The fast-paced world of Indian startups is often celebrated for its disruptive innovations and billion-dollar valuations. But behind the success stories of grit and glory, a growing number of the country’s most celebrated entrepreneurs are navigating strife in their personal lives, through the tumultuous journey of divorce and separations. These high-stakes separations not only involve personal anguish and complex financial settlements but, in some cases, have also cast a shadow on the very companies they built. Here’s a look at some of the most high-profile divorces in the Indian startup ecosystem.
Sachin Bansal, Flipkart
Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal had married Priya Bansal in 2008, right around the time he’d founded Filpkart. Priya Bansal was a dentist with her own practice in Bangalore. The couple had a son born in 2009. But their marital discord came into the public eye amidst allegations and legal battles in 2020 when Priya Bansal filed a dowry harassment case against him, along with other serious charges. The case is still ongoing in the courts.
Deepinder Goyal, Zomato
Deepinder Goyal, the co-founder and CEO of food delivery giant Zomato, was previously married to Kanchan Joshi, whom he met during his time at IIT-Delhi. Their love story was often cited in his early interviews, portraying a supportive partnership during the initial, challenging years of building Zomato. However, the couple parted ways after over a decade of marriage. While the financial details of their divorce remain private, Goyal has since married Mexican model Grecia Munoz. Goyal and Munoz seem happy together, having appeared on talk shows and delivered food together to Zomato customers.
Nikhil Kamath, Zerodha
Nikhil Kamath, the co-founder of India’s largest stock brokerage, Zerodha, had a short-lived marriage with Amanda Puravankara, who hails from a prominent real estate family in Bengaluru. The couple tied the knot in a private ceremony in 2019 but separated within a year. The reasons for their split have been kept under wraps, with both parties maintaining a dignified silence on the matter. Following their divorce, Kamath has been in the public eye for his business ventures and his popular podcast series.
Sridhar Vembu, Zoho
Perhaps one of the most contentious divorces in Indian business has been that of Sridhar Vembu, the founder of software-as-a-service behemoth Zoho. His separation from his wife of nearly three decades, Pramila Srinivasan, has been marked by a bitter dispute over the division of assets. The conflict escalated publicly with allegations from Srinivasan that Vembu had deliberately abandoned her and their special-needs son and had transferred a significant portion of his stake in Zoho to his family members to reduce his personal net worth. Vembu has countered these claims, stating that the shareholding structure was a long-standing arrangement. The ongoing legal battle in a US court has brought to light the intricate financial web of a privately-held company and the profound personal disagreements that led to the breakdown of a long-term marriage.
Dhiraj Rajaram, Mu Sigma
Some startup founders have divorced their partners who were also the co-founders of their companies. MuSigma founder Dhiraj Rajaram had divorced his wife Ambiga Subramanian when she was the CEO of the company. Their separation in 2016 raised concerns about the leadership and future of the firm. Initially, both maintained that the divorce was a personal matter and would not impact the company’s operations. However, a few months later, Subramanian stepped down as CEO, and Rajaram took over the role. The divorce settlement also involved a transfer of Subramanian’s shares to Rajaram, consolidating his control over the company. This case served as a stark example of how the dissolution of a marriage between key executives can have significant corporate repercussions.
Sandeep Aggarwal, ShopClues
The separation of Sandeep Aggarwal and Radhika Ghai, co-founders of e-commerce platform ShopClues, was a messy and public affair. ShopClues had been founded in 2011 by Sandeep Aggarwal, his wife Radhika Aggarwal, and Sandeep Sethi. Their relationship soured after Aggarwal was embroiled in an insider trading case in the US. Following his arrest, he alleged that he was ousted from the company he co-founded and that his wife had an affair with the third co-founder, Sandeep Sethi. The divorce was acrimonious, with public accusations and a battle for control over the company. The personal turmoil between the co-founders cast a long shadow over ShopClues, which was once a prominent player in the Indian e-commerce landscape. Shopclues was later sold off for a fraction of its unicorn valuation, and Sandeep Aggarwal ended up creating a new unicorn in Droom.
Prasanna Sankar, Rippling
A more recent and equally contentious case is the divorce of Prasanna Sankar, a co-founder of the HR tech unicorn Rippling. His separation from his wife has been characterized by a volley of public accusations on social media. Sankar has alleged that his wife has made false accusations against him, leading to legal troubles. His estranged wife, on the other hand, has countered with her own set of grievances. The very public nature of their dispute, playing out on platforms like X, offers a contemporary glimpse into how personal conflicts at the highest levels of the startup world can spill into the public domain, creating a narrative that extends far beyond the courtroom.
