Shantanu Deshpande Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Profession (s)	Businessman, Motivational Speaker, Podcaster
Famous For	Founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 9" (176 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Bald
Career
Awards, Honours	• Recognized in the Forbes 30 Under 30 “Entrepreneurship” category (2018) • Business Today’s Young Achiever Award (2020) for his contribution to the grooming industry (2020). • Startup India Award (2022 for excellence in brand building and innovation • Recognized under the best 40 under 40 of Fortune India (2022)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	15 March 1987 (Sunday)
Age (as of 2025)	37 Years
Birthplace	Dallas, United States
Zodiac sign	Pisces
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	South Delhi
School	Vikhe Patil School, Pune
College/University	• Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur • Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow
Educational Qualification(s)	• B.Tech in Computer Science (2005-2009) • Master of Business Administration (MBA)- Strategy (2009-2011)
Religion	Hinduism
Ethnicity	Maharashtrian
Hobbies	Listening Music, Travelling, Writing
Tattoo	On the right forearm: Tree with swing and flying birds
Controversies	• 18 Hour workday comment(2022) In August 2022, through a LinkedIn post, Shantanu Despande advised young professional to work for 18-hours a day in early years of their career. However, his statement received a lot of criticism. People showed their anger through comments and post stating that he was promoting an unhealthy work culture. However, later he made an apology to the public through an another LinkedIn post. [1]Livemint • Criticised for 'insensitive' ad on UP state board exam topper (2024) In 2024, Shantanu Despande's grooming product company named Bombay Shaving Company released a newspaper advertisement with a message: "Dear Prachi, they 're trolling you hair today; they'll applaud your AIR tomorrow. We hope you never get bullied into using our razor." Many people took this ad as an insensitive and opportunistic, accusing the company targetting someone's personal appearance.[2]The Money Control • Criticism of Junk Food Consumption (2024) In December 2024, Shantanu Deshpande raised concerns about India's quick food delivery market in a LinkedIn post. He criticised the unhealthy, processed food and short cooking times involved in quick deliveries. Deshpande urged platforms like Zomato, Swiggy, and Zepto to offer healthier options and encouraged people to cook at home. His comments sparked a debate online. Some people agreed with his concerns about food quality. [3]The Economic Times • Comment on job satisfaction (2025) In January 2025, Shantanu Despande gave another controversial statement, that most of the people in India do not like their jobs. He said that if financial security were guaranteed, about 99% of people would not continue working in their current roles. Some people agreed with him, saying that many people work only for financial stability. Other argued that job dissatisfaction comes from poor work environment rather than a dislike for work itself. [4]The Economics Times
Social Media	• Instagram • YouTube • Twitter • LinkedIn
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Wife/Spouse	Sakshi Gudwani (Senior Program Officer at the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation)
Children	Son- Arjun Deshpande Daughter- None
Parents	Father- Kiran Deshpande ( Ex-CEO of Tech Mahindra) Mother- Rajani Deshpande (Yoga Instructor and Classical Musician)
Siblings	Brother- Yash Despande (Engineer) Sister- None
Style Quotient
Car Collection	• Tesla Model 3 • Mercedes-Benz GLC
Money Factor
Assets/Properties	• Luxurious apartment in Mumbai • Vacation home in Lonavala
Net Worth (approx.)	$20 million (as of 2024)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Shantanu Deshpande

• Shantanu Deshpande belongs to a Maharashtrian family from Indore.

• He was born and raised in a well-to-do engineer family in Dallas, USA.
  

  Shantanu Deshpande childhood picture

• His father, Kiran Deshpande, was among the early Indian employees who helped in building and success of the TCS office in the USA.

• In 1997, Shantanu Deshpande’s father received an offer from Tech Mahindra for the position of CEO. His family decided to return to India, where Shantanu continued his education.

• In an interview, he once mentioned that he had grown up seeing his father building big companies from scratch.

• After his B.Tech degree, Shantanu didn’t want to go for any ordinary path for further studies. So, he decided to prepare and appear for many competitive exams like CAT and GMAT, which led him to join the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, to pursue an MBA degree.

• In an interview, Shantanu Deshpande mentioned that during his MBA, he had developed a strong interest in business strategy and consumer brands by attending various national and international seminars and workshops.

• After his MBA at IIM Lucknow, Shantanu got a placement at McKinsey & Company. In an interview, he was seen praising McKinsey & Company to a great extent and even called McKinsey his ‘Maika’ (Mom’s house). He worked for five years in Mckinsey, where he started as a Junior Associate and gradually progressed to roles as an Associate and Engagement Manager.

• In 2016, he left McKinsey & Company and stepped into his entrepreneurial journey by co-founding the Bombay Shaving Company.
  

  Shantanu Despande with the Bombay Shaving Company products range

• In an interview, Shantanu mentioned that during the COVID-19 lockdown, his company recorded a 3X growth in its revenue, which made it a leading name in the grooming industry.

• Shantanu Deshpande also worked as an investor and helped many startup companies. From 2020 to 2024, his company, Bombay Shaving, made 13 investments in different sectors.

• In 2021, Deshpande again joined McKinsey & Company as an external advisor, helping the firm on topics related to digital commerce and consumers.

• In 2022, Shantanu Deshpande expanded his Bombay Company into a range of skin care, haircare, and grooming products for women with the brand name “Bombae”.
  

  Bombae brand product range

• In 2022, he opened his podcast channel named “The BarberShop with Shantanu”, where Shantanu Deshpande invited renowned entrepreneurs, content creators, marketing experts, and famous personalities for a conversation.
  

  Shantanu Despande YouTube channel banner image

• He also launched a content creation challenge titled Razorpreneur 2.0 in 2024, where participants can win rewards, including a one-year contract with Bombay Shaving Company.

• In May 2022, he was appointed as an ambassador for the Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) and worked with Viren Rasquinha (former captain of the Indian hockey team & CEO of OGQ) and Neha Aggarwal (table tennis player) on supporting elite athletes in their quest to win Olympic Medals for India.
  

  Shantanu Deshpande appointed as an ambassador of the Olympic Gold Quest

• Despande also joined Advent International in September 2022 as an advisor. He helped the firm with consumer investments and portfolios.

• Shantanu Deshpande collaborated with various brands and public speaking engagements.

• In an interview, he mentioned that although he was born in the USA, he forgot his American accent after returning to India and studying in a Marathi school, which led to him significantly struggling with speaking English in his college and workplace.

• Shantanu is strongly in favour of sustainable business practices. In an interview, he once mentioned that he had pledged to make his company carbon-neutral by 2030.

• Shantanu is a fitness enthusiast and follows a strict workout regimen to stay fit and active.

• He also enjoys exploring new cultures through travelling to various places in Indian and out of India.

• He is an avid reader. His favorite authors are Malcolm Gladwell and Yuval Noah Harari. Shantanu is known for his insightful book recommendations during his talks at various events.

• He regularly speaks at TEDx events, sharing his journey and insights on entrepreneurship. Shantanu frequently mentors aspiring entrepreneurs and conducts workshops on leadership.
  

  Shantanu Deshpande as Tedx Talk speaker

• In an interview, Shantanu once mentioned that he is a bit foodie and loves Indian and Mediterranean cuisines.

• Shantanu is actively involved in social works that focus on education and healthcare. He has partnered with many NGOs that provide scholarships to underprivileged students and support rural healthcare projects.

• Shantanu was also an avid sports lover. He was a member of his college football team, also held the position of sports secretary during his college.

• He has a deep passion for music and was also part of his college music band, in which he used to play Tabla.

• Shantanu is a dog lover.