About
Amit Jain is best known as the co‑founder and group CEO of CarDekho, India’s largest autotech platform and Rajasthan’s first unicorn. Born on 12 November 1976 in Jaipur, he trained as a civil engineer at IIT Delhi but quickly pivoted to software and product roles before launching his own ventures. Under his direction CarDekho has grown into a multi‑brand ecosystem—spanning used‑car retail, insurance, financing and content portals—that now attracts about 60 million monthly active users and operates across more than 100 Indian cities. The company’s 2021 Series E round, which raised $250 million and valued the business at $1.2 billion, officially pushed it into unicorn territory.
Amit’s high‑profile turn as a “shark” on Shark Tank India seasons 2 and 3 has made him a household name. He stepped in for Ashneer Grover on the investor panel and quickly earned a reputation for clear, metrics‑driven feedback and a calm demeanour. His personal net worth is estimated at ₹3,017 crore (≈ $360 million), making him one of the wealthiest judges on the show.
Before Fame
Growing up in a middle‑class Jain family in Jaipur, Amit attended St Xavier’s School where he showed an early love for maths and problem‑solving. After IIT he spent nearly seven years at Trilogy in Austin and Bengaluru, rising to product manager. That exposure to global e‑commerce nudged him toward entrepreneurship.
In 2007, Amit and his younger brother Anurag quit their jobs, set up GirnarSoft in their parents’ garage, and began taking contract software projects to bankroll a bigger dream. Inspiration struck at the Auto Expo in Delhi (2008). Noticing how hard it was for buyers to compare vehicle specs online, the brothers coded the first version of CarDekho in just two weeks. The site’s traffic skyrocketed without paid marketing, convincing them to focus on autotech full‑time.
Trivia
- Garage origins: The first GirnarSoft office was literally a garage at the family home; team members perched on wooden planks balanced over paint cans until desks could be afforded.
- Quick launch: CarDekho went live only days after the Auto Expo visit that sparked the idea.
- Unicorn firsts: CarDekho became Rajasthan’s first unicorn when its valuation crossed $1 billion in 2021.
- Investor streak: By early 2025 Amit had closed 11 on‑air deals on Shark Tank India, ranging from eco‑friendly home products to AI image‑tools.
- Deal discipline: True to his engineering roots, he is known for requesting projected customer‑acquisition costs and break‑even timelines before writing cheques.
- Philately fan: Away from work he collects vintage Indian postage stamps, a hobby started by his late father.
- Public speaker: Amit often guest‑lectures at IIT campuses on “building from Bharat” and the importance of frugality in start‑ups.
Family Life
Amit credits his close‑knit family for his grounded outlook. His mother, Nilma Jain, is a homemaker; his father, the late Prashant Jain, balanced a career at the Reserve Bank of India with a small gemstone business, giving Amit early lessons in risk and discipline. Younger brother Anurag Jain is CarDekho’s co‑founder and chief operating officer, handling day‑to‑day execution while Amit shapes strategy.
He is married to Pihu Jain, who heads the Girnar Foundation, the group’s philanthropic arm focusing on road‑safety education and women’s digital literacy. The couple are parents to twin boys, and Amit often jokes that bedtime conversations about transformers and car models double as user‑research sessions. Despite his busy schedule he keeps most weekends reserved for family and is frequently spotted cycling around Jaipur’s Central Park with his sons.
Associated With
- Anurag Jain – co‑founder and operational brain behind CarDekho.
- Fellow sharks: Invests alongside Aman Gupta (boAt), Peyush Bansal (Lenskart), Namita Thapar (Emcure), Vineeta Singh (SUGAR Cosmetics) and others on national television, bringing a data‑heavy contrast to their styles.
- LeapFrog Investments – lead investor in the 2021 unicorn round, backing Amit’s vision of a full‑stack auto marketplace.
- Sequoia Capital India – early backer that fuelled CarDekho’s expansion and acquisitions such as Gaadi and ZigWheels.
- IIT Delhi network: Collaborates with alumni entrepreneurs including Peyush Bansal on angel syndicates and road‑safety campaigns.
- Policy think‑tanks: Advises NITI Aayog working groups on used‑vehicle financing and EV adoption, arguing for simplified transfer paperwork to spur circular mobility.
- Grass‑roots NGOs: Through the Girnar Foundation he funds helmet‑awareness drives in Rajasthan and scholarships for first‑generation women coders.
