'Stop mourning the H-1B': Shark Tank's Anupam Mittal says India is finally collecting interest on its brain drain

The world of tech talent is shifting, and India is at the centre of the storm. From dial-up struggles to global-scale startups, the country is now attracting the brightest minds who once would have stayed in Silicon Valley. Serial entrepreneur Anupam Mittal, founder of Shaadi.com, recently highlighted how India’s talent landscape has transformed over the past two decades. What was once a scarcity of skilled professionals has now become a world-class talent pool, drawing top executives and innovators back to Bengaluru and Mumbai, not out of necessity, but by choice.

Two decades ago, building a team at Shaadi.com was a struggle, Anupam Mittal recalls. Product managers were rare, and Mittal relied on journalists and PR professionals to cobble together a functioning website. Fluent English and patience were enough to secure a hire. Fast forward to today, and the hiring experience has changed completely. Over the past six months, Mittal has been recruiting mid- and senior-level talent, noting that the depth and quality of candidates is nothing short of world-class.

Boon for India

This shift is fueled partly by tightening immigration policies abroad, which Mittal sees not as a crisis, but as an “involuntary gift” for India’s tech ecosystem. Talent that once left India for opportunities overseas is now returning, drawn by the country’s growing global significance and opportunities. Mittal reflects on his own move back in 2004, when India’s internet infrastructure was struggling, contrasting it with today’s “world’s playground” scenario.