Want to be an entrepreneur? Do you have a degree from the great IITs and IIMs? Is this degree the topmost criteria for being a successful entrepreneur? Well, No!

Surprised? We all are! India is developing every passing second. IITs and IIMs have proved themselves by the impact they make in the entrepreneurial sector. But is the top-class entrepreneurial sector reserved for the IITs and IIMs only? No, certainly not – and these entrepreneurs have proved it! Here’s a sneak-peek into each of their inspirational journeys:

1. RS Shanbhag – Valuepoint Systems

Shanbhag completed his diploma engineering degree from KLE Technological University (earlier known as BVB College of Engineering and Technology) in Hubbali, Karnataka.

Valuepoint Systems was stared in 1991, with just ₹10,000 Shanbhag identified his long-term goals and led the bootstrapped company to ₹600 crore turnover and also survived three recessions.

2. Abhishek Rungta – Indus Net Technologies

Completed his B.Com. from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, Abhishek went to the University of Bath in the UK in 1999 to do an MSc in Multimedia.

Abhishek Rungta in his childhood earned pocket money by installing internet connections in people’s homes and training them to use browsers and emails. His love for computers made him start him Indus Net Technologies in Kolkata in 1997.

3. Murugavel Janakiraman – Bharatmatrimony

Murugavel Janakiraman is a computer-applications graduate from the University of Madras who offered free services like sharing the Tamil calendar, festivals, travel to India, and help with flight bookings on the community.

Started in 1997, India’s first matrimonial site Bharatmatrimony was born out of Murugavel’s experience of running a Tamil community in the US. Currently, Bharatmatrimony is a listed company and had recorded an estimated revenue of ₹350 crore in 2018.

4. Satya Prabhakar – Sulekha

Chennai-based National Institute of Technology graduate Satya Prabhakar started Sulekha, a digital platform for local services in 2007.

Sulekha in 2015 reached new heights when it became a pure-play digital platform for local services where consumers (with service needs) and service providers find each other. Satya led Sulekha to become the multi-million dollar, end-to-end local service fulfillment brand.

5. Nalin Tayal – GATS India

Ludhiana-based Nalin Tayal completed his mechanical engineering from Guru Nanak Dev College and worked as a financial consultant for five years.

Nalin always wanted to start his own business, so he finally started his own financial consultancy firm, GATS India Ltd. In 1999. The company has recently reported a turnover of ₹400 crore and has expanded to offer services like banking, forex, tours and travels, and digital payments. At present, it has a user base of 42,000 and performs around 5.7 lakh transactions a day.

These five people proved with sheer zeal that IITs and IIMs are not the only ones who can produce impactful graduates. Graduates from mediocre colleges also have the capability to create a huge impact by making a difference in the sector. Well, these entrepreneurs are an inspiration for the youth who feels lost after not being able to crack IITs or IIMs!