Ankur Warikoo: From Humble Beginnings to Creating an Empire of Awareness

Who is Ankur Warikoo?

Ankur Warikoo is a businessman, Content Creator, motivational speaker, mentor, and angel investor by profession. He co-founded some of his startups like Secondshaadi.com, Gaadi.com now Cardekho.com, and Nearbuy.com. He has 5.15 million subscribers on YouTube.

His life is a compelling tale of perseverance, transformation, and the pursuit of purpose. From a young boy with a seemingly impossible dream to an entrepreneur inspiring millions, his journey reflects the power of making informed, self-aware choices in life and a value he holds dear today.

Early life and education

Ankur is a Kashmiri Pandit who was born into a middle-class family in humble circumstances. His early years were marked by financial struggle, their life was always a challenge, but education was never compromised in his family. Warikoo’s parents, despite their limitations, ensured that he and his sister received the best education they could afford, placing their hopes on their children to break the cycle of financial hardship.

He did his schooling at Don Bosco School in New Delhi. Then he completed his B.Sc. in Physics from Hindu College.

Warikoo was one of the few kids who had a crystal-clear vision of his future, mapped out in a three-step plan. His dream was to go to the U.S. for a PhD. It was a bold ambition for a boy from a modest background, but Warikoo was determined to change his family’s orbit.

At the age of 20, he achieved part of that dream. He secured a full scholarship to a prestigious U.S. university to pursue a PhD in Physics. His father took out a loan of Rs. 55,000, a hefty sum at the time, to pay for Warikoo’s one-way ticket to the U.S. In 2002, Warikoo landed in a new country, filled with hope and promise.

However, something was missing. As the years passed, Warikoo realised that while he was excelling academically, he was not truly happy. His love for Physics did not translate into a fulfilling life. In 2003, at the age of 24, Warikoo made a decision to return that changed the course of his life forever. He confided in a friend about his dilemma and his friend cautioned him and said that leaving his PhD would make it difficult for a Physics graduate to find a job. Despite having secured admission to a prestigious college in the US with a full scholarship and performing well academically, He made the difficult decision to leave his PhD and return to India.

The weight of his responsibilities and the pressure of his situation grew overwhelming. This was no easy choice. With no savings, no financial safety net, and no plan for the future, Warikoo hit rock bottom. But it was in this moment of vulnerability that he began to have tough conversations with himself.

After returning to India, Warikoo faced the urgent need to find a job for financial stability, so he asked a few of his friends.  A friend suggested a job opportunity, which he eventually secured at NIS Sparta. However, even after landing the job, Warikoo was certain that it didn’t bring him the fulfilment he was seeking, and he began questioning the purpose behind his choices. His boss was very impressed by his work. He got to know about ISB from his boss whose husband was the Dean of the executive programme.

Ankur researched a relatively new institution called the Indian School of Business (ISB). But the fee was too high for him. He asked his professors to recommend him, and they agreed. He finally got admission at ISB and completed his MBA in one year. 

First Venture

The year he spent at ISB opened up a world of opportunities. He joined Kearney as a management consultant post-MBA, and while working there, Warikoo co-founded his first venture, SecondShaadi.com, alongside two of his batchmates.

Second Venture

Warikoo’s entrepreneurial spirit was awakened, and his journey into the startup world began. In 2009, he left consulting to focus on building SecondShaadi.com and other ventures, including Gaadi.com, which eventually sold to Goibibo in 2010.

But Warikoo didn’t stop there. In 2011, he took on a bold challenge: he became the founding CEO of Groupon India. Over the next four years, Warikoo’s leadership extended beyond India, as he took on the additional responsibility of managing Groupon's operations across Southeast Asia. His time at Groupon India culminated in an audacious move, in 2015, along with the core management team, Warikoo bought the Groupon India business and turned it into an independent entity, nearbuy.com.

Through all these experiences, Warikoo grew not only as an entrepreneur but also as a person. He became a student of consumer behaviour, fascinated by what drives people to make decisions and how to motivate them to perform their best. The nine years he spent in the startup taught him invaluable lessons about leadership, people, and most importantly, self-awareness.

In 2016, Warikoo launched a video series on LinkedIn called “Warikoo Wednesdays,” where he shared his personal experiences and insights as a founder and CEO. The series struck a chord with viewers, leading to his emergence as a popular content creator, speaker, and thought leader.

Then came 2020, a year that changed the world and Warikoo’s mission. With a desire to create meaningful change, he launched WebVeda, an education startup that offers life-readiness courses for young professionals. Warikoo’s goal was simple: help people make informed decisions, not from ignorance, but from a place of awareness. Today, WebVeda’s community boasts over 390,000 students and is growing every day.

Warikoo’s latest project, HelpClub, continues its mission of creating safe, judgement-free spaces where people can share their challenges and get help anonymously. For him, it’s another way to empower people to live more authentic, self-aware lives.

Warikoo’s journey from a boy with dreams of Mars to an entrepreneur shaping minds is nothing short of remarkable. His struggles, from financial hardship to career resets, have only made him stronger. Today, he is driven by the belief that “awareness is everything” and seeks to inspire others to make choices from a place of knowledge and understanding.

His life motto—“DO EPIC SHIT”—is the essence of his journey. It is also well-defined in his book. For Warikoo, “DO” is about action, “EPIC” represents a cause larger than oneself, and “SHIT” is the fun you have along the way. His story is a powerful reminder that no matter how uncertain or difficult life may seem, it’s possible to start over, make informed choices, and create a life of purpose.

Through his work, Ankur Warikoo is proving that awareness is, indeed, everything.