Best known as the founder of the eCommerce company – Snapdeal, Kunal Bahl quickly added many feathers to his crown. Today, this successful investor and technology entrepreneur. Snapdeal which was launched in 2010, recently assumed the group corporate identity of AceVector, which is home to several businesses including as Snapdeal, Unicommerce, and Stellaro Brands. Here is a short journey through the life of this India’s prominent players in the eCommerce space.
Early Life and Education
Kunal Bahl was born in Delhi, India. He completed his schooling at Delhi Public School R. K. Puram. Later, he went to the University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate degree. He graduated from the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology at the University of Pennsylvania with two bachelor’s degrees in Entrepreneurship, Operation, and Information Management from The Wharton School and Engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Later, he also completed an executive marketing program at the Kellog School of Management.
After completing his education, he worked with Microsoft for a short span of time, after which he had to go back to India as there was an issue with his visa in 2007.
He is married to Yashna Bahl, who ran a confectionary business.
Career in India
In 2010, he founded the e-commerce company Snapdeal in India. The company showcased amazing growth over the years. Recently, in 2022, the company adopted the group corporate identification of AceVector. There are several other businesses under this umbrella company, namely, Snapdeal, Stellaro Brands, and Unicommerce.
Bahl is an angel investor who has invested millions of his personal dollars in various startups. He is associated with many think tanks as well. Kunal Bahl has held a position on the board of governors of the India Council for Research on International Economic Relations. He has been a member of the executive council of NASSCOM. He is also the chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Committee on E-Commerce. Currently, he also serves as a member of the National Startup Advisory Council, a committee formed to advise the Indian government for building a strong startup ecosystem. Bahl also serves as an Independent director on the Board of Piramal Enterprises.
Awards and Recognitions
- Kunal Bahl was ranked 25 on the Fortune 40 under 40 list of most influential business leaders in 2014.
- He won the BMA Entrepreneur of the year in 2014.
- He also won the Economic Times Top 50 Entrepreneur of India 2014.
- He won the Nasscom NextGen Entrepreneur 2014.
- Kunal Bahl won The Joseph Wharton Award for Young Leadership 2018.
- He also won The Economic Times Comeback Award 2019.
These and many more awards were won by Kunal Bahl in his career so far.
Interesting Tidbits and Life-Lessons
- Kunal Bahl’s first angel investor was Ken Glass around 14 years back. Ken Glass was a guest lecturer in one of his classes in the University. Bahl was awestruck by this man’s personality. Glass had inspired him to become an entrepreneur. Bahl knew that Glass was an ex-executive at Microsoft in the 80s. So, when working with Microsoft, Bahl once send him a cold email telling him that he had attended one of his guest lectures once. Within half an hour, he got an offer from Glass for a lunch invitation. They decided to remain in touch after that. Bahl disclosed him during their last lunch about the rejection of his US visa. He old Glass that he had an idea to start a coupon business in India with a friend. Glass offered to help if required. After 2 months into the startup, Bahl called Glass for an investment to which he instantly agreed.
- The culture of Snpdeal is characterised by Kunal as “clever, giving, and humble.” He claims that a company’s culture dictates how quickly it grows. He points to problem-solving skills as a driving force behind an organization’s development. The ability of a team to maintain objectivity aids in overall development. Kunal attributed Snapdeal’s ability to scale more quickly than competitors to its success at the top of the charts.
- Entrepreneurs are advised by Kunal not to put money towards financial growth. Entrepreneurs should be on the lookout for individuals who are prepared to give back to society. He exhorts people to think about the social aspect as well as the financial aspect. He contends that customer retention is inevitable if a business offers excellent customer service or something special. Snapdeal has done quite well when it comes to customer happiness because over 75% of website visits are natural, occurring without the use of marketing. Since the founding of Snapdeal, Kunal’s best purchase was a customer who bought a diamond ring.
This gritty man continues to inspire many budding entrepreneurs today. He is quite active on his social media platform where he regularly posts tips, advice, and philanthropic ideas about business, success, and more.
