Lalit Keshre, the co-founder and CEO of Groww, has become one of India’s newest billionaires following the company’s highly successful initial public offering (IPO). His story is remarkable not just because he created one of the country’s most popular investment platforms but also because he rose from a humble rural background to build a multi-billion-dollar fintech empire. His journey stands as an inspiration for young entrepreneurs who dream of making a difference through technology, innovation, and hard work.
Early Life: Humble Beginnings in Rural Madhya Pradesh
Lalit grew up in Lepa, a small farming village in Madhya Pradesh. The early part of his life was shaped by simplicity, rooted in a family that relied heavily on agriculture. Despite his modest background, his family prioritized education. Lalit attended the only English-medium school available in the region and quickly stood out as a hardworking student with a natural inclination towards science and mathematics.
His academic dedication paid off when he cleared the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), one of India’s toughest competitive exams, and secured a seat at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. His selection into IIT marked the beginning of a major shift in his life — from a farmer’s son in a small town to a budding engineer entering one of India’s finest institutions.
At IIT Bombay, Lalit completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. His focus on microelectronics and technology gave him a strong technical foundation, and exposure to a vibrant, innovative environment helped shape his entrepreneurial thinking.
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Early Career: Engineering, Product Roles, and First Startup Attempts
After graduating from IIT, Lalit joined Ittiam Systems in Bengaluru, where he spent nearly seven years working in engineering and product development. His role exposed him to complex technology, global markets, and product innovation, all of which would later play a crucial role in shaping Groww.
In 2011, Lalit took his first step toward entrepreneurship by launching an edtech startup called Eduflix. Although Eduflix did not become a large commercial success, it gave him invaluable experience in understanding user behavior, business operations, and product-building fundamentals. Many entrepreneurs call their first startup their “first classroom,” and this was certainly true for Lalit.
In 2013, he joined Flipkart, India’s leading e-commerce company at the time. At Flipkart, he worked in senior product management roles and contributed to important projects that scaled to millions of users. Working at Flipkart taught him how to build products for the masses, how large-scale technology infrastructure functions, and how to design for trust and simplicity.
Founding Groww: A Simple Idea That Transformed Investing
In 2016, Lalit left Flipkart with three colleagues — Harsh Jain, Ishan Bansal, and Neeraj Singh — to build something entirely new. The four observed a major problem in India’s financial landscape: young Indians wanted to invest, but the process was confusing, filled with paperwork, and lacked transparency.
Thus, Groww was born with a clear mission — to democratize investing and make financial products accessible to everyone.
The founders started with mutual funds, choosing a clean, simple interface that appealed especially to first-time investors. As the platform gained popularity, Groww expanded into stocks, exchange-traded funds, U.S. equities, futures and options, and other wealth-building tools. What set Groww apart was its focus on simplicity, trust, and a mobile-first experience designed for the modern Indian investor.
Under Lalit’s leadership, Groww built a reputation for being user-friendly, transparent, and customer-centric. These qualities attracted millions of users, particularly from smaller cities, first-time investors, and young professionals who previously found investing intimidating.
Explosive Growth and International Investor Interest
Groww quickly caught the attention of major global investors. Over the years, the company raised funding from prominent venture capital firms and became one of India’s fastest-growing fintech startups. The platform expanded its user base rapidly as India’s financial literacy and smartphone penetration increased.
Groww grew on the back of three simple principles:
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Make investing easy
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Remove unnecessary complexity
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Build trust with transparency and education
These principles helped Groww become one of India’s top investment platforms with millions of active users.
Groww’s IPO: The Turning Point
Groww’s parent company went public in 2025, marking a major milestone not only for the company but also for India’s fintech ecosystem. The IPO was a resounding success, attracting huge interest from retail and institutional investors.
The company listed at a strong price and continued to climb in the early days of trading. This surge pushed Groww’s market capitalization into the massive multi-thousand-crore range. Lalit Keshre, who held a significant personal stake in the company, saw his net worth cross the billion-dollar mark.
For a founder who grew up in a farming household in rural Madhya Pradesh, this moment was deeply symbolic — a testament to how education, ambition, and innovation can change lives.
Leadership Style: Calm, Product-Focused, Long-Term Thinking
One of Lalit’s biggest strengths is his calm and thoughtful leadership style. Colleagues and employees often describe him as someone who listens more than he speaks, thinks deeply before making decisions, and always prioritizes the long-term health of the company over quick wins.
Unlike many startup founders who focus aggressively on growth at all costs, Lalit has always emphasized:
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Responsible growth
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Transparent practices
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Customer trust
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Sustainable long-term value
He believes that fintech companies have a responsibility to handle users’ money with the highest integrity. His vision is to build Groww into a “100-year company,” not just a successful startup.
The Future of Groww Under Keshre’s Leadership
With its successful IPO behind it, Groww now enters a new phase. Lalit has outlined several priorities for the future:
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Building stronger technology infrastructure
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Expanding the credit and lending business
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Adding new financial products
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Enhancing security and compliance
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Reaching deeper into India’s smaller towns and rural markets
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Educating new investors through content and community initiatives
Groww’s mission is not just to offer services but to empower Indians with financial knowledge, confidence, and long-term wealth-building opportunities.
A Story of Inspiration
Lalit Keshre’s story is one of the most inspiring in India’s startup world. From a small village in Madhya Pradesh to IIT Bombay, from working in engineering roles to creating one of India’s largest fintech companies, his journey shows what vision and persistence can achieve.
He represents the new face of Indian entrepreneurship — grounded, thoughtful, and deeply committed to solving real problems.
His rise from humble beginnings to becoming a billionaire founder will continue to inspire young Indians who dream of building something meaningful.
