The path to success isn’t always paved through academia. These six individuals chose to leave college to pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions, leveraging family businesses or starting from scratch to achieve billionaire status.
Mukesh Ambani:
Mukesh Ambani, a household name in India and beyond, abandoned his MBA at Stanford University in 1980 to return to India. As per the Economic Times, he joined his family’s business, which eventually led to the expansion and dominance of Reliance Industries across multiple sectors.
Azim Premji:
Azim Premji, known for transforming Wipro from a cooking oil company into an IT powerhouse, dropped out of Stanford University at age 21. Times Now reports that after his father’s demise, Premji took the reins of Western India Vegetable Products Ltd. (now Wipro), steering it towards unprecedented growth.
Subhash Chandra:
Subhash Chandra, a prominent figure in Indian media and politics, left school after class 10 to support his family’s small-scale business, per Zee News. He later founded Zee Entertainment Enterprises, expanding his influence into diverse sectors beyond media.
Gautam Adani:
Gautam Adani, now synonymous with Adani Group’s vast business empire, departed Gujarat University during his Bachelor’s in Commerce to pursue his entrepreneurial aspirations in Mumbai, notes News18. His ventures now span infrastructure, energy, and logistics.
Mukesh (Micky) Jagtiani:
Mukesh Jagtiani, founder of Landmark Group, abandoned his economics studies in London to embark on building a retail empire. Bloomberg highlights how his initial store in Bahrain blossomed into over 2,300 outlets globally, making Landmark Group a retail giant.
Shahmiid Balwa:
Shahid Balwa, co-founder of DB Realty, ventured into real estate after managing his family’s hotel business in Mumbai, according to TOI. Alongside Vinod Goenka, he transformed their entrepreneurial vision into a significant player in India’s real estate sector.
