From MP village to market triumph; Groww CEO Lalit Keshre’s journey is inspiring
Founded as a direct mutual fund distribution platform, Groww has since expanded into equities, IPOs, ETFs, digital gold, and derivatives (futures and options).
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Billionbrains Garage Ventures, the parent company of leading investment platform Groww, made a strong entry on Dalal Street on Wednesday, marking one of the most anticipated listings in India’s fintech sector. The firm’s shares opened at ₹112 per share on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and quickly climbed to ₹124, significantly above the issue price of ₹100, according to Reuters. On the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the stock began trading at ₹114, reflecting a 14% premium on debut.
By the close of trading, Groww’s share price settled at ₹128.85 on the NSE, a 28.85% premium over its issue price, and at ₹130.94 on the BSE, a 30.94% premium, cementing a successful start to its public journey.
The strong debut sparked widespread celebration online, with many drawing attention to the inspiring story of Groww’s co-founder and CEO, Lalit Keshre, who rose from modest beginnings in rural Madhya Pradesh to lead one of India’s most prominent fintech companies.
According to a post shared on X by user Sourav Dutta, Keshre was born in Lepa, a small village in Madhya Pradesh. With no English-medium school available locally, his parents sent him to Khargone, where he lived with his grandparents and attended one of the region’s first such schools. Keshre went on to pursue engineering at IIT Bombay before beginning his career at Flipkart, where he gained early experience in India’s rapidly evolving tech ecosystem.
Groww's founder Lalit Keshre was born to a farmer in a small village called Lepa in MP.
— Sourav Dutta (@Dutta_Souravd) November 4, 2025
His village did not have an English medium school so his parents sent him to his grandparents in Khargone where an English medium school had opened that year.
He went on to do his…
He later co-founded Groww in 2016, driven by a vision to make investing simple and accessible for millions of Indians. Dutta noted that the company, now backed by some of the world’s most influential investors—including the governments of Singapore, Norway and Abu Dhabi, as well as MIT and Goldman Sachs—has become the most profitable new-age startup in India to go public.
Founded as a direct mutual fund distribution platform, Groww has since expanded into equities, IPOs, ETFs, digital gold, and derivatives (futures and options). Today, it stands as India’s largest retail brokerage, boasting over 15 million active clients, according to company data. The firm also counts Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella among its backers, underscoring its global credibility and scale.
