Early Life
Surya Midha was born in Mountain View, California, and raised in San Jose. His parents immigrated to the US from New Delhi, India. He attended Bellarmine College Preparatory from 2017 to 2021, where he was a national debate champion. He graduated as salutatorian from Bellarmine in 2021. During his time in high school, he and his debate partner won all three major national policy debate tournaments, a historic achievement. After high school, Midha enrolled in Georgetown University, studying international relations, math, and economics.
Rise to Success
In 2023, Midha took academic leave from Georgetown University to co-found Mercor, an AI-powered recruiting platform. Mercor was founded with high school friends Brendan Foody and Adarsh Hiremath. The startup quickly gained traction and received significant funding, including a $350 million Series C round in 2025, which valued the company at $10 billion. This rapid growth propelled Midha and his co-founders into the ranks of the youngest self-made billionaires, surpassing Mark Zuckerberg's record. Midha transitioned from COO to Chairman of the Board at Mercor in October 2025.
Key Business Strategies
Mercor's success is attributed to its innovative approach to talent acquisition within the AI sector. The company's AI platform automates resume screening, conducts AI-driven interviews, and matches talent with companies. Mercor focuses on connecting skilled job seekers with companies needing talent in the AI industry. The platform’s growth was accelerated by a major funding round in 2025. As of September 2025, the company announced $500 million in annualized revenue, a significant increase from $100 million in March of the same year.
Philanthropy
While specific details on Surya Midha's philanthropic activities are limited in the search results, his significant wealth and focus on innovation suggest a potential for future philanthropic initiatives.