From scientists to scholars, many of today’s top leaders and innovators are famous IIT graduates. IIT has been home to students from all corners of the country for years. IIT is one of the top institutions in the country. Approximately 10,000 students are admitted each year to the IITs out of about 20-25 thousand applicants. A few of them have gone on to become billionaires or excelled in their fields.

Famous IIT Graduates

1. Sundar Pichai

The Indian-American tech mogul Sundar Pichai, formerly known as Pichai Sundararajan, is the current chairman and CEO of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google. His education journey took him from Jawahar Vidyalaya Senior Secondary School and Vana Vani School at IIT Madras to studying metallurgical engineering at IIT Kharagpur.

Then, an M.S. in materials science and engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Along the way, he was recognized as a Siebel Scholar and a Palmer Scholar, cementing his status as one of the brightest minds both in his home country and abroad.

  • Early Life: Sundar Pichai was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. He demonstrated an early aptitude for technology and innovation.
  • Career: Before joining Google, Pichai worked at Applied Materials and McKinsey & Company. His breakthrough at Google came when he led the development of Google Chrome, which became a major success. He became CEO of Google in 2015 and then the CEO of Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, in 2019.
  • Achievements: Pichai is known for his leadership style and ability to manage one of the world’s most influential tech companies. His tenure has seen significant developments in AI, cloud computing, and hardware.

2. N.R. Narayana Murthy

The business magnate Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy is one of Infosys’ seven co-founders. Prior to resigning and accepting the position of chairman emeritus, he served as the company’s chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), president, and chief mentor. Upon completing high school, he earned a Bachelor’s degree from NIT in 1967 and a Master’s degree from IIT in 1969 in electrical engineering.

  • Early Life: Born in Mysore, Karnataka, Murthy’s early education was in the region before he pursued engineering.
  • Career: Murthy founded Infosys in 1981 with six other co-founders. Under his leadership, Infosys grew to become one of the largest IT services companies globally. He is also known for his role in shaping the Indian IT industry.
  • Achievements: Murthy’s contributions extend beyond Infosys; he has been an influential figure in promoting IT education and development in India and has been involved in various philanthropic activities.

3. Chetan Bhagat

Hailing from India, Chetan Bhagat is a multifaceted figure known for his motivational speaking, writing, and appearances in various media. His popular Indian-English novels center around the lives of middle-class youth in urban areas. Before attending the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad, Bhagat received his B. Tech. (Bachelor of Technology) degree from IIT Delhi.

Some of his most renowned works include Five Point Someone – What Not to Do at IIT, One Night @ the Call Center, The Three Mistakes of My Life, 2 States – The Story Of My Marriage, Revolution 2020, and What Young India Wants – a non-fiction title.

  • Early Life: Born in Delhi, Bhagat pursued his B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering at IIT Delhi, where he was active in student life.
  • Career: Bhagat worked in investment banking before turning to writing full-time. His books have been bestsellers and adapted into popular Bollywood films. He is known for his engaging writing style and commentary on Indian society.
  • Achievements: Besides writing, Bhagat has been a prominent public speaker and commentator on social issues. His work often addresses themes of youth, relationships, and the socio-economic challenges in India.

4. Raghuram Govind Rajan

An Indian economist, Raghuram Govind Rajan, is a member of the list of famous IITians making Indians proud. Mr. Rajan is a Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

During the period between September 2013 and September 2016, Rajan served as the 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. From 2003 to 2006, Rajan was the Chief Economist and Director of Research at the International Monetary Fund.

  • Early Life: Rajan was born in Bangalore, India, and completed his undergraduate studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, before pursuing his Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
  • Career: Rajan’s tenure as RBI Governor was marked by his efforts to stabilize the Indian economy and address inflation and banking sector reforms. His work at the IMF was influential in global economic policy.
  • Achievements: Rajan is a well-respected economist, having authored numerous papers and books on financial crises and economic theory. His insights have been widely sought after in academic and policy circles.

5. Sachin Bansal

Sachin Bansal, the co-founder of Flipkart and an IIT Delhi computer science graduate, is considered a pioneer of the E-commerce industry in India.

As an Indian software engineer and internet entrepreneur, his innovative leadership has revolutionized online shopping in India. His inspiring journey from IIT student to successful entrepreneur continues to motivate countless aspiring minds in the fields of technology and business.

  • Early Life: Bansal was born in Chandigarh, India, and his academic background in computer science at IIT Delhi laid the foundation for his career.
  • Career: After Flipkart, Bansal became involved in various ventures, including investing in startups and technology companies. He co-founded Navi Technologies, a fintech company.
  • Achievements: Flipkart’s acquisition by Walmart in 2018 for $16 billion was one of the largest tech acquisitions in India, underscoring Bansal’s significant impact on the e-commerce industry.

6. Parag Agrawal

Parag Agrawal was the CEO of Twitter before Elon Musk took over. In 2011, Parag joined Twitter as a software engineer after graduating from IIT Bombay, one of the top 10 IIT colleges in India. He did research internships at Yahoo! and Microsoft before pursuing a PhD at Stanford University.

  • Early Life: Agrawal hails from Mumbai, India, and excelled in his studies at IIT Bombay before moving to the U.S. for advanced studies.
  • Career: At Twitter, Agrawal worked on various projects, including scaling the platform’s infrastructure and combating misinformation. His appointment as CEO was seen as a move towards more innovation and technological advancement.
  • Achievements: Agrawal’s leadership at Twitter was noted for focusing on improving the platform’s user experience and dealing with complex challenges like content moderation and scalability.

7. Arvind Krishna

In 2020, he became CEO of IBM, and in 2021, he became Chairman. In 1990, he joined IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center and stayed there for 18 years. In 2009, he became General Manager and in 2015, he became Senior Vice President of IBM Research.

  • Early Life: Krishna was born in Andhra Pradesh, India, and completed his undergraduate education at IIT Kanpur before joining IBM.
  • Career: Krishna’s tenure at IBM included leading efforts in cloud computing and AI. He played a key role in acquiring Red Hat, which was a significant move for IBM’s cloud strategy.
  • Achievements: Krishna’s leadership has been marked by a focus on innovation in cloud and AI technologies, positioning IBM for future growth in these areas.

8. Deepinder Goyal

Zomato was founded by Deepinder Goyal, who earned an integrated M.Tech in mathematics and computing from IIT-D in 2005.

Under his leadership, the startup, which began as a platform for restaurant review and discovery in Delhi-NCR, has grown into a company synonymous with food in more than 500+ cities in India. Before founding Zomato in 2008, Goyal worked as a management consultant with Bain & Company.

  • Early Life: Goyal was born in Punjab, India, and studied mathematics and computing at IIT Delhi.
  • Career: Before Zomato, Goyal’s work as a consultant provided him with insights into business and technology that he applied to his startup. Zomato has diversified into various areas including food delivery, restaurant discovery, and more.
  • Achievements: Under his leadership, Zomato expanded rapidly, becoming a significant player in the food tech space, and went public in 2021.

9. Kiran Bedi

Known as the first woman to join the Indian Police Service (IPS) as an officer in 1972, Kiran Bedi served as the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry from 28 May 2016 to 16 February 2021. As Director General of Police Research and Development, she served for 35 years before taking voluntary retirement in 2007.

  • Early Life: Bedi was born in Amritsar, Punjab, and was a top student in her academic career. Her drive and dedication to public service were evident from an early age.
  • Career: Bedi’s career in the Indian Police Service was marked by her innovative approaches to policing and prison reform. She is also known for her work in promoting social causes and reforming the criminal justice system.
  • Achievements: Bedi’s tenure as a police officer and later as Lieutenant Governor was notable for her focus on efficiency and transparency in governance.

10. Vinod Khosla

A businessman and venture capitalist, Vinod Khosla is Indian-American. One of the most successful and influential venture capitalists in the world, Khosla made his fortune from early venture capital investments in areas such as networking, software, and alternative energy technologies. He is the co-founder of Sun Microsystems and the founder of Khosla Ventures.

  • Early Life: Khosla was born in Delhi, India, and pursued his engineering degree at IIT Delhi. He later moved to the U.S. for further studies.
  • Career: Khosla’s work with Sun Microsystems and his venture capital firm Khosla Ventures has had a significant impact on technology and renewable energy. His investments have supported numerous startups and innovations.
  • Achievements: Khosla is recognized for his early investments in transformative technologies and his contributions to the venture capital industry. His firm has backed many successful tech startups and continues to be a major player in the venture capital space.
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