Section 36
Arokiaswamy Velumani
Thyrocare Technologies · A village near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
- ₹2 lakh
- Capital Thyrocare was built from
- About ₹3,300 crore
- Company value · 2016
The story
A Velumani was born in 1959 to a landless farmer in a village 26 km from Coimbatore. His father could not support the family, so his mother bought two buffaloes. The ₹50 a week from their milk kept the family going for almost ten years.
He got a BSc in 1978 but struggled to find work because his English was weak and he had no experience. He finally became a chemist in a capsule factory for ₹150 a month, sending ₹100 home. Later he joined the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai for ₹880 a month and gave tuitions to earn more. He also completed a PhD in thyroid biochemistry.
In 1995 he resigned from his government job. He built Thyrocare from scratch with ₹2 lakh, with strong support from his wife, Sumathi, who left her bank job after 16 years. Thyrocare listed on the stock market in 2016, and its value had grown to about ₹3,300 crore. He chose to hire freshers, remembering how hard it was to get his own first job.
Timeline
- 1959Born to a landless farmer near Coimbatore.
- 1978Graduates with a BSc at 19; later joins a capsule factory for ₹150 a month.
- 1995Resigns from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre to start his own business.
- 2016Thyrocare lists on the stock market; value of about ₹3,300 crore.