Suhas Gopinath is an entrepreneur and visionary founder, CEO, and chairman of Globals Inc., a multinational IT company. He became the Youngest CEO in the India at age of 17. He is also the CEO of Happy EMI, founded in 2017. As of 2020, Suhas Gopinath Net Worth is from $1million to $5million.
In this article of VitaTales, we will explore Suhas Gopinath Biography, his journey to be the Youngest CEO in the India, his companies, and other details like Suhas Gopinath Wife, Suhas Gopinath Salary, Suhas Gopinath Company, Suhas Gopinath Personal Life, honors and award.
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Synoptical View of Suhas Gopinath
| Date of Birth | November 4, 1986 |
| Place of Birth | Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Education | Self-taught in web development; briefly studied at National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT) |
| Associations | Founder and CEO of Globals Inc |
| Death/Age | 37 years old (as of 2023) |
| Nicknames | – |
| Epithets | “World’s Youngest CEO” (when he founded Globals Inc at age 17) |
| Prominent Achievements | Youngest certified professional web developer, founding Globals Inc, winning several entrepreneurship awards |
| Position | Founder, CEO & Chairman of Globals Incorporation; Co-founder & CEO at HappyEMI |
| Net Worth | $1 million- $5 million (2020) |
| Height | – |
| Hometown | Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Religion | Hindu |
Suhas Gopinath Personal life
Suhas was born on November 4, 1986, in Banglore, Karnataka, His father worked as a Scientist in the Indian Army, and his mother was a homemaker.
At the age of 14 when kids used to play and ask for toys, Suhas Gopinath executed the idea of freelance web designing. Suhas invested his time and energy at Internet cafe, as his 15 rupee pocket money was not enough to manage charges of internet cafe, he made a deal with cafe owner stating that his school gets over past noon and during the lunchtime of owner he would take care of cafe. Suhas made the owner believe and from here the journey of Suhas Gopinath, World’s Youngest Entrepreneur began.
Education
He did his formal education from Air Force School. And completed his Bachelor of Engineering from computer science form Ramaiah Institute of Technology.
He further studies Public Leadership, policy and Economics from Harvard University in 2008. Suhas also did a diploma on global leadership and public policy from Jhon. F. Kennedy School of Government and Harvard UNiversity.
Suhas Gopinath Career and Achievements
| Company | Description |
|---|---|
| coolhindustan.com | First website of Suhas which he developed when he was 14 years of age. |
| Globals.Inc. | In the year 2000, Suhas launched Global Inc. |
At the age of 14, Suhas created his first website, www.coolhindustan.com, earning the title of youngest web developer and the World’s Youngest CEO at the age of 17 as he incorporated Globals Inc. in the year 2000.
Member of Advisory Board of the World Bank Group
He was a member of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Advisory Board of the World Bank Group for two years (November 2009-2011). Suhas also served as the ICT and Digital Economy National Co-Chairman for the Federation of Indian.
Youngest Global Leader by World Economic Forum
In the year 2008, the World Economic Forum gave him the title of Young Global Leader.
Indian Government Advisor
Suhas also has been an Indian Government Advisor since 2012. He is a member of the government of India’s DST-affiliated National Expert Advisory Committee on Innovation, Incubation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (NEAC-IIITE).
Suhas Gopinath Honors, Awards and Success Story
| Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| World’s Youngest Entrepreneur | CNBC and e Business (Canada), |
| World’s Youngest CEO | Limca Book of Records, BBC, Washington Times, The Age |
| Rajyotsava Award(2005) | State Government of Karnataka |
| Young Achiever Award | International Association for Human Values |
| Recognised as Young Global Leaders | World Economic Forum |
| SIP Fellow Award(2009) | Global Social Innovators Forum |
| Make a Difference Award | Incredible Europe summit held in Vienna |
| Venture Fellow(2010) | New York City Economic Development Corporation |
| Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award(2011) | – |
| Honorary Fellowship(2012) | Gitam University, Visakhapatnam |
Background of Suhas Gopinath
- Suhas belonging to a middle-class family, used to receive only 15 rupees as pocket money each month.
- At school, his friends has computers and use to play games, but he was not even familiar with that.
- Feeling left out he decided to gain knowledge and keep up with his peers, he started visiting a local internet cafe.
- But, financially it was out of his pocket as it charged 100 rupee per hour,which was more than his 15 rupee monthly salary.
- However, his grades at school stated dropping, and eventually, his mother found out that there was no NCC program in his school.
The Story begins from the Internet Cafe
- He approached a local cafe owner with the idea that he would manage his shop during lunch hours, in exchange for using the internet for free. And because his school ended at half past noon, this arrangement fits perfectly with his schedule.
- At home, Suhas told his mother that he joined NCC (National Cadet Corps) to explain his coming home late after school.
He made an arrangement with the internet cafe owner to use the internet for free and in return he will take care of the cafe while the owner is out for lunch.
- At that time Suhas’s ambition was to buy a home computer to impress his friends.
- The internet cafe owner became his mentor, guiding him to explore open-source e-books and learn how to build websites.
- And to buy the computer the owner of the cafe suggested Suhas work as a freelancer creating websites for NRI clients in the US.
- Suhas thought of it and registered himself as a freelancer on a marketplace website using the internet from that cafe.
- Suhas Gopinathan within six months developed the skills to build websites by learning from e-books.
- One day he was asked for his CV by an American Company, Network Solutions, as they were looking to offshore some of their projects.
- It was the first time he created his CV, and to his surprise, the CV required details about academic qualifications, skills, and hobbies.
- However, Suhas believed that employers should focus on skills and experience rather than academic qualifications, but still, he filled his ninth-grade academic details.
- When a 14-year-old boy i.e Suhas, sent his CV to the company, the project manager was surprised by his age, he turned down Suhas saying that he could not work with the school kid.
The First Rejection of Suhas Gopinath
This was the first rejection of Suhas Gopinath, as the American company felt insecure about working with someone so young.
- This incident motivated him to aim to achieve something where he would not have to send CVs, but rather receive them as an employer. He realised that entrepreneurship was more exciting than building a traditional resume.
Suhas Second Rejection
Now the time came when Suhas faced his Second Rejection.
Suahas was about to register his company in India, but he couldn’t, as Indian law didn’t allow anyone under 18 to register a company. This was the time when he faced the second rejection of his life.
- His mentor, Sudev, suggested starting a company in the U.S. since incorporating a business there was easier.
- After researching online, Suhas found that it was seamless to incorporate a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) in the U.S. with just ₹5000 and internet access.
- In order to proceed with the U.S. incorporation Suhas needed a U.S. address.
- He reached out to a friend he met online, Sam, who allowed him to use his apartment address for the business.
- Suhas started his company while still in his final year of school, even as he prepared for his board exams.
Failed in a Mathematics Preparatory Exam
During this period, he failed a mathematics preparatory exam. His mother was upset and insisted Suhas swear he wouldn’t visit the internet café anymore and would focus on his board exams.
- Suhas responded to his mother by mentioning that Bill Gates, the world’s richest man, hadn’t completed his education.
- His mother humorously replied that Suhas and Bill Gates didn’t share the same horoscope, so he couldn’t depend on luck alone and still needed to study.
- However, she did allow him to return to the Internet café after his board exams to pursue his interests during the summer holidays.
- As a CEO, he couldn’t admit he was studying for board exams. So for the first time in his life, Suhas used an auto-reply email with a vacation response, stating he was unavailable and on a sabbatical. And he directed any emergencies to his friend Sam in the U.S.
Suhas Gopinath Founded Globals Inc
Suhas Gopinath founded Globals Inc. in the year 2000 when he was just 14 years old.
- Suhas and his team successfully got the company up it was a significant turning point in his life.
- He soon experienced that running a company could not be a one-person effort, now he need to form a team.
- Suhas began hiring software engineers and received CVs from freelancers ready to help the company.
- At 16, Suhas was expanding the organization and building websites for U.S. companies.
- He received an email from an American company in Michigan that manufactured automobile spare parts, a family business that had never invested in marketing due to consistently meeting its sales targets.
- Suhas often faced similar responses from potential American clients, who saw no need to invest in websites or marketing.
- Realizing that without sales, the company couldn’t grow, Suhas sought new strategies to scale the business.
- He conducted an online search for automobile spare parts manufacturers in the U.S. and found companies that either had websites or listed email addresses from free providers.
- From initially building five websites a month, the company rapidly scaled to building 100 websites per month, driving its growth.
Today, Suhas’s company operates in approximately 14 countries and focuses on educational technology.
