Life Update: 2024

Since Oct’23, I have been thinking a lot on what should be my next step after 5 yrs of working with some of the smartest folks in the Indian startup ecosystem at Shiprocket, Cleartax & Cogoport.

In Nov’23, I decided to join GrowthX from Jan’24 with the objective of learning how to structurally look at growth since the question - What is helping “that company” grow? was always on my mind. Abhishek & Udayan has built something really beautiful & like me, there are 3k+ people who will say the same about GrowthX.

While waiting for GX to start in Jan’24, I had an urge to start-up again after trying 2 times in the past. I always believe that the curiosity becomes passion with time & perseverance. However, this time, I avoided recklessly falling in love with any idea, so I tried writing first - my whys, and connect with small businesses around India in order to learn about their -1 to 0 journey. This process really helped me uncover a lot about the bias to action.

So, I decided to build something - “connecting mentors & advice-seekers basis common social cause or career path”. Being from a traditional Indian family and the first person to start-up, I have been making a lot of decisions just based on my gut with almost zero external input. I have always strongly felt that someone with a similar beginning & career path could have multiplied my learnings in the same 5 yrs. Hence, the conviction on the idea. But, I quickly come to realize that I lack that killer sales-factor & idea-conviction which is what every aspiring entrepreneur needs to rally people around the vision. I prepared an initial doc & started applying to incubators around the world with just an idea.

After quickly realizing that folks without a working prototype & customer feedback gets auto-filtered unlike the ZIRP era, I decided to look for a team. I started talking to software developers to join me but couldn’t convince anyone. I decided to build it on my own so I went back to brush-up my coding skills (I knew python).

2024 made me cross paths with Mesa - a 1 year in-person program started in 2023 by Ankit & Varun with a mission to propel Indian startup ecosystem by nurturing the startup leaders of tomorrow. I found this mission quite relatable after seeing substantial gaps in the talent which Indian startups need. The talent which can own micro-PnL, build new verticals or start new categories. So, I decided to apply to Mesa.

However, I found that I can do a max of 3 things at a time. For me, those things were learning to code again, doing GrowthX & going through Mesa’s admission process. Looking for a team to start-up took a back-seat.

Fast forward, I got selected by Mesa for their 2nd cohort starting from Jul’24 at Bengaluru & I am delighted to mention that I have decided to join the program. I am excited to continue re-building myself at Mesa while continuing on my quest to keep forging MY PATH with inputs from some of the most driven, smartest & different folks.

In the coming months, looking forward to reconnect with friends & colleagues.

Coding Update: Build my personal website using Next.JS framework & tailwind CSS with the help of a public template by Jaroscki. Here’s a link to my personal website if interested to checkout.

GX Update: Team Perfora finished the capstone & I loved every minute of last 3 weeks. To know more about my GrowthX experience, go here. Join me at GrowthX: https://community.growthx.cl