Kavin Bharti Mittal’s entrepreneurial journey is marked by numerous ups and downs, which is what makes it so compelling. He burst onto the scene in 2012 with Hike Messenger, a homegrown app that, for a while, looked ready to take on WhatsApp. This app was backed by top-notch investors like SoftBank and Tencent. Hike quickly climbed the charts and turned Kavin into one of the most popular young entrepreneurs in India.
However, the tech world moves faster, and global competition has left little room for local challengers. Instead of giving up, Kavin made certain changes by making Hike into a gaming and Web3 platform to attract millions of users. Then cut to 2025, when India’s ban on real-money gaming led him to pull the plug. This article explores Kavin Bharti Mittal’s journey so far; his roots, his wins, his setbacks, and what the end of Hike signals for his future as an innovator in India’s startup world.
Kavin Bharti Mittal – Biography
| Name | Kavin Bharti Mittal |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 August 1987 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | Bachelor’s in Electronics & Electrical Engineering from the University of York, Master’s in Electrical & Electronics Engineering & Management, Imperial College London |
| Family | Son of Sunil Bharti Mittal, the chairman and founder of Bharti Enterprises |
Kavin Bharti Mittal – Early Education
Kavin Bharti Mittal – Career Journey
Kavin Bharti Mittal – India’s Regulatory Roadblock
Kavin Bharti Mittal – Hike’s Scale and Reach
Kavin Bharti Mittal Shuts Down Hike Amid India’s Gaming Ban
Kavin Bharti Mittal – The Investor Fallout
Kavin Bharti Mittal – Awards and Recognitions
Kavin Bharti Mittal – Future Plans
Kavin Bharti Mittal – Early Education
Kavin’s academic journey took him from the University of York, where he studied Electronics and Electrical Engineering, to Imperial College London, where he combined advanced technical training with management studies. At McLaren Racing, he interned as an associate vehicle engineer, working under the high-pressure world of Formula One, a short but impactful stint that sparked his love for speed, precision, and scale.
He then moved to Google in 2007 as an Associate Technology Manager, spending three months at Mountain View. This gave him a front-row view of Silicon Valley’s product-driven culture. Soon after, a summer role at Goldman Sachs exposed him to Debt Capital Markets and TMT (Telecom, Media & Technology), where he realized that while products are vital, it’s capital that fuels startups.
Kavin Bharti Mittal – Career Journey
Kavin Bharti Mittal launched Hike in December 2012 with a vision that if India was going to be a mobile-first nation, then messaging could be the gateway to bring millions online. At its peak, the platform boasted over 100 million registered users, with more than 40 billion messages exchanged every month. In August 2016, Hike made history by becoming the 10th Indian startup to cross the $1 billion valuation mark, and it did so in record time, just 3.7 years, making it the fastest unicorn in India back then.
This milestone also turned Kavin Bharti Mittal into the youngest Indian founder to build a billion-dollar company at just 28 years old. But the internet landscape moves fast. By 2021, changing user behavior and the rise of global players forced Hike to shut down. Instead of giving up, Kavin steered the company in a new direction with Rush, a real-money gaming platform that combined casual games with Web3 features like digital ownership and play-to-earn mechanics.
Kavin’s rise was backed by some of the biggest names in business. He raised over $250 million in funding, with support from global giants like Tencent, Foxconn, Tiger Global, SoftBank, Bharti, and even well-known tech leaders from Silicon Valley. However, India’s 2023 crackdown on real-money gaming abruptly halted those plans, once again forcing Hike to rethink its future.
Rishabh Rathi
Kavin Bharti Mittal – India’s Regulatory Roadblock
Kavin Bharti Mittal revealed that Hike’s real-money gaming (RMG) platform was never meant to be the final destination. Instead, it was supposed to serve as a testing ground, an experiment to refine the model in India before taking it global. “RMG was never the destination,” Mittal wrote. “It was a way to test the model before building something bigger.”
But those ambitions ran straight into India’s tightening regulations. What began as a local experiment quickly became a liability. “Starting in India locked us into the model and regulatory headwinds,” Mittal admitted. Scaling internationally would have required a complete reset, one that wasn’t worth the cost or time.
Even though Hike had already launched in the US and was showing early traction, the team decided it was wiser to pull the plug than operate under uncertainty.
Kavin Bharti Mittal – Hike’s Scale and Reach
At its peak, Hike had around 100 employees working across India, the US, Dubai, and Singapore. The company was structured like “SWAT teams”, small, agile units built to tackle complex problems quickly.
Its gaming product, Rush, was a major player in the Indian RMG space. Over four years, it generated more than $500 million in gross revenue, drew in 10 million users, and paid out nearly $480 million in winnings annually. Despite the numbers, the unpredictable policy environment in India became a hurdle too high to cross.
Kavin Bharti Mittal Shuts Down Hike Amid India’s Gaming Ban
On September 13, 2025, Kavin Bharti Mittal shared on LinkedIn that he was shutting down Hike, bringing an end to a 13-year journey that had once changed the way India viewed homegrown internet startups. Once hailed as India’s answer to WhatsApp, Hike had millions of users and big-name investors like SoftBank and Tencent.
In a reflective LinkedIn post titled “Closing a Chapter, Opening a New One”, Mittal pointed to shifting market conditions and India’s recent ban on online real-money gaming as the final blow. “RMG was never the destination; it was just a way to test the model. But starting in India locked us into regulatory headwinds,” he wrote.
Despite early traction in the US, Mittal said scaling globally would require a costly reset, one he felt wasn’t worth it. Thanking his team and backers, he noted, “We gave it everything we had. We learned, we grew, and now it’s time to move on.” Looking ahead, Mittal hinted at new ventures in fields like AI, clean energy, and human potential.
Nitin Konde
Kavin Bharti Mittal – The Investor Fallout
Hike was strongly backed by a glittering roster of global names. Investors included SoftBank, Tencent, Tiger Global, Foxconn, Polygon, and Tribe Capital. On the individual side, heavyweights like Elad Gil and Zynga founder Mark Pincus had also placed their bets on Mittal’s vision.
The shutdown coincided with a tough moment for India’s gaming industry. Other players like MPL, Games24x7, Zupee, and Baazi Games have also been hit hard by the government’s crackdown, with layoffs rippling across the sector.
Kavin Bharti Mittal – Awards and Recognitions
Kavin Bharti Mittal’s work as a young entrepreneur has earned him several prestigious accolades over the years. His ability to experiment, pivot, and lead bold ventures has been recognized both in India and globally. Some of his notable awards include:
- ET and Spencer Stuart 40 Under 40 (2016)
- ET Panache Trendsetting CEO (2016)
- Express IT Awards – Newsmaker of the Year (2016)
- Entrepreneur India 35 Under 35 (2017)
- Forbes Asia 30 Under 30, Class of 2017
Kavin Bharti Mittal – Future Plans
Instead of dwelling on setbacks, Mittal is already focused on what comes next. His next bets are in artificial intelligence, clean energy, and human potential, fields he believes will define the next decade.
“For the first time, technology has both intelligence and memory,” he wrote. “Imagine systems that adapt and grow with us. This is the most exciting time to be building software.”
It’s clear that while Hike’s chapter has closed, Mittal’s story is still very much being written.
Shruti Jalan
FAQs
Who is Kavin Bharti Mittal?
Kavin Bharti Mittal is an Indian entrepreneur best known as the founder of Hike Messenger, once considered India’s answer to WhatsApp.
What happened to Hike Messenger?
Hike Messenger shut down in 2021 due to global competition and shifting user behavior. Kavin Bharti Mittal later pivoted it into a Web3 and real-money gaming platform called Rush, which also shut down in 2025 following India’s gaming ban.
What is Kavin Bharti Mittal’s educational background?
He studied Electronics & Electrical Engineering at the University of York and pursued a Master’s in Electrical & Electronics Engineering & Management at Imperial College London.
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