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Ankur Warikoo Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 28, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth25 August 1980

Age44 Years (as of 2024)

BirthplaceSrinagar, Jammu and Kashmir

ProfessionEntrepreneur, Angel Investor, Public Speaker, Mentor, Author

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseRuchi Budhiraja

FamilySon - Vidur Warikoo; Daughter - Uzma Warikoo; Father - Ashok Warikoo; Mother - Neerja Warikoo; Sister - one younger sister

Ankur Warikoo Biography

Ankur Warikoo is an Indian entrepreneur, angel investor, educator and public speaker best known as the founder of nearbuy.com. Raised in Srinagar and New D

Early life and background

Ankur Warikoo was born on 25 August 1980 in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. He grew up in New Delhi and attended Don Bosco School there from 1986 to 1998. He completed a BSc in Physics at Hindu College, Delhi, followed by an MS in Astronomy and Astrophysics at Michigan State University. He enrolled in a PhD program at Michigan State but left the program in 2004. He later completed an MBA in Finance from the Indian School of Business and Finance, New Delhi.

Warikoo has described his upbringing as financially constrained. Despite limited resources, his family prioritized education and he has written about the sacrifices his parents made to support his studies, including taking loans and making personal sacrifices to fund opportunities abroad.

Career

After leaving his PhD program, Warikoo began his professional journey at NIS Sparta in New Delhi as a consultant. In May 2006 he joined Kearney in Chicago, where he worked for nearly three years before co-founding Accentium Web in Gurgaon.

He moved into roles with international internet ventures later in his career. In December 2010 he became a venture partner with Rocket Internet in Berlin and in March 2011 he took on a regional leadership role at Groupon covering emerging APAC markets including India, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

Warikoo launched his work as an angel investor in July 2014. In August 2015 he founded nearbuy.com, an e-commerce platform based in Gurgaon, and served as its CEO for almost four years before stepping down in 2019. He remained involved with the company as a board member through at least 2022.

Beyond entrepreneurship, Warikoo has held governance and advisory roles. Between 2014 and 2017 he served on boards at the Indian School of Business, including participation in the Next Generation Leaders Board.

Public profile

From 2019 Warikoo expanded his focus into content creation, education and public speaking. He developed paid courses on entrepreneurship, career management and personal growth, and built a substantial social media presence. His self-titled YouTube channel surpassed more than 1.28 million subscribers by January 2022, and he has shared finance and career guidance across platforms. He began publishing video content publicly in 2016 on LinkedIn and launched on YouTube in August 2017, later joining Instagram in 2018.

Warikoo is also an author. His first book, Do Epic Shit, was published in 2021 and was listed among India’s top-selling books that year. He is a frequent public speaker and has been recognized for leadership and influence: he received the Young Leader Award from the Indian School of Business (class of 2006), was named in Fortune India’s 40 Under 40 in 2014, received an entrepreneurship award at TEDx NIT Srinagar in 2018, and was selected as one of LinkedIn India’s Top Voices for three consecutive years (2018–2020).

Personal life and interests

Warikoo is married to Ruchi Budhiraja; the couple married in 2007 and have two children, a son named Vidur and a daughter named Uzma. His parents are Ashok and Neerja Warikoo, and he has a younger sister. He follows a vegetarian diet and has shared details publicly about his fitness and weight-loss efforts over time, including transformations reported in 2020 and 2023 and a detailed post about dieting and training in April 2024. He has taken part in marathons and appears regularly at public events.

Warikoo cites a range of influences, listing thinkers and content creators he admires for their perspectives on life, work and resilience. He has also reflected publicly on early rejections and setbacks in his academic and career journey, describing those experiences as formative.

Latest updates

Warikoo continues to create content, teach, speak and engage with entrepreneurial ventures. As of 2022 he remained on the board of nearbuy.com, and he has continued sharing insights about fitness, personal growth and professional development on social platforms through 2024.
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Recent Work

Do Epic Shit

First book by Ankur Warikoo, published in 2021 and reported among India’s top-selling books that year.

2021
nearbuy.com

Founder of the e-commerce platform nearbuy.com; served as CEO from its launch in 2015 until stepping down in 2019 and remained a board member as of 2022.

2015-2019 (CEO)
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Career Highlights

  1. Founder and former CEO of nearbuy.com
  2. Named in Fortune India’s 40 Under 40 (2014)
  3. Young Leader Award, Indian School of Business (class of 2006)
  4. LinkedIn India’s Top Voices (2018–2020)
  5. Author of Do Epic Shit (2021)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Ankur Warikoo born?

25 August 1980

What is Ankur Warikoo known for?

Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, Public Speaker, Mentor, Author

What is Ankur Warikoo’s marital status?

Married

Who is Ankur Warikoo married to?

Ruchi Budhiraja