Radhika Gupta is the Managing Director and the Chief Executive Officer of Edelweiss Mutual Fund. She has grown to be one of the most prominent businesswomen, and she is one of the “Sharks” in the popular reality show, Shark Tank India. The Zodiac sign for Radhika Gupta is virgo.
The Early Life of Radhika Gupta.
Radhika Gupta was born on 14th September, 1983 at the Indian Consulate in Islamabad, Pakistan. Her parents are Yogesh Gupta, who is a former IFS officer, and her mother Arti Gupta who was a teacher. She has one brother called Anubhav Gupta, and their hometown is Gangoh, Uttar Pradesh, India. Radhika faced a lot of complications during birth, which resulted in her being born with a broken neck. Her condition was further worsened by the negligence of the old nurse taking care of her, who placed her in the wrong position inside the incubator. Her neck tilted as she grew up, and this resulted in Radhika being referred to as “the girl with the broken neck”.
Radhika had an excellent record in her studies, to the extent that she was recognized as being a valedictorian. Radhika enrolled in several institutions in her educational career which are: Delhi Public School, American International School of Abuja (AISA), and the Marymount International School Rome. She undertook her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at the School of Engineering and Applied Science in University of Pennsylvania. She also attained a degree in Bachelor of Science in Economics, under the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology at The Wharton School in University of Pennsylvania in the year 2005. Radhika graduated with the greatest honor, summa cum laude, which is only awarded to scholars who achieve a Grade Point Average (GPA) of between 3.80 and 4.00.
Radhika Gupta’s Road to Success.
Radhika Gupta was first employed as a Business Analyst for the McKinsey & Company in Dallas, Texas, after her graduation in 2005. She the shifted to the AQR Capital Management LLC in 2006, where she was appointed as the Portfolio Manager of the company’s asset allocation members. She then relocated to India in 2009, three years after working in the United States. She then pioneered the Forefront Capital Management company, together with her husband, Nalin Moniz, and their long-time friend, Anant Jatia. Radhika worked tirelessly to get the company noticed, until it was finally bought by the Edelweiss Financial Services Limited in 2014. Radhika was also very instrumental in the acquisition of JPMorgan Asset Management and Ambit Alpha Fund.
Radhika Gupta was finally promoted to the position of Chief Executive Officer of Edelweiss Asset Management in 2017, replacing the outgoing CEO, Vikaas Sachdeva. She was assigned crucial roles such as strategic management and supervision of sales, distribution, and investments of the company. The company’s assets were valued at Rs 9,128 crores when Radhika first joined Edelweiss Financial Services Limited, but they grew to a whopping Rs1,01, 406 crores as of January 2023.
Radhika Gupta’s Family Life.
Radhika Gupta married Nalin Moniz, who is currently the Chief Investment Officer of Alternative Equity at the Edelweiss Financial Services Limited, in 15th January, 2008. They are blessed with one son called Remy Gupta Moniz. Radhika has had a fruitful marriage with her husband, who has always supported her dreams and aspirations. She has posted several pictures of her family on her social media handles, flaunting the lavish lifestyle they are enjoying together. Aside from Radhika’s work in business, she also enjoys reading and traveling during her leisure time.
Radhika Gupta’s Net Worth.
Radhika Gupta has an estimated net worth of Rs 41 crores. She earns handsomely, and she has invested well in promising startups, most of whom appeared on Shark Tank India. Radhika has been vocal on her social media handles, that all investments she has made to companies on Shark Tank India, are all her personal earnings. She has not invested any amount on the show, in conjunction with Edelweiss Financial Services Limited.
Radhika Gupta’s Role in the Entertainment Industry.
Radhika has played a huge role in inspiring people through her book, Limitless: The Power of Unlocking Your True Potential. This book was published by Hachette in April 2022, and it has gained fame in India and the region. Radhika also got the opportunity to inspire viewers with the inspirational story of her life, on the show titled Humans of Bombay. In the interview, Radhika talked about the struggles she faced growing up. She even mentioned that people made fun of her in school, because of her tilted neck and her accent. Radhika was fed up and even attempted suicide, after the continuous heckling she faced in her life. She was even given the name ‘Apu’, who was one of the characters from The Simpsons television show. People told her that she was ugly when compared to her mother, but Radhika fought hard to block all these negative comments.
Things took a turn for the worst when Radhika turned 22 years old, as this was when she got her 7th job application rejected. Gupta looked out of a window and declared that she was going to jump to the ground. Gupta’s friend intervened and called for help, and that was when Radhika was admitted to a psychiatric ward, where she was diagnosed with depression. Miraculously, Radhika was released from the hospital, after she said that she had a job interview and that was the only chance she had left to get employed. Radhika Gupta has also her own YouTube video called ” The Girl with a Broken Neck”, where she has narrated her ordeals in life growing up.
Shark Tank India.
Radhika Gupta joined Shark Tank India, a popular reality show on SonyLIV TV, in its third season. She is among the new judges to join the reality show, and Radhika has stated that all the funds she will invest on the show will be from her personal account. Radhika has been a trailblazer in the business field, and she has been an inspiration to many who watch her on the show. She had to endure a lot of skepticism from people in the business world, but Radhika never let them wear her down. Her father was a diplomat for India, so he relocated to a different country almost every 3 years. Radhika had to adjust her life every time they moved, and this enabled her to manoeuver different business environments in her career.
Her father always urged her to push forward, and to be smart when dealing with dynamic challenges in the business world. Radhika has also had to balance motherhood, business, and being on the reality show, and she has confessed that sometimes it is all chaotic. Radhika has trained herself to balance all these duties, and she has made several exceptions when she is shooting the reality show. She stated that her son has accompanied her to several sets for the show, and she is proud when he sees her as being one of the “Sharks”. Remy Gupta Moniz, Radhika’s son, has interacted with other judges, both on and off the set of the reality show. Radhika is very greatful to Shark Tank India, for making entrepreneurship to be a popular topic in India and the region. She is happy to contribute her fair share of capital and advice, to upcoming entrepreneurs in the country.
Radhika stated that she is one of the easiest interviewers on the reality show, when she was hosted by Ranveer Allahbadia in one of the most watched YouTube videos in India. Gupta focuses more on the person’s ability to express him/herself, the person’s humility, and their drive for excellence. She will ask a simple question like, “Tell me about yourself”, and she will get clues about you from the answers that you give her. Radhika has always pointed out that, any individual who focuses more on his/her achievements rather than the group’s collective effort, tends to think solely about themselves which is a complete giveaway for her. Any person who blames the organization they represent for past failures, also shows lack of humility according to Radhika. As an entrepreneur looking to earn her investment to your company, you need to impress her by your passion and eagerness to achieve your company’s goals. You should also prove that you are flexible to the ever changing Indian economy, as being rigid may lead to failure in the end.
Challenges Faced by Radhika Gupta in her Road to Success.
Radhika Gupta’s road to success was no easy task, as she had to endure a lot of upsets to get to where she is today. For starters, she faced seven rejections from the job vacancies she had applied, and this really sunk her spirits. She even thought of committing suicide, and it was the intervention of her best friend that saved her life. She was then admitted to a psychiatric ward, where she was diagnosed with depression.
Her road to redemption came from a suggestion her mother had made to her, few years back. Radhika’s mother was really impressed by her daughter’s exemplary performance in school, that she suggested that she takes up playing the bridge as a hobby. Gupta did not take this seriously at first, but she saw its value a few years later. Radhika wanted to get out of the psychiatric ward, and that’s when she told them that she had another job interview to attend.
Radhika then went for the interview, and she was interviewed by Diane from McKinsey. To her surprise, Diane was a tournament-level bridge player. Radhika formed a strong bond with Diane, and this guaranteed her employment to the McKinsey company. Radhika then sought to pursue her career in business, where she moved to India to launch her company with her husband and friend. They were still jeered by other players in the business industry, but Radhika wasn’t deterred because she envisioned the full potential of Forefront Capital Management. She gave her all in ensuring the company succeeded, until it was eventually acquired by Edelweiss Financial Services.
Achievements
Radhika Gupta attained several awards in her lifetime, making her to be an inspiration to many in India and the globe. Some of these awards are:
- The Senior Design Thesis Award for Computer Science by School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in the University of Pennsylvania in 2005.
- The Alice Paul Award for Remarkable Contribution as a Female Leader by the University of Pennsylvania in 2005.
- The Faculty Appreciation Award for Exemplary Achievement by the University of Pennsylvania in 2005.
- The Best Managed Project for Merger of JP Morgan by Edelweiss Financial Services in 2017.
- The People Titan – Senior Category by Edelweiss Financial Services in 2018.
- The 30 Most Powerful Women in India by the Business Today in 2019.
- The Top 100 Women in Finance by AIWM India in 2019.
- The Top Voices in Finance and Economy by LinkedIn in 2020.
- The 50 Most Powerful Women in Business Award by Fortune India in 2020.
- The Next 100 Indians of India Tomorrow by India Today in 2021.
- The Impact Creator Award by the Governor of Maharashtra in 2021.
- The 40 Under 40 Business Leaders Award by the Economic Times in 2021.
- The Most Powerful Women in India by the Business Today in 2021.
- The Young Global Leader Award by the World Economic Forum in 2020.
Radhika has greatly inspired many upcoming entrepreneurs to push the boundaries, to make it in the business world. Radhika herself had to overcome a lot of criticism and past failures in life, to reach where she is today. She did not let her past failures dictate her future, even though she had reached a breaking point. Depression kicked in to her life in the past, but it was thanks to the intervention of her best friend, that she overcame it. Today, Radhika is an established businesswoman, with the drive and passion to support other upcoming entrepreneurs. She always looks for passion, humility, and drive in every entrepreneur, to get enough confidence to invest in their businesses.