Meet the once-called 'bad boy of Indian startups', Rahul Yadav, who is the former CEO of Housing.com and is currently leading 4B Networks. Here's all you need to know about him!
Rahul Yadav is one of the most famous names in the Indian startups. From being the Co-founder of Housing.com to being involved in a series of noteworthy startups, he never skips a chance to break the headlines. However, not everyone is aware of his life, which has been nothing less than a Bollywood film. From being titled the ‘bad boy of Indian startups’ to distributing his shares worth Rs. 200 crores, Rahul has been in the news for most of his career.
For instance, in 2023, Rahul Yadav grabbed all the headlines and attention when Info Edge announced they would initiate a forensic audit into the firm, 4B Networks. Apart from his professional struggles, you need to know many things about Rahul Yadav’s background, as they speak volumes about him as an entrepreneur. So without further ado, let’s head straight into it.
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The renowned entrepreneur, Rahul Yadav was born into a middle-class family in 1989 in Khairtal, Rajasthan. In 2007, he joined the esteemed Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, specialising in metallurgy. During his time there, Rahul got actively involved in the student association, serving both as a representative and secretary.
Rahul Yadav’s entrepreneurial journey began with the creation of Exambaba.com, which was an online question bank for old exam papers. The website became a massive hit among students. However, IIT Bombay wasn’t quite impressed with it. They even requested him to shut down the website multiple times.
However, what happened next still remains a mystery. However, what isn’t a mystery but a well-known fact is that despite being in his final year, Rahul decided to drop out of college. But he had enough knowledge, which he attained while developing Exambaba.com. The entrepreneur acquired programming skills, which eventually led him to design several Google applications.
It was in 2012 when Rahul Yadav and eleven of his classmates faced housing difficulties when they were in Mumbai. The youngsters were finding it hard to get the properties as per their preferences and budget. Well, as the famous saying goes, ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ Rahul and his friends got inspired and founded Housing.com. In such a short span of time, it became one of the biggest websites in the real-estate sector.
It was in 2012 when Rahul Yadav’s co-founded startup, Housing.com gained significant recognition as one of the most promising tech startups in India. It secured funding from prominent investors, including SoftBank. Not only this, but Housing.com also established partnerships with Tata Housing and Tata Value Homes. As a result, the company made an impressive mark by selling around eight million dollars worth of real estate within its first week, as reported by Forbes India. This early success reflected the potential and impact of Housing.com in the real estate industry.
It was in June 2015 when Rahul Yadav, who was the co-founder of Housing.com was fired from his own organisation. The announcement left everyone shocked, and it was indeed a shocker for everyone who used to call him the next ‘Steve Jobs of India’. However, when the media and sources dug deep to find the factors resulting in such a big move, it turned out to be quite embarrassing for Rahul.
For the unversed, back in 2015, reports were rife that Rahul Yadav’s behaviour with other co-founders, investors, and the media was quite rude and disrespectful. It was also reported that Rahul received numerous warnings for his behaviour, but he continued to be disrespectful towards his team, which was why the harsh but necessary step was taken.
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During his time as the CEO of Housing.com, Rahul Yadav became the centre of attention after he sent an objectionable resignation letter. However, soon he surprised everyone by issuing an apology. But all the dramatic events went in vain after the board of Housing.com fired him from the company. However, in his last move in response to being fired from Housing.com, he unexpectedly announced that he had allocated all of his personal shares, which were valued at around Rs. 150 crores to Rs. 200 crores at that time to the company's 2,251 employees.
In 2019, in an interview with Forbes India, Rahul Yadav admitted that he was quite ‘immature’ and got quite self-centred during his time at Housing.com. The entrepreneur was asked what he had learnt from everything that had happened between him and Housing.com in the past. In response to it, the entrepreneur admitted that he understood that you could not be disrespectful towards your company's investors. He had said:
"I was way too young at that time and it was immature behaviour. I guess it was okay at that age. I was a leader in college [IIT-Bombay], and then the co-founder of Housing.com. I was always the single point of authority. Even if I was wrong, no one was questioning me. That way, leaders tend to get delusional a bit and take wrong calls with confidence. But now, I won’t do such a thing. If I set up a company again, I won’t get into a spat with investors."
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On March 12, 2016, Rahul Yadav, the co-founder of Housing.com, exchanged engagement vows with Karishma Khokhar in an intimate ceremony held in New Delhi. The event was graced by the presence of their close friends and family members, creating a glamorous atmosphere.
For the uninitiated, Karishma Khokar is an investment banker, has an engineering background from Delhi Technical University and holds an MBA in finance from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad. Although details about the exact wedding date are not available online, their engagement marked the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.
From being referred to as the next ‘Steve Jobs of India’ to being the ‘bad boy of Indian startups’ and his never-ending relationship with controversies, Rahul Yadav rightly deserves all the attention in the media. What do you think about him as an entrepreneur? Let us know.
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