Not every entrepreneur gets a second chance. But Kunal Bahl didn’t just get one, he built it, piece by piece, from the ground up.
Kunal’s story begins in Delhi, where he grew up with a love for problem-solving. After finishing school, he went on to study in the U.S. at the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School, where he majored in Entrepreneurship and Marketing. Like many Indian students abroad, he dreamed of building a successful career in America, until fate had other plans. When his work visa was unexpectedly denied, Kunal returned to India in 2007. Most would see it as a setback. Kunal saw it as an opportunity.
In 2010, he teamed up with his childhood friend Rohit Bansal to start Snapdeal, initially a daily deals site inspired by Groupon. Within two years, they pivoted into a full-scale e-commerce marketplace. Snapdeal exploded in popularity, attracting big investors like SoftBank, Alibaba, and eBay, and at one point stood shoulder to shoulder with Flipkart and Amazon India.
But rapid growth came at a cost. The company expanded too quickly, diversified too wide, and eventually stumbled. Losses mounted, a merger with Flipkart fell through in 2017, and critics called it the end of the road.
Yet, this was where Kunal’s real journey began.
Snapdeal 2.0: A Story of Grit and Reinvention
Instead of giving up, Kunal made a bold, humble decision, to go back to the basics. With his team, he launched Snapdeal 2.0, a stripped-down, refocused version of the company. They let go of unprofitable verticals, downsized operations, and began listening, really listening to customers in India’s heartland.
They realized something powerful: the next wave of Indian internet users wasn’t in metros. It was in small towns and villages, where affordability, simplicity, and trust mattered most. Snapdeal shifted its focus entirely to this value-conscious Bharat audience. Today, over 90% of Snapdeal’s orders come from outside Tier 1 cities, a remarkable turnaround.
Losses were cut by 95%. And Snapdeal became leaner, stronger, and more connected to the people it served.
Titan Capital: Helping Other Founders Fly
Kunal’s own ups and downs gave him a deep empathy for fellow entrepreneurs. That’s why he and Rohit launched Titan Capital, an early-stage investment firm that backs startups with not just money, but mentorship.
Through Titan Capital, they’ve quietly built one of India’s most powerful startup portfolios, funding over 200 companies including Razorpay, Mamaearth, Urban Company, Ola, and Shadowfax. What sets Titan apart is its founder-first approach. They invest early, often when an idea is still on paper, and stay involved as genuine partners in the journey.
Kunal doesn’t just cut cheques, he shares hard-earned lessons. He knows what it feels like to fail. And he knows how to rise again.
What’s Next: Snapdeal + ONDC = India’s Digital Future
Snapdeal is now preparing for its next big leap, integration with ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce), a government initiative that aims to make online shopping accessible to every Indian seller and buyer, no matter how small.
Kunal sees this as a turning point:
“Just like UPI transformed payments in India, ONDC will transform retail. We want to be a part of that change.”
With ONDC, Snapdeal will help millions of small sellers from across India get discovered by buyers through an open network. It’s also working on a mobile-first, regional language interface so that even first-time users in rural areas can shop online confidently.
Meanwhile, its logistics arm Unicommerce is expanding fast, supporting thousands of sellers with backend software, delivery support, and analytics tools.
Inspiration in Every Setback
Kunal Bahl’s journey is a story of falling down and rising stronger. It’s about learning, listening, and evolving, not just as a businessman, but as a leader and a mentor. In a world obsessed with valuations, his focus remains steady: solving real problems for real people.Whether it’s through Snapdeal’s comeback or Titan Capital’s investments in India’s next generation of startups, Kunal Bahl continues to prove that comebacks are stronger than setbacks, and that the best businesses come from the heart.
