WRITTEN BY: PARINITA GUPTA
(June 14, 2023) Dharmesh came from a small town in Gujarat, but he was dreaming big, aspiring to make a digital difference with his coding skills. Following a tumultuous entrepreneurial journey, Dharmesh and his MIT classmate Brian Halligan joined forces to establish HubSpot, providing the first-ever inbound marketing system tailored to the needs of small businesses.
Despite achieving remarkable success as the brains behind a billion-dollar company, Dharmesh remained rooted in his values of giving back. Recently, he purchased the domain name ‘chat.com’ for a substantial amount surpassing $10 million. Later, he sold the domain at a profit of $250,000 and generously donated $250,000 of the proceeds to support Sal Khan, founder of the ‘Khan Academy’.
“I firmly believe that chat-based UX signifies the next significant leap in software. Interacting with computers or software through a natural language interface is much more intuitive, made possible by generative A.I.” announced Shah, in a LinkedIn post.
Dharmesh and his MIT classmate Brian Halligan, co-founders of HubSpot.
Shah made it known that he had a strong desire to contribute a substantial amount to Salman Khan and the Khan Academy, should the domain be sold. His aim was to support Salman Khan’s initiative of ensuring accessible, high-quality education for all individuals, regardless of their location.
His interest in mathematics, computers, his summer course in computer science at Purdue University and his degree in computer science from the University of Alabama, all contributed to his career as a software developer. Thus, Dharmesh has always been drawn to education and encourages new age online platforms like Khan Academy to provide access to high-quality education, all over the world.
“I am a big believer in the consistency of writing code, no matter what. The goal is to become perfect over time by constantly practicing, learning and relying on people and resources who can help you reach that goal,” told the Global Indian.
Salman Khan, founder of the ‘Khan Academy’.
Being a coder himself, Dharmesh encourages youngsters to learn how to code through platforms like Khan Academy, he believes that the tech world is continuously changing, and be it databases or operating systems, but the fundamental idea of just writing software code will remain constant for many years in the future.