Ola Cabs, is one of the most recognised and successful names in the Indian business spectrum. Stylised as OLA, it is an Indian multinational ridesharing company, which is based in Bangalore. However, besides ridesharing, Ola operates in diverse business verticals such as financial services and cloud kitchens too. The company has attracted significant investments in recent years from various venture capitalists, including the famous Japanese multinational investment holding company, Softbank.
After their tremendous success in India, Ola expanded its operations overseas by entering the Australian market in January 2018. In that same year, Ola launched in New Zealand around September 2018. The unparalleled growth of Ola didn’t stop there, as they also entered the United Kingdom in March 2019.
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Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati founded the multinational ridesharing company, Ola. While not much is known about Ankit in the mainstream media, it is Bhavish, who always makes it to the headlines and is the one, who often interacts with the media. Thus, today we are going to take a deeper look into Bhavish’s personal and professional lives. So without further ado, let’s get started.
The renowned entrepreneur, Bhavish Aggarwal was born on August 28, 1985, in a Hindu family based in Punjab’s Ludhiana. The entrepreneur was born to his parents, Naresh Kumar Aggarwal and Usha Aggarwal. For the unversed, Bhavish’s parents are both doctors based out of Punjab.
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Not much information is available about Bhavish Aggarwal’s schooling in the public domain. However, it is a well-known fact that he completed a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
After completing his graduation from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bhavish Aggarwal kick-started his professional journey as an intern at the tech giant, Microsoft India. Subsequently, he also spent two years with Microsoft India from 2008 to 2010, as an Assistant Researcher. During his time at the company, Bhavish made a series of significant contributions and also filed two patents and published three research papers in reputable international academic journals.
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The story of Bhavish Aggarwal's inspiration to start a cab company is straight out of a Bollywood movie. The entrepreneur was once travelling to Bandipur from Bangalore in a taxi. While travelling in a taxi, Bhavish and his friend, Ankit Bhati had a distressing encounter with the driver.
Initially, the driver demanded additional payment beyond their agreed-upon fare, but Bhavish Aggarwal refused to pay the extra amount. As a result, the taxi driver abandoned them in midway to their destination. The fight and unsettling experience inspired Bhavish to think about opening a ridesharing startup to present a more reliable transportation solution to the country.
It was in 2011 when Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati joined hands to co-found Ola Cabs. After years of hard work and some risky decisions, Ola Cabs has established itself as the leading platform for personal transportation services in India. As per multiple reports, Ola Cabs has gained immense popularity among consumers, and the company currently operates in 22 cities across the nation, offering a wide range of transportation options.
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Once at an event, Ola’s co-founder, Bhavish Aggarwal opened up about telling his parents about his idea to open a ridesharing startup, Ola Cabs, in India. The entrepreneur revealed that he belongs to a middle-class family. As a result, when he told his parents about his plan, they had their own share of concerns as parents. Opening up about the same, Bhavish admitted that his parents never let their fears become barriers in his way. He said:
"As a society, especially in a relatively smaller town like Ludhiana, it wasn’t typical for professionals whose son has studied engineering, would actually go on and start companies. So, it was a very interesting phase and kudos to my parents to give me the room to do what I wanted to do. They voiced their concerns, but I believe that would be the concern of any middle class parent."
The co-founder of Ola, Bhavish Aggarwal is married to a gorgeous lady named, Rajalakshmi Aggarwal. She is a Tamilian woman, who had a career as an Analyst and Marketing Manager at Ernst and Young. However, in 2016, Rajalakshmi shifted her focus towards social work and joined Ola Foundation. Since then, she has been actively involved in philanthropic initiatives and contributing to Ola Foundation's efforts to impact society positively.
Bhavish Aggarwal and Rajalakshmi Aggarwal's love story began during their college days at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay in 2007. While pursuing their engineering degrees, their friendship deepened into a romantic relationship that lasted for almost six years. Despite Bhavish's busy schedule with studies and his entrepreneurial aspirations, he always prioritised spending time with his ladylove, Rajalakshmi.
The lovebirds, Bhavish Aggarwal and Rajalakshmi Aggarwal's bond was strengthened through long walks and meaningful conversations. During Bhavish's early days, when he faced financial difficulties, it was his then-girlfriend now-wife, Rajalakshmi, who stepped in and took responsibility for paying the bills, easing the burden for both of them.
In early 2014, Bhavish Aggarwal and Rajalakshmi Aggarwal took their relationship to the next level and got married after dating for six years. This was also a significant time for Bhavish, as his venture, Ola Cabs, the company he co-founded, experienced remarkable success in the same time frame. During this period, Bhavish Aggarwal became the youngest self-made billionaire in India, with a net worth of Rs. 2,385 crores. Back then, he was leading all the headlines.
As per a list released by IIFL Wealth and Hurun India in 2022, Bhavish Aggarwal, who is the co-founder of Ola Cabs, is reported to have a net worth of Rs. 11,700 crores. As per reports, it places him among the wealthiest individuals in India.
Bhavish Aggarwal and Rajalakshmi Agarwal are among the few couples in the business world, who continue to inspire lovebirds worldwide.
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