"No IIT, Didn't Get H-1B Visa But…": Snapdeal Co-Founder's Success Mantra

The road to success is often paved with failure. At least that’s how things turned out for entrepreneur and investor Kunal Bahl. He didn’t get into IIT (something his parents were hoping for) but that didn’t stop him from achieving massive success in life.

“Many things that I wanted didn’t go as per plan at that point in time but it set me on a path that was better for me. I didn’t get into IIT but I got into a good US college that opened my mind and really helped me blossom,” Mr Bahl said at the NDTV World Summit 2024.

“So, at that point in time, it feels like you have failed, that’s how society will make you feel. Like I said earlier come out of the bottom of that abyss, find that little bit of courage to continue. I remember the day I didn’t get into IIT, everyone was upset in my family. I went and played three hours of cricket and picked up from where I left off,” he added.

The Snapdeal and Titan Capital co-founder also said that his H-1B visa application was rejected but that led to the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey.

“I was working at Microsoft in the US and they applied for my H-1B visa. I thought I would live in the US for a few years. But one day I was sitting in my office and I got a one-line email that my H1b visa had been rejected and that’s how I came back and started my journey as an entrepreneur. If you keep working with hardwork and sincerity, eventually success will follow,” he said.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

After returning to India, Kunal Bahl co-founded Snapdeal – a major e-commerce platform and Titan Capital, a venture capital firm that supports early-stage startups.

At the summit, he also explained why India should celebrate ‘Indicorns’. “The term unicorn has emerged from the US, suited more to the American context, and India needs to celebrate ‘Indicorns’ with its own benchmarks of success and business goals tailored to the Indian context.”