Sabeer Bhatia is the man behind one of the biggest success stories in technology.
He is the co-founder of Hotmail, the email service that changed the way people communicated online.
In just 18 months, Hotmail became so popular that Microsoft bought it for ₹3,358 crore ($400 million) in 1997!
Early Life and Education
Sabeer was born in Chandigarh, India. He moved to the US to study, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree from Caltech (California Institute of Technology) and a Master’s degree from Stanford University.
He always had big dreams of making a difference.
Creating Hotmail
In the 90s, email was not easy for everyone to access. Only university students, big companies, or people who had internet providers could use email.
Sabeer saw this problem and wanted to create a service that anyone could use from anywhere in the world.
So, in 1996, he launched Hotmail, a free email service. It allowed users to send and receive emails from any computer, no matter where they were.
This was a game-changer. Hotmail became super popular quickly—within just 20 days, it had 20,000 users! By the end of 1997, it had more than 8.5 million users.
Microsoft Buys Hotmail
Hotmail’s success caught the eye of Microsoft, who saw huge potential in it.
In 1997, Microsoft bought Hotmail for ₹3,358 crore, making it the largest startup acquisition in tech history at that time.
Life After Hotmail
Even after selling Hotmail, Sabeer didn’t stop innovating. He went on to start other companies like Arzoo, a travel website, and Sabse, a mobile calling service (VoIP).
His journey is proof that once you start innovating, you don’t stop.
Awards and Recognition
For his amazing work in the tech world, Sabeer Bhatia has been given several awards, including the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest honors.
He has inspired many entrepreneurs in India and around the world.
What Sabeer Bhatia Does Today
Today, Sabeer is still involved in the tech world. He helps and invests in new startups, sharing his experience and knowledge to guide the next generation of entrepreneurs.
His journey from Chandigarh to Silicon Valley shows what’s possible with hard work and big dreams.
