Kavin mittal biography of abraham
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At its peak, the platform boasted over 100 million registered users, with more than 40 billion messages exchanged every month. Having realised his passion for entrepreneurship, he started and failed at a few ventures abroad. In August 2016, Hike made history by becoming the 10th Indian startup to cross the $1 billion valuation mark, and it did so in record time, just 3.7 years, making it the fastest unicorn in India back then.
This milestone also turned Kavin Bharti Mittal into the youngest Indian founder to build a billion-dollar company at just 28 years old.
Some of his notable awards include:
- ET and Spencer Stuart 40 Under 40 (2016)
- ET Panache Trendsetting CEO (2016)
- Express IT Awards – Newsmaker of the Year (2016)
- Entrepreneur India 35 Under 35 (2017)
- Forbes Asia 30 Under 30, Class of 2017
Kavin Bharti Mittal - Future Plans
Instead of dwelling on setbacks, Mittal is already focused on what comes next.
He decided to explore the internet messaging space, wanting to make it more interesting and fun. On the individual side, heavyweights like Elad Gil and Zynga founder Mark Pincus had also placed their bets on Mittal’s vision.
The shutdown coincided with a tough moment for India’s gaming industry. This is the most exciting time to be building software.”
It’s clear that while Hike’s chapter has closed, Mittal’s story is still very much being written.
What Happened to Hike Messenger?
In 2013, they raised $7 million in funding from Bharti Softbank, a VC fund which was a joint venture between Mittal's father and Softbank. For the unversed, at McLaren Racing, Kavin Bharti Mittal worked with the Formula1 team.
After coming back to India, Kavin Bharti Mittal founded Hike in 2012. Though the messenger was shut down later, the company failed to yield and is now pivoting again.
Once hailed as India’s answer to WhatsApp, Hike had millions of users and big-name investors like SoftBank and Tencent.
In a reflective LinkedIn post titled “Closing a Chapter, Opening a New One”, Mittal pointed to shifting market conditions and India’s recent ban on online real-money gaming as the final blow. Instead, it was supposed to serve as a testing ground, an experiment to refine the model in India before taking it global.
“Imagine systems that adapt and grow with us. He completed his Master’s in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Management from the Imperial College London.
Kavin Bharti Mittal’s career
Kavin Bharti Mittal began his career as an intern with McLaren Racing, Google, and Goldman Sachs while studying at Imperial College London.
His ability to experiment, pivot, and lead bold ventures has been recognized both in India and globally. He raised over $250 million in funding, with support from global giants like Tencent, Foxconn, Tiger Global, SoftBank, Bharti, and even well-known tech leaders from Silicon Valley. Thanking his team and backers, he noted, “We gave it everything we had.
The couple has one daughter and two sons, who are twins. However, India’s 2023 crackdown on real-money gaming abruptly halted those plans, once again forcing Hike to rethink its future.
The Journey of Hike, the Indian Messaging App and its Present Pivot!
Hike Messenger was an Indian app, which turned into a unicorn in 2016.
This app was backed by top-notch investors like SoftBank and Tencent. Case Study
Hike shocked its users by announcing the sudden shutdown.