Who is Ankur Warikoo? Indian founder going viral for shutting down Rs 100 crore online courses business

Not much has sent the internet reeling today like the news that Indian founder and content creator Ankur Warikoo is shutting down his Rs100 crore business where he offered online courses. Since its launch in 2020, the business has reportedly generated a whopping amount for the founder who recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to reveal that the business had grown far beyond his original expectations.

As per Warikoo, the platform enrolled nearly five lakh students and crossed Rs 100 crore in sales while generating a profit of around Rs 25 crore. Despite the profit and fame, Warikoo said he no longer sees a reason to continue the business. "It makes no sense to continue it," he wrote in the post. However, he also teased a detailed explanation behind the move for May 16, 8:30 PM.

A goodbye or marketing gimmick?

Netizens on the internet were left wondering if Warikoo was truly shutting down a profitable business or whether the end was a beginning to something else.

"Many course sellers pack-up when recession is upcoming. challenging times force people to think rationally & ask questions. better hai pehle hi patli gali se nikal lo," wrote a user.

"Starting a university?" asked one to which Warikoo replied "Tumhare mooh mein ghee..."

"I am sure something bigger and better coming up considering your vision to change the whole education ecosystem of India !���� Jo bhi hoga, badhiya hoga! Best wishes, always..May you & your team find joy in whatever coming next," wrote one.

"I joined your time management course. It was splendid to follow. The only trouble I faced that my job is on rotational shifts and follows no fixed schedule. Therefore, I could never apply the learning. But I'll apply it once I get over the trap of a job," shared another.

Who is Ankur Warikoo?

Before being a successful entrepreneur and mentor, Ankur Warikoo is a splendid and one of the most influential digital creators. He has a community of over 17 million followers across social media platforms.

Moreover, he is the founder of WebVeda, an online school for life skills and author of books such as 'Do Epic Shit' and 'Make Epic Money'.

Warikoo was born and raised in New Delhi in a middle-class Kashmiri Pandit family. He attended the Don Bosco School in New Delhi and completed his graduation with a B.Sc. in Physics from Hindu College, Delhi University.

Later, he moved to the US on a full scholarship to pursue Ph.D. in Astrophysics at Michigan State University. However, he dropped out after completing his M.S. and returned home. He attended the Indian School of Business (ISB) for an MBA where he received the 'Young Leader Award.'

He began his career with corporate consulting at A.T. Kearney working across Dubai, New York, and India. In his early days, he started a start-up, co-founded Accentium Web in 2008, which ran portals like Gaadi.com and Secondshaadi.com.

In 2011, he became the founding CEO of Groupon India and later the Head of Groupon APAC. In 2015, he led a management buyout of Groupon India with Sequoia Capital, rebranding it as nearbuy.com. He served as CEO until 2019.

In 2019, he stepped down as CEO to build "Brand Warikoo." He launched WebVeda to provide affordable life-skill courses to young professionals. Over the years, he has been mentioned in Fortune India 40 Under 40, LinkedIn India's PowerProfiles & Spotlight List, Forbes Top 100 Digital Creators list and more.

With his entrepreneurial mindset and knack for marketing, people are not ready to believe that he would shut down a profitable business just like that. However, as they speculate, it could be the closing of one door to open another.