Many

The credit for Snapdeal's continual growth as an e-commerce giant goes to Kunal and his leadership in collaboration with Rohit. His open-minded approach towards employees and customers was instrumental in Snapdeal’s progression. While other e-commerce platforms focused on advertisements to seek customers, Snapdeal was confident enough in its service to lure buyers. Kunal, with his unique vision, is truly a role model for many entrepreneurs.

FAQs

Who is Kunal Bahl?

Kunal Bahl is the co-founder of Snapdeal and Titan Capital.

When was Snapdeal founded?

Snapdeal was founded in 2010.

What does Snapdeal do?

Snapdeal stands as India's premier pure-play value eCommerce platform, ranking among the top online lifestyle destinations. Snapdeal comes under AceVector Group. With a commitment to provide high-quality products at competitive prices, Snapdeal wants to make shopping enjoyable and dependable for the people of Bharat.

Who is Kunal Bahl wife?

Yashna Bahl is the wife of Kunal Bahl.

What is Kunal Bahl age?

Kunal Bahl was born on 1 January, 1984. He is 40 years old.