Indian entrepreneurs who are creating Millions since the age of 14

Divyank started his first internet business in 1996 at age 14, made his first $1 million at 18, first $100 million at 23, and now crosses his first $1 billion at the age of 34




It is not often that Internet entrepreneurs dodge the glare of arc lights to seal deals in the millions, not once but twice over. Brothers Bhavin and Divyank Turakhia, who snagged a nearly billion dollar payout for their online venture on Monday, are that rare breed of founders who in over a decade and half have built a dozen firms, exited five, netted returns of over $1 billion and still managed to stay largely unknown. 
Media.net, the latest from Turakhias' portfolio of businesses, which was sold to a Chinese consortium led by Beijing Miteno Communication Technology Chairman Zhiyong Zhang, has hosted parties for its clients at the Playboy Mansion, famed for being a venue for lavish celebrations 
They are the cowboys of the Internet," said an intimate of the Mumbai-born siblings. "They have a knack for taking advantage of even temporary arbitrage." The seeds of this talent began to take shape early, when Bhavin and Divyank were still teenagers. In 2001, they teamed up to write a software program to identify generic keywords popular as domain names for their clients. 

The dotcom boom was still underway and the commerce students, who learnt to code on their own, spotted a handful for which they paid about a few dollars each. They ultimately sold their portfolio, netting over a few crore rupees. "That was the first big bounty for us, as we made more money in a few days than we would for the year," said 36-year-old Bhavin 

SPECTACULAR RETURNS THE NORM 
Such spectacular returns have become the norm for the brothers, whose Directi Group, which doesn't have any external investors, is now estimated to be worth $1.4 billion. Directi, the company they launched in 1998 with money borrowed from and since returned to their father, was the first to hit the big time.

Two years ago, they sold the web presence business of the company to Nasdaq-listed Endurance Group for $160 million. On Monday, they pulled off another winner, selling the online advertising technology venture Media.net for $900 million in an all-cash deal. 

COMPLEMENTING EACH OTHER 
The two brothers complement each other — while Divyank handles operations of Media. net, it was Bhavin who negotiated hard with the Chinese in the final week. 
"They had lawyers, tax experts and M&A bankers. But I was able to hold my own, and even counter their proposals citing Chinese laws," said Bhavin. 
Divyank, a hobby pilot, owns a single-engine Cessna and a Cirrus SR22, and is keen on acrobatic flying.