Srikanth Bolla is an Indian industrialist and the founder Chairman of Bollant Industries. He was the first international blind student in Management Science at the Sloan School of Management of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Srikanth Bolla dons many hats. He is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and CEO of Bollant Industries. Until now, the 32-year-old’s achievements might have taken you by surprise, but wait until you know more about him.
Personal Details
| Born | 7 July 1991; 32 years ago Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Founder of Bollant Industries Pvt. Ltd. |
| Spouse | Veera Swathi (m. 2022) |
Srikanth Bolla was born on 7 July 1991 into a Telugu speaking family in Seetharamapuram, Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. His parents were first cousins. The first child, he was visually impaired from birth, and his family was mainly dependent on farming.[3] His childhood was full of struggle, there was no electricity, education was a luxury, and his family income was less than what was needed to survive.
He setup Bollant Industries with his business partner, Ravi Mantha in 2012. He got married in 2022 to Veera Swathi and in 2024 was blessed with a daughter, whom the couple named Naina, meaning eyes. Considered as “no use”, his relatives suggested his parents get rid of him, however, there was something else in his destiny.
Education Qualification
He wanted to study science, but was not permitted to do so. So, Bolla filed a case, and after a six-month wait, he was allowed to pursue science at his own risk. Bolla topped his class with a 98% on his XII board exams. Bolla was denied admission to coaching institutes for Indian Institute of Technology, where he wanted to study engineering, because of his blindness. He earned a bachelors degree in Engineering Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he was the first international blind student. Bolla has fond memories of his time at MIT; from moving to a first-world country like USA, to taking his first flight, to getting used to things like shower systems and Western bathrooms. He was given corporate opportunities in America, but he was looking for some innovative ideas in India.
Bolla has fond memories of taking his first plane for MIT and moving to a first-world country even though it took time to get used to things like the shower systems and Western bathrooms there. The exposure to a competitive atmosphere abroad only drove him to chase his dream and make an impact. While he was at MIT, he set up Bollant Industries in 2012 in a small residential house in Hyderabad, with co-founder Ravi Mantha.
He has been a youth leader since 2005 and went on to become a member of Lead India 2020: The Second National Youth Movement. Started by former President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Lead India 2020 is helping India reach the goal of becoming a developed nation by 2020 by eradicating poverty, illiteracy and unemployment.
Marreid Life
In 2022, Srikanth got married to Veera Swathi. Then in 2024, they had a daughter, and they named her Naina Bolla.
Career Journey
In 2012, Srikanth start Bollant Industries, his current organization, which is a fast-growing, eco-friendly paper product manufacturing company. Co-founded by Srikanth, his mentor Swarnalatha Takkilapati, and angel investor Ravi Mantha, it was started with a mere capital of about Rs 10 lakh.
Today, the company has grown both horizontally and vertically and is valued at approximately Rs 500 crore, has an annual turnover of more than Rs 100 crore, and has 500+ employees.
Since its incorporation in 2012, the company has been growing at a steady rate of 20% per month, and the compound annual growth rate has been a whopping 107% from 2015 to 2019.
Bollant was established with the mission of overcoming employment barriers for more than a hundred million physically and mentally challenged people and to provide sustainable and competitive employment to both skilled and unskilled or uneducated Indians.
The manufacturing plants employ a mix of uneducated and unskilled able-bodied people and people with various abilities.
Srikanth believes that everyone should have the opportunity to work, and training and employing disabled persons are good for each individual. He believes it is smart business — and is good for India.
Through its five manufacturing plants, Bollant Industries provides direct and indirect employment to around 500 and 2,500 people, respectively.
The company currently engages in the manufacturing of Kraft paper using recycled post-consumer municipal paper waste along with other elements like eco-friendly disposable consumer products and recycled paper-based disposable and packaging material.
It also manufactures non-chemical based food-grade adhesives, printing inks, FMCG products, and its surfactants.
Srikanth strongly believes that protecting the environment is the only way to create wealth out of waste and build scalable businesses. This vision leads Bollant to recycle unusable water, plastic, boiler-generated solid ash, and solid waste.
This is why Bollant is “a zero-waste company”. Bollant not only recycles 100% of its own waste but also recycles pharmaceutical effluents in the surrounding areas to create industrial chemical products.
Srikanth envisions Bollant to be a unicorn by 2025 with an annual turnover of more than 1000CR INR, at which he plans for listing his company globally.
Srikanth believes in using green solar power to run his machines, and so, plants at Bollant Industries partially run on solar power.
When someone says Srikanth can do nothing, he goes over their head to say that he can do anything. Today, Srikanth continues to push his company to grow and expand further.
Srikanth Bolla’s journey is not just a story of personal triumph but also a testament to the power of determination, innovation, and the will to make a difference in the world.
In popular culture
In 2022, a biopic film Srikanth, featuring Rajkummar Rao in the lead role of Srikanth Bolla was announced. The trailer was released on 9th April, 2024. During trailer launch, Srikanth who was also present remembered how the T-Series cassettes helped him complete his education from class 5 to class 10. The film is set to release on May 10, 2024 on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya.
Bolla chose to write his own destiny though. Today he is founder, chairman and CEO of Bollant Industries, an eco-friendly recycling company headquartered in Hyderabad that offers packaging solutions and employs differently-abled people. The 32-year-old who worked closely with former President, the late APJ Abdul Kalam, as a teenager has numerous achievements to his name, including being featured in Forbes Asia’s 30 Under 30 in 2017. His remarkable journey is now the subject of a movie—Srikanth, starring Rajkummar Rao in the lead role. “I was already super inspired just by listening to his story. But after meeting him, I was really moved,” the actor says. “I learnt a lot by spending time with him. He has a positive and never-give-up attitude towards life… no matter how many hardships one encounters, if you are persistent, you can come out as a winner.”
Awards & Achivments
Srikanth Bolla has received many awards and honors for his remarkable achievements. Some of them include:
- Pratibha Excellence Awards, given by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for academic excellence.
- Pride of Telangana Award in the emerging business entrepreneur category by Round Table India – 2018
- Young Change Maker of the Year by Hindu Business Line – 2018
- Listed in Forbes Asia 30 under 30, as emerging entrepreneur under the age of 30 – 2017
- Emerging Enterprise Award by Saakshi group – 2017
- Nava nakshtra Sanmanam by TV9 media group 2019
- Social Entrepreneur of the Globe by Youth Business International Uganda – 2016
- Emerging Leadership Award by ECLIF Malaysia – 2016
- Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year by CII – 2016
- Indian of the Year Award – 2015 by NDTV
- Best Youth Leader Award from the former president of India – 2012
- Youth Leadership Award presented by New Jersey Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula – 2011
- Honored Member, National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), a renowned college honor society – 2011
- national entrepreneurship award by government of India, 2019
- entrepreneur of the globe by one young world, UK, 2019
- finalist in emerging entrepreneur by financial times, UK, 2018
- Youth Excellence Award presented by the Telugu Fine Arts Society of New Jersey – 2010.
- Distinguished Youth Service Award” presented by Dr. J. Bapu Reddy for Outstanding Academic Performance – 2010.
- All India Silver Medal for Fractional Distillation of Petroleum Project in 93rd Indian Science Congress – 2007
- Won 2nd place in India’s 93rd Indian Science Congress
- Outstanding person in business category, JCI India
In 2021, Srikanth Bolla was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and JCI USA recognized him as one of the Ten Most Outstanding Young Persons in the world. A movie about his life may also begin shooting.
