Inspiring Journey of Mumbai's Tech Entrepreneurs: The Turakhia Brothers
The Rise of the Turakhia Brothers
It is often said that fortune can change in an instant, provided our efforts are directed correctly and we persistently strive. Today's narrative revolves around two brothers from Mumbai who have etched a remarkable success story at a young age, leaving many in awe.
These brothers, who indulge in chartered flights and own some of the world's most expensive cars, reside in luxurious mansions and are now counted among the wealthiest individuals in the country. They are recognized as major figures in India's 'Ad Tech' industry. Over their 15-year career, they have established nearly a dozen companies, selling five of them, which has propelled them into the ranks of India's richest.
Curious about their names? The brothers are Divyank Turakhia and Bhavin Turakhia, prominent business figures today. With personal assets worth thousands of crores, their success story is truly inspiring. Growing up in a middle-class family in Mumbai, the Turakhia brothers spent their childhood in the Juhu and Andheri areas. From a young age, Divyank, who had a passion for computers and programming, created a stock market simulation game with his brother at just 13 years old.
As their interest in computers grew, their academic pursuits began to wane. Despite their father's insistence, they enrolled in a B.Com course but rarely attended classes, spending their days coding at home. After mastering coding, they planned to start their own business, but the initial capital posed a significant challenge.
Eventually, they convinced their father to lend them ₹25,000 in 1998. At that time, they could hardly have imagined that 16 years later, they would be listed among billionaires. At 16, Divyank and his 18-year-old brother Bhavin used this money to establish 'Directi', a company providing domain names to websites. This venture later gave rise to 'BigRock', a leading domain registrar.
In 2001, the brothers developed a software program and have since launched a total of 11 startups under the Directi banner. Currently, the Directi Group employs 1,000 people and serves over a million customers, experiencing an annual growth rate of 120%. A few years ago, the Turakhia brothers sold four brands to Endurance International Group for ₹1,000 crores. Media.net, created to compete with Google's AdSense, has licenses with numerous publishers, ad networks, and international ad tech firms, operating from cities like New York, Los Angeles, Dubai, Zurich, Mumbai, and Bangalore, employing 800 staff members. Last year, Media.net generated ₹1,554 crores in revenue.
Recently, they sold their online advertising venture Media.net to a Chinese group for $90 million, surpassing Google and Twitter in the process. Notably, despite lacking engineering degrees, both brothers are exceptional coders who built their empire independently. Today, the Turakhia brothers are celebrated as the 'First Indian Internet Entrepreneurs'. Isn't their story incredibly inspiring? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!