Groww co-founder and CEO Lalit Keshre has officially entered India's billionaire club after the fintech company's strong market debut sent its share price soaring.
The platform, which started in 2016 as a simple idea to make investing easy for young Indians, is now one of the country's most valuable fintech firms, and its rise has pushed Keshre's personal wealth past the Rs 9,000 crore mark.
Keshre holds 55.91 crore shares in Groww, giving him a 9.06% stake. With the stock trading at about Rs 169 a share, the value of his holding stands at around Rs 9,448 crore, placing him near the USD 1 billion mark.
Groww listed on November 12 at Rs 100 a share and has surged more than 70% in just four trading sessions. The company's market value has crossed Rs 1 lakh crore, making it one of the strongest listings seen in recent years.
Groww was founded in 2016 by four former Flipkart employees, Lalit Keshre, Harsh Jain, Ishan Bansal and Neeraj Singh. The company started as a mutual fund investment platform but later expanded into stocks, futures and options, US stocks and other products, attracting millions of first-time investors.
Lalit Keshre, now 44, grew up in Lepa, a village in Madhya Pradesh. He was raised in modest surroundings by his grandparents, and he studied in the only English-medium school in the Khargone district.
His journey changed when he heard about the Joint Entrance Exam. He cleared it and entered the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, where he completed both his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering, specialising in microelectronics.
Before building Groww, Keshre gained wide experience in the technology and product world.
Co-founder and CEO, Groww (May 2016 – Present)
Based in Bengaluru, he has led Groww for over seven years, helping it grow into one of India's largest retail investment platforms.
Product, Flipkart (July 2013 – April 2016)
He worked in Bengaluru for nearly three years, where he helped build and lead Flipkart Quick and worked on key product areas during the company's high-growth phase.
Founder, Eduflix (March 2011 – June 2013)
He started Eduflix, an education-focused venture, gaining entrepreneurial experience that would later help shape Groww.
Product and Engineering, Ittiam Systems (August 2004 – March 2011)
He spent almost seven years in his early career at Ittiam Systems in Bengaluru, working in engineering and product roles.
This mix of engineering, product management and entrepreneurial work set the foundation for Groww's success.
Groww's listing has not only made Lalit Keshre a billionaire but has also boosted the wealth of the other cofounders:
Harsh Jain – 41.16 crore shares worth about Rs 6,956 crore
Ishan Bansal – 27.78 crore shares worth about Rs 4,695 crore
Neeraj Singh – 38.32 crore shares worth about Rs 6,476 crore
All four founders previously worked together at Flipkart before leaving to start their own venture in the investment space.
Keshre's rise from a village in Madhya Pradesh to leading one of India's most valuable fintech companies, reflects how India's startup ecosystem continues to create new opportunities in finance and technology. Groww's success also shows the rapid rise of retail investing in the country, especially among the youth, which has helped the platform grow at a fast pace.
# From Farmer's Son to Billionaire: The Inspiring Rise of Groww Founder Lalit Keshre After Blockbuster IPO
November 17, 2025**
In the high-stakes world of Indian fintech, where innovation meets ambition, few stories shine as brightly as that of Lalit Keshre. The co-founder and CEO of Groww – India's leading retail investment platform – has just joined the elite billionaire club, courtesy of his company's stellar IPO debut. With Groww's shares rocketing over 70% in just four trading sessions, Keshre's personal stake has ballooned to nearly Rs 9,448 crore, marking a fairy-tale turnaround from his humble roots in a Madhya Pradesh village. At 44 years old, this IIT Bombay alumnus embodies the quintessential self-made success story. Let's trace his journey from the fields of Lepa to the pinnacles of Dalal Street.
## Humble Beginnings: A Village Boy's Determination
Born in 1981 in the sleepy village of Lepa in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district, Lalit Keshre grew up in modest circumstances as the son of a farmer. Raised primarily by his grandparents, young Lalit's early life was far removed from the urban hustle that would later define his career. The family's agrarian lifestyle meant resources were scarce, but Keshre's curiosity and grit set him apart. He attended the district's only English-medium school, a small but pivotal step toward broader horizons.
It was during his school years that Keshre first learned about the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), India's gateway to premier engineering institutes. Undeterred by the odds, he cracked the exam and earned a spot at the hallowed halls of IIT Bombay. There, he pursued dual degrees – a bachelor's and master's in electrical engineering, specializing in microelectronics – honing skills that would fuel his tech ambitions. "From a farmer's son to leading one of India's fintech unicorns – it's the stuff of dreams," as one observer aptly put it, capturing the essence of his improbable ascent.
## Building a Tech Foundation: Early Career Hustle
Fresh out of IIT in 2004, Keshre dove headfirst into the burgeoning tech scene in Bengaluru. He spent seven formative years (2004-2011) at Ittiam Systems, a multimedia software firm, where he juggled engineering and product development roles. This period sharpened his technical acumen and ignited his entrepreneurial spark.
In 2011, at just 30, Keshre took the plunge into founding his first venture: Eduflix, an edtech platform aimed at democratizing education through digital means. Though it wrapped up by 2013, the experience was invaluable, teaching him the ropes of scaling a startup in India's nascent digital economy.
Keshre's big break came in 2013 when he joined Flipkart, the e-commerce giant then revolutionizing online retail. As one of the early product managers, he oversaw key areas like the Flipkart Marketplace and spearheaded Flipkart Quick, the company's foray into hyperlocal deliveries. Over three dynamic years until 2016, he witnessed Flipkart's explosive growth firsthand, absorbing lessons in user-centric product design and rapid scaling that would prove instrumental later.
## Founding Groww: Disrupting Finance for the Masses
By 2016, Keshre was ready for his next chapter. Teaming up with three fellow Flipkart alumni – Harsh Jain, Ishan Bansal, and Neeraj Singh – he co-founded Groww in May of that year. What started as a simple mutual fund investment app was born out of a frustration with the opaque, broker-heavy world of Indian finance. Groww's mission? To make investing as easy as ordering groceries online – zero-commission trades, intuitive apps, and education for first-timers.
Under Keshre's leadership as CEO, headquartered in Bengaluru, Groww exploded onto the scene. It quickly expanded beyond mutual funds to stocks, futures & options (F&O), US equities, and even gold investments. Targeting India's young, tech-savvy millennials, the platform onboarded millions of novice investors, many dipping their toes into markets for the first time. Key milestones include crossing 10 million active users by 2021, securing unicorn status with a $3 billion valuation in 2022, and dominating the discount brokerage space ahead of rivals like Zerodha.
Today, Groww boasts over 40 million users and processes billions in transactions monthly, all while maintaining a lean, customer-first ethos. Keshre's vision has turned it into a household name, proving that fintech isn't just for the elite.
## The IPO Windfall: Billionaire Status Unlocked
The crescendo arrived on November 12, 2025, when Groww made its much-anticipated stock market debut on the BSE and NSE at Rs 100 per share. Investor frenzy ensued: The stock surged more than 70% in the first four sessions, closing around Rs 169 – one of the strongest IPO performances in recent memory. This propelled Groww's market capitalization past the Rs 1 lakh crore mark, valuing the company at over $12 billion.
For Keshre, the payoff was personal. Holding 55.91 crore shares – a 9.06% stake – his wealth skyrocketed to approximately Rs 9,448 crore (about $1.13 billion at current rates). He's not alone in the windfall: Co-founder Harsh Jain's stake is worth Rs 6,956 crore, Ishan Bansal's Rs 4,695 crore, and Neeraj Singh's Rs 6,476 crore. Keshre's entry into the billionaire ranks – alongside the likes of Zerodha's Nithin Kamath – cements his status as a fintech trailblazer.
## Legacy in the Making: What Lies Ahead?
Lalit Keshre's story isn't just about wealth; it's a testament to perseverance, innovation, and inclusivity. From decoding JEE papers under a single bulb in a village home to helming a fintech behemoth, he's shown that roots in the soil can lead to soaring valuations. As Groww eyes global expansion and deeper penetration into India's underserved markets, Keshre remains at the helm, steering with the same quiet resolve that defined his early days.
In a post-IPO interview snippet circulating on social media, Keshre reflected: "Our goal has always been to empower every Indian to invest confidently – the IPO is just fuel for that fire." With his newfound billionaire badge, expect more chapters in this saga of disruption.
What's your take on Keshre's journey? Does it inspire you to chase your own big bets? Share in the comments below. And if you're eyeing Groww shares, remember: Past performance isn't a guarantee, but stories like this? They're pure motivation.
*Sources: India Today, Moneycontrol, Livemint, and YourStory.*
