Pearl Kapur, the co-founder and chief executive of Web3 cybersecurity startup Zyber 365, has made headlines as India's youngest billionaire with a staggering net worth of $1.2 billion.
At the age of 27, Mr. Kapur has surpassed Nikhil Kamath, the 37-year-old co-founder of discount brokerage Zerodha, who holds a personal fortune of $1.1 billion, as reported by The Economic Times.
Mr. Kapur attributes his wealth largely to his impressive 90 percent stake in Zyber 365, which achieved unicorn status within just three months of its inception. Last July, UK-based agricultural company Sram & Mram Group acquired an 8.3 percent stake in Zyber 365 for $100 million during a Series A funding round, skyrocketing the startup's valuation to $1.2 billion.
Describing the achievement, Zyber 365 announced, "The funding made Zyber 365 India's and Asia's fastest unicorn in just three months, and the 109th unicorn in India's vibrant startup ecosystem."
A graduate of the Queen Mary University of London with a master's degree in investment banking, Mr. Kapur has previously worked as a financial adviser at convenience store chain AMPM Store and as a business adviser for blockchain consulting company Antier Solutions.
In addition to his role at Zyber 365, Mr. Kapur founded Billion Pay Technologies in February 2022, focusing on developing tech-smart exam management systems.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kamath, the second-youngest individual on India's rich list, attained billionaire status in 2021 when Zerodha's valuation exceeded $1 billion, according to online wealth management platform Kuvera.
Among the top five youngest Indian billionaires by age, Binny Bansal, co-founder of e-commerce giant Flipkart, follows Mr. Kapur at 40 years old with a net worth of $1.4 billion. Sachin Bansal, also co-founder of Flipkart, trails closely behind at 42 years old with a net worth of $1.3 billion.
Completing the list is Nithin Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, aged 44, with a net worth of $2.7 billion, as reported by Kuvera.
Other notable figures on the list of youngest Indian billionaires include Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Shamsheer Vayalil, founder and chairman of Burjeel Holding, Ravi Modi, founder of ethnic wear brand Manyavar, hedge fund manager Karthik Sarma, and Ranjan Pai, chairman of education and healthcare conglomerate Manipal Group, according to Kuvera.