Startup Founders Invest in Luxury Real Estate, Fueling High-Value Deals in Major Indian Cities

Several startup founders have made headlines with high-value real estate purchases. Once known for reinvesting every rupee into their ventures, many are now acquiring ultra-luxury homes and prime land in Delhi, Mumbai, and Gurugram, reflecting a maturing startup ecosystem and a drive to convert wealth into stable, long-term assets, say real estate experts.

“Startup founders increasingly view real estate as a strategic diversification tool rather than a lifestyle purchase. Their primary businesses carry significant operational and market risks, while real estate offers a counterbalance through steady capital appreciation and predictable rental yields. In major Indian cities, Grade A residential and commercial assets have delivered consistent returns over the past decade, even during periods of funding volatility,” Sandeep Reddy, co-founder of Zapkey, said.

For founders, Reddy explained, it is also a way to convert intangible enterprise value into a tangible, income-producing asset. As more startups mature and move towards profitability or exit stages, the shift of wealth into real estate is becoming a natural progression in financial planning and long-term wealth preservation.

On National Startup Day, we take a look at big-ticket real estate transactions by prominent startup founders that have shaped the luxury property market.

DataforIndia’s Akhil Wable acquired a high-value land parcel in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar. Akhil Wable, co-founder of DataforIndia, had purchased a large 1,280 sq yard plot in Delhi’s upscale Vasant Vihar for approximately ₹113 crore. The deal, registered in late June 2025, was executed with Eleannt Enterprises, which had itself bought the plot earlier in the year for around ₹95 crore.

The transaction marked a notable trend in South Delhi’s high-end housing market, where demand from startup founders has surged sharply. Real estate consultants say areas such as Vasant Vihar, long associated with established Delhi families, are now drawing a younger, wealth-creating demographic that values privacy, larger land parcels, and the ability to customise independent homes to their preferences.

Deepinder Goyal registered an ultra-luxury apartment in DLF's Camellias. Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal registered an expansive 10,813 sq ft apartment in DLF’s marquee project, The Camellias, Gurugram. The unit, originally acquired in August 2022 for about ₹52.3 crore directly from the listed real estate developer DLF, was officially registered in March 2025, with stamp duty payments of ₹3.66 crore.

The residence comes with five dedicated parking spaces and is located in one of India’s most exclusive enclaves, DLF Phase-5. Brokers say that a comparable apartment would command well over ₹140 crore to date.

Siddhartha Sacheti doubled down on Worli luxury with twin purchases worth ₹160 crore. CaratLane founder Mithun Sacheti’s brother, Siddhartha Sacheti, made one of Mumbai’s most high-value residential acquisitions of 2025 with the purchase of two adjoining luxury apartments in Worli’s Three Sixty West by Oberoi Realty for a combined ₹160 crore, documents shared by Zapkey showed.

Each apartment, priced at ₹80 crore, spans 6,130 sq ft of carpet area and includes five dedicated parking spaces. The per-square-foot rate of approximately ₹1.3 lakh underscores the sustained demand for ultra-luxury homes in Mumbai’s prime coastal belt. The two units were purchased directly from the developer and together offer 12,260 sq ft. Sacheti’s purchase followed his substantial liquidity event in 2023, when he received ₹4,621 crore from the sale of CaratLane to Titan.

O3+ founder Vineet Kapur bought an independent house in Vasant Vihar. Among other transactions, Vineet Kapur, founder of skincare brand O3+ Cosmetics, purchased an independent house in Vasant Vihar for around ₹72 crore.

Experts say the real estate transactions are not isolated events but part of an accelerating wealth-migration pattern among India’s digital-economy leaders. They say that this shift is likely to intensify as more Indian startups mature, with prime residential and commercial properties emerging as a preferred destination for wealth preservation, generational planning, and strategic diversification.