Meet man who hit jackpot with Rs 180 crore business idea, not from IIT, IIM, has this Rajasthan Royals link...

Karmesh Gupta from Alwar in Rajasthan began his career with a position at the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals while still in college. A certified ethical hacker, he later worked with several technology companies before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey with a groundbreaking innovation. After two unsuccessful attempts and demonstrating remarkable perseverance, Gupta achieved success on his third try, launching a business that expanded to 25 countries within just 15 months.

Unlike many tech entrepreneurs who come from prestigious IIT or IIM backgrounds, Karmesh Gupta graduated from the LNM Institute of Information Technology. In October 2014, he co-founded HttpCart Technologies with his cousin Praveen Gupta. The following year, they introduced India’s first free Wi-Fi service by a private firm in Jaipur, utilising hyperlocal video and image advertisements for revenue. Despite initially attracting over ten clients, the venture fell short of their expectations and ultimately had to be closed due to significant losses.

Refusing to give up, the cousins pivoted towards the IT services sector. However, this attempt also did not succeed as planned. Their breakthrough came in 2017 when they launched 'WiJungle,' an all-in-one cybersecurity solution under the same brand. This product quickly gained traction with various government ministries and well-known hotel chains. Remarkably, they achieved profitability within three months of sales, benefiting from high margins and a low burn rate.

The company was bootstrapped with an initial investment of only Rs 11 lakh. In 2022, Gupta's firm secured seed funding from the global venture capital firm SOSV. Currently, Karmesh serves as the CEO while Praveen holds the position of CTO. As per their valuation in 2022, the company is valued at approximately Rs 183 crore (around $22 million).