Who is Ashneer Grover of Shark Tank India whose memes are viral on the internet?

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The reality TV show Shark Tank India is trending all over the internet. A version of the popular American business reality show, Shark Tank India provides an opportunity to entrepreneurs with interesting business ideas, business prototypes or active businesses that will be evaluated by experienced investors and business experts. One of the judges or 'sharks' on the panel is Ashneer Grover, who has become a fan favourite for the distinct style he brings to the show. Ashneer does not mince his words while giving his feedback and turning down the 'pitches'. He has become a popular meme material for the netizens for his straightforward nature and no-nonsense attitude. For those who are not familiar with 'shark' Ashneer, we summarise who he is. 

Who is 'shark' Ashneer Grover?

Ashneer is the co-founder and Managing Director of BharatPe, which is a financial technology app in the Indian digital payment or transaction space. It is similar to PhonePe and Paytm and other such digital payment channels. The company was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in New Delhi. As per a BusinessIndia.co report published in April 2021, BharatPe has a merchant base of over six million merchants across 100 cities. 

Early life

Ashneer is based out of New Delhi. He enrolled in B.Tech (Civil Engineering) in 2000 and passed out in 2004 from IIT Delhi. After that, he did his MBA (Management and Finance)  from IIM Ahmedabad in 2004-06. 

During his B Tech, Ahneer was also awarded a scholarship from the French Embassy and was part of a student exchange program with the University of INSA-Lyon, France. 

Career after education

Ashneer was Vice President of Kotak Investment Banking for seven years between 2006-2013. After that, he worked at various positions with companies like American Express, Grofers, PC Jeweller. After leaving his last job in 2018, he co-founded BharatPe with IIT Delhi drop-out Shashvat Nakrani. 

Marriage and children

Ashneer married Madhuri Jain Grover in 2006 and the couple has two kids- an elder son and a daughter. Madhuri is also the Head of Controls at BharatPe. The Instagram profiles of Ashneer and Madhuri give a glimpse of their family life together. 

Kotak Mahindra Bank controversy

A former employee of the Kotak Mahindra Bank, Ashneer landed in controversy recently for allegedly using inappropriate language against a staff member. He and his wife Madhuri Grover had sent a legal notice to Kotak Mahindra Bank's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Uday Kotak, and to some of his senior management, accusing the bank of failing to secure financing and allocation of shares in an IPO launched by beauty firm Nykaa. The notice sought damages for the gains Grover and his wife would have made after subscribing to shares worth Rs 500 crore in the company, besides Rs 1 lakh towards the cost of the legal notice.