Ashish Hemrajani

Ashish Hemrajani (born in 1975) is an entrepreneur and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BigTree Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., the parent company of the online ticketing platform BookMyShow.

Early Life and education Hemrajani was born in 1975 in Juhu, Mumbai. He completed his schooling at Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School and earned his undergraduate degree from Mithibai College. He later obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai.

Career Hemrajani began his career in 1997 with the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, working in client management. Hemrajani established the company after observing online ticketing models in South Africa. The company initially operated under names such as Go For Ticketing and India Ticketing. BigTree Entertainment received early venture funding from JP Morgan Chase.

Hemrajani launched BookMyShow in 2007. Over the years, the company secured investments from TPG Growth, Stripes Group, SAIF Partners, Accel and Network 18.

In 2014, Hemrajani launched BookAChange (formerly BookASmile), a charitable initiative to enable access to sports and entertainment events for underprivileged. In 2017, Hemrajani established BookMyShow Live, the organization’s live entertainment and experiential division. In 2013, BookMyShow was named Startup of the Year at The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence. In 2023, Hemrajani collaborated with Live Nation to organize the Mumbai edition of the Lollapalooza music festival, marking the event’s first staging in Asia. As of 2024, BookMyShow operates in more than 650 towns and cities across India and maintains a presence in parts of Southeast Asia.

In his tenure as CEO, Hemrajani expanded BookMyShow into live entertainment, bringing international artists, including Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, U2, Guns N’ Roses, and Travis Scott to Mumbai, and overseeing ticketing and promotion for their concerts. Outside his profession, he is a member of the Colaba Sailing Club and the Royal Bombay Yacht Club. He began sailing after a trip to Auckland, New Zealand, where he sailed on a 60-foot yacht named Ganga II. Since then, he has participated in local sailing competitions with a small crew.

Recognition In 2014, Hemrajani was listed in Fortune India’s 40 Under 40 list among India’s rising business leaders. In 2025, he was included in Billboard’s Global Power Players List 2025.