Kerala Techie, who dropped out of college, is now CEO of a $100 million US company: No brands, no MBA, just consistency.

The 33-year-old tech professional joined Gumroad, a San Francisco-based digital commerce platform, in 2020, initially as a consultant.

A Kerala-born technology professional has proven that one does not need fancy degrees to succeed in one’s career. The man, named Ershad Kunnakkadan, took over Gumroad, a San Francisco-based digital commerce platform, as CEO when he was just 33 years old. He has been with the company since 2020 and has risen through the ranks to take up the role after founder Sahil Lavingia stepped down.

Via LinkedIn, Lavingia announced the change in leadership position, writing: “After 14 years, I will be stepping down as CEO of Gumroad. I have found the perfect leader to take over for me: Ershad Konakdan.” In response, Kunakadan posted: “So excited to start my new role as CEO at Gumroad! Thank you, Sahil, for the foundation, guidance, example, and for trusting me in this new role. So proud of the team and ready to serve our creators even more!”

Irshad Kunakadan: Early Life

Born to a middle-class family in Kerala, the 33-year-old studied in a government school. His love for technology started early, as entrepreneur Didi Das shared in a LinkedIn post. When a senior introduced him to Ubuntu Linux, it opened the door to open source software, blogging, scripting, and more. Although he joined a small private engineering college, his real learning took place outside the classroom. Frustrated by traditional exams, he dropped out of college and promised his family that he would finish his degree.

Guiding Kunakadan: A Professional Journey

Kunakadan’s career journey began after he left college, when he took up a developer internship in 2012. He then moved into a software engineering role in the same year, and in 2013, he took up the position of software engineer at Bang the Table. Instead of following the traditional route, he completed his degree remotely from Bharathiar University. At the same time, he honed his technical skills and also enrolled himself in the Google Summer of Code program, which boosted his investment portfolio.

In June 2015, Kunnakkadan joined BigBinary remotely as a Senior Software Engineer. Meanwhile, he volunteered at Swathanthra Malayalam Computing (SMC). Finally, in 2020, he joined Gumroad first as a consultant and later as a senior software engineer. Meanwhile, he got married and continued to work remotely in different regions, including the United Arab Emirates.

Joining Gumroad proved to be a turning point in his career. Kunakadan carried out his responsibilities calmly and focused on his growth above all else. Earlier this year, he moved to the US on an O-1 visa and, within months, was named CEO of Gumroad, which generates more than $100 million in merchandise volume.

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location :

Delhi, India, India

First published:

27 November 2025 at 5:39 PM IST

Viral news Kerala Techie, who dropped out of college, is now CEO of a $100 million US company: No brands, no MBA, just consistency.

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