IIT Bombay gets Rs 100 crore donation from BrowserStack founders; says, 'Grateful for their inspiring commitment'

BrowserStack co-founders Nakul Aggarwal and Ritesh Arora have donated Rs 100 crore to their alma mater, IIT Bombay—one of the largest individual alumni contributions the institute has received in recent years.

The funds will be used to reconstruct Hostel 6 and modernize Hostels 7, 8, and 21, as part of the institute’s larger effort to upgrade its residential infrastructure under the “Project Evergreen” initiative. Both Aggarwal and Arora graduated from IIT Bombay’s Computer Science program in 2006.

“This contribution is personal for us—we’re simply giving back to the institution that showed us what’s possible when talent meets opportunity,” said Aggarwal in a statement shared by the institute.

Arora added that IIT Bombay laid the foundation for what would later become BrowserStack, a global SaaS leader in software testing. “Quality infrastructure plays a crucial role in nurturing well-rounded engineers who can solve tomorrow's complex challenges,” he said.

IIT Bombay shares post on X

Announcing the development on X (formerly Twitter), IIT Bombay wrote, "BrowserStack Co-founders Nakul Aggarwal & Ritesh Arora (CSE '06, H6) donate Rs 100 cr to IIT Bombay! Their generous gift will rebuild Hostel 6 & modernize Hostels 7, 8 & 21. Grateful for their inspiring commitment to their alma mater."

BrowserStack Co-founders Nakul Aggarwal & Ritesh Arora (CSE '06, H6) donate ₹100 cr to IIT Bombay! Their generous gift will rebuild Hostel 6 & modernize Hostels 7, 8 & 21. Grateful for their inspiring commitment to their alma mater. #IITBombay #BrowserStack #AlumniGiving pic.twitter.com/xH5eGQjR7d

— IIT Bombay (@iitbombay) April 29, 2025

Entrepreneurial journey

After graduation, the duo worked on a series of ventures—including Quarkbase and Downcase—before launching BrowserStack in 2011. The company offers tools for web and mobile developers to test code across devices, browsers, and operating systems. Built with a lean and profitable model in its early years, BrowserStack grew rapidly and raised external funding only after its sixth year.

In 2021, it became a unicorn and, at $4 billion, India’s highest-valued SaaS startup at the time. Today, the company powers over 2 million tests a day across 19 data centers, serving more than 50,000 customers globally—including enterprises like Sainsbury’s, OLX, and Shell.

The company is headquartered in San Francisco and Mumbai and continues to expand its product suite and global presence. Nakul Aggarwal and Ritesh Arora, were India’s second richest self-made entrepreneurs in 2021 with net worths of Rs 12,400 crore each.

Recent donations

Aggarwal and Arora’s Rs 100 crore commitment places them among the growing list of Indian entrepreneurs who are giving back to their academic roots. Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani has donated Rs 400 crore to IIT Bombay to date. In 2023, an anonymous alumnus gave Rs 160 crore, and the Motilal Oswal Foundation contributed Rs 130 crore despite its founders not being alumni.

Other IITs have also benefited from such generosity. Rakesh Gangwal of IndiGo donated Rs 100 crore to IIT Kanpur, while Happiest Minds founder Ashok Soota gave Rs 20 crore to IIT Roorkee. At BITS Pilani, Rakesh Kapoor, former CEO of Reckitt Benckiser, donated Rs 10 crore.

Professor Shireesh Kedare, Director of IIT Bombay, called the BrowserStack founders’ gift a reflection of the institute’s enduring legacy. “Their support will significantly enhance the living and learning environment for our students. We are immensely proud of their achievements and grateful for their unwavering commitment to IIT Bombay,” he said.

The donation comes at a time when the institute is scaling its residential facilities to support over 14,000 students. It also coincides with IIT Bombay’s rise to 28th in the QS World University Rankings 2025 for Engineering & Technology—its highest-ever global ranking.