Niraj Shah

Niraj S. Shah (born 1973/1974) is an American businessman, and co-founder, co-chairman, and CEO of online retailer Wayfair.

Niraj Shah
Born	1973 or 1974 (age 50–51)[1]
Nationality	American
Education	Cornell University
Occupation	Businessman
Known for	Co-founder, co-chairman & CEO, Wayfair
Board member of	Wayfair
Spouse	Jill Shah
Children	2

Early life

Shah grew up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the son of immigrants from India.^[2] His grandfather ran a "steel manufacturing business in India, making pots and pans".^[2] His father worked for General Electric as a mechanical engineer, and after his retirement, joined Wayfair early on, providing financial advice, and still works for the company.^[2]

Shah graduated from Cornell University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in engineering in 1995.^[1][3]

Career

Shah co-founded Wayfair in 2002 with his Cornell classmate, Steve Conine,^[2] and has been its CEO since its inception.^[1][4]

Shah was included in the Fortune list of "40 under 40" for 2013.^[5]

Shah was a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston from 2017 to 2019.^[2][6]

In May 2017, Wayfair's share price rose above $70 per share, making Shah and his co-founder Steve Conine both billionaires. As of April 2022, his estimated net worth was $1.6 billion.^[7]

Philanthropy

Shah co-founded the Shah Family Foundation with his wife Jill in 2017, which supports education and healthcare programs.^[8][9]

Personal life

Shah is married to Jill Shah; they have two children, and live in the Back Bay area of Boston.^[2] In 2013, Jill Shah sold her alternative medicine directory Jill's List, which employed 7 people, to California-based MINDBODY, and now runs their Boston office.^[10][11]