Shantanu Deshpande

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.

  

• 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.

  

• 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”.

  

• 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.

  

• 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.

  

• 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.

  

• 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.