Popular business reality show Shark Tank India has recently welcomed a new judge on its panel. Srikanth Bolla is the founder and chairman of Bollant Industries and is also visually impaired. Despite the physical drawback, Bolla has not only carved a niche for himself in the corporate world, but has also made significant contributions as a philanthropist.
Here are 9 things to know about the new "shark":
1.) Bolla announced joining Shark Tank India via a post on Instagram. He shared some pictures clicked while filming the show and wrote, “To survive a pool of sharks, you need to become one yourself.”
“To be honest, entrepreneurship in India has taken a very heartwarming boost because of Shark Tank. People at the show seemed poised to solve some age-old problems and some modern issues in society while being visionaries,” he added.
2.) Bolla's company, Bollant Industries, generates an annual revenue of over $150 million and employs over 500 people, including those with disabilities. It had the backing of legendary industrialist Ratan Tata and specialises in manufacturing areca-based products.
3.) He was the first visually impaired student to enroll in the prestigious Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Economic Times reported. But Bolla faced multiple obstacles while in school and even while pursuing higher education.
4.) He was born on July 7, 1991, in a small town in Andhra Pradesh's Machilipatnam. Bolla's parents were farmers who lacked formal education. Bolla also faced hardships due to inadequate infrastructure for disabled students. Despite scoring an outstanding 98 percent in his Class 12 board examinations, he faced problems in college admissions.
5.) He had to fight a legal battle to secure admission to a college. Bolla wanted to become an engineer, but coaching institutes for IIT aspirants refused to admit him. Refusing to be held back, he applied to several global universities, including Stanford, Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon, before finally choosing MIT.
6.) During his time at MIT, Bolla set up a computer training center designed to provide digital education for visually impaired students.
7.) Bolla returned to India in 2005 and took on the role of a Youth Leader in the Lead India Program, empowering over 800,000 people with employability and leadership skills.
8.) In 2011, he co-founded the Samanvai Center for Children with Multiple Disabilities and launched a Braille printing press to help students with visual disabilities.
9.) Bolla's achievements earned him a spot on Forbes's "30 Under 30" list for Asia in April 2017. He was one of three Indians recognised by the publication that year.
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