Breaking News -Mark Zuckerberg no longer youngest ‘self-made billionaire’ as three 22-year-old Mercor founders bag record..See More

Mercor’s 22-year-old founders have become the world’s youngest self-made billionaires after a $350 million funding round valued the AI recruitment startup at $10 billion, surpassing Mark Zuckerberg’s record.

Mercor, a fast-rising recruitment startup powering AI model training for Silicon Valley’s biggest labs, has created the world’s youngest self-made billionaires. Three 22-year-old cofounders, including two Americans of Indian origin, have dethroned Mark Zuckerberg as the world’s youngest self-made billionaires.

The San Francisco-based firm this week secured a massive $350 million funding round led by Felicis Ventures, with participation from Benchmark, General Catalyst, and Robinhood. The deal values Mercor at $10 billion, making CEO Brendan Foody, CTO Adarsh Hiremath, and board chairman Surya Midha billionaires overnight. Each reportedly holds about 22% ownership, according to Forbes.

The trio were once Bay Area high school debate teammates Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha are Indian-origin Americans.

All three Mercor founders achieved billionaire status earlier than Mark Zuckerberg, who first crossed the mark at 23. Midha, born two months after his peers, is the youngest of the three. Only Kylie Jenner reached the milestone younger — though Forbes later revised her valuation, citing inflated figures.

Founded in 2023, Mercor initially focused on connecting software engineers in India with US companies seeking freelance developers. The platform’s standout feature allowed candidates to interview with AI avatars, matching them to projects based on skill alignment. During this process, the company stumbled into the lucrative data labeling sector — linking specialised contractors like PhDs and lawyers with top-tier AI research labs, including OpenAI.

From the homepage

Telangana bus accident

Three sisters returning from wedding, mother hugging her newborn: Victims of gruesome bus accident near Hyderabad

As multiple police teams began a search in the area, the survivor was allowed to go, and she reached a nearby residential locality and managed to inform the police over the phone.

Coimbatore college student raped near airport after being dragged from vehicle; boyfriend beaten and left unconscious

Expand

Stay updated with the latest – Click here to follow us on Instagram

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd

This article went live on November first, twenty twenty-five, at four minutes past three in the afternoon.

Tags:Mark Zuckerburg

Express Premium

X

What archaeology says about links of Delhi with Indraprastha, the ancient capital of PandavasWhat archaeology says about links of Delhi with Indraprastha, the ancient capital of Pandavas.