Meet Sunil Bharti Mittal, billionaire who started with Rs 20,000 investment, whose net worth is Rs 1.2 lakh crore

Sunil Bharti Mittal, the founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, is an Indian billionaire and philanthropist with interests in telecommunications, space exploration, insurance, real estate, hotels and food. The largest telecom provider in India, if not the biggest, is Bharti Airtel, which is a crucial component of the Bharti enterprises. 

In 2023 Sunil Bharti Mittal was ranked the 10th richest person in India by Forbes, with an estimated net worth of US$14.8 billion (approx Rs 14,800,000,000)

The family of Sunil Mittal has a political history. Sat Paul Mittal, his father, served in the Rajya Sabha as a member of parliament. Sunil graduated from Punjab University with a Bachelor of Arts and Science. At the age of 18, this self-made billionaire began his entrepreneurial career by producing crankshafts for regional bicycle manufacturers with a Rs 20,000 capital investment that he borrowed from his father.

He eventually started working in several other industries. He founded Bharti Overseas Trading Company, an import business, with his brothers in 1980. Also, he secured a Suzuki Motors dealership to bring in Japanese portable electric generators. 

Sunil then began making push-button phones in India later in 1984. He had just started Bharti Telecom Ltd. at the time. In 1992, the government called for bids for mobile telephony, and he submitted a winning bid for one of the four licences for mobile phone networks that were up for auction.

He had begun offering telecom services and had established the brand Airtel through partnerships with multinational firms. For a private player in such a sizable technology business, the path has been rather groundbreaking. 

He oversaw the growth of Bharti Airtel to become the second-biggest mobile operator in Africa and the largest telecom provider in India.

He received the Padma Bhushan honour in 2007 and has held numerous leadership positions in international organisations, including chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce. Due to his strong emphasis on education for the weaker members of society, this modest individual has also earned a reputation as a renowned philanthropist.