A Jaipur-based founder recently shared the remarkable story of an IIT Kanpur graduate who built a thriving company, then walked away from entrepreneurship to join another startup as an engineer. Pranshi Chaturvedi, founder and CEO of Bellish Group, recounted the encounter in a post on X.
Chaturvedi explained that during a recent trip she learned the IIT Kanpur alumnus had grown a direct-to-consumer shoe brand to ₹2 crore in monthly sales. Yet despite the booming numbers, he grew weary of dealing with manufacturers and ultimately left his own venture to take a role at a Gurgaon-based startup.
IITian leaves own company
In her post, Chaturvedi noted that the founder stepped away from his prosperous business because of frustrations with Surat-based manufacturers.
“On my recent trip, I met an IIT Kanpur alumnus who scaled his D2C shoe brand to ₹2 crore in monthly sales. He left it because he didn’t like how the Surat manufacturers operated,” she wrote.
After exiting his company, which was generating ₹2 crore per month, the IITian began working as an engineer at a startup in Gurgaon. (Reference: IITian CEO and wife pay ₹1 lakh a month for a home manager: ‘Can afford to pay’)
“Now he’s in Gurgaon serving as Lead Engineer at a startup that has secured Series A funding,” Chaturvedi added, though she did not disclose his identity.
Explaining his decision to swap entrepreneurship for a job, she said: “The core reason was supply issues. He grew tired of the cycle and chose to apply his engineering mindset elsewhere.”
Addressing rumors about caste or community influence, she clarified: “There was no caste or community angle involved. This is about risk tolerance.”
Public reaction online
Readers were generally surprised to learn that someone would give up a successful company to become an employee.
One commenter, Advik Jain, asked for more specifics about the manufacturing issues that prompted the move, suggesting there might be a compelling backstory worth sharing.
Another wrote that sometimes leaving one’s own success requires more courage than achieving it in the first place.
A third commenter noted that the labour-intensive nature of manufacturing often remains unorganized, prompting discussions about broader systemic challenges.
Gaurav Sharma added that manufacturing isn’t a risk-free or glamorous job, highlighting ongoing pressures from labor, suppliers, clients, and payment timing, and stressing the need for individuals who can handle pressure with discipline.
Note: This article reflects user-generated content from social media. Hindustan Times did not independently verify these claims and does not endorse them.
