Embracing the entrepreneurial spirit, a tech professional from Bengaluru, Shakti Mani Tripathi, recently recounted his challenging yet inspiring journey of leaving a lucrative position at Amazon to launch his own startup. Tripathi, who serves as the co-founder and CTO of Reflecc, an AI startup aimed at automating business workflows, utilized social media to contemplate the hurdles he faced while transitioning from a six-figure salary to entrepreneurship.
In his widely shared post on X (previously known as Twitter), Tripathi disclosed that 2024 had proven to be a tumultuous year for him. He reminisced about departing from his Rs 1 crore position at Amazon without any contingency plan, motivated by the aspiration to establish his own venture. His initial effort was at a startup named Hoobahoo AI, which was turned down by Y Combinator and failed to attract funding despite presenting to over 30 venture capitalists. This resulted in its closure due to excessive customer acquisition costs.
2024 has been a WILD year for me 😵💫
– Left my ₹1 crore job at Amazon without any backup, out of an urge to finally 'start up'
– Became International Master on Codeforces from my ex-girlfriend’s handle
– Founded my first startup @hoobahoo_ai
– Got rejected by YC
– In just 3…— Shakti Mani Tripathi (@shaktimtripathi) December 30, 2024
Undeterred, Tripathi and his co-founder Kunal Ranjan redirected their efforts toward a B2B SaaS platform, only to scrap it after discovering the project was overly complicated. Their next initiative, Codermon AI, encountered a saturated market, leading to yet another change in direction. After facing multiple obstacles, they created Reflecc AI, which began to gain momentum by obtaining three Letters of Intent from clients and placing it in Y Combinator’s top 10%.
Tripathi contemplated the significance of concentrating on a narrow focus rather than attempting to address numerous challenges at once. He concluded the post by sharing his aspirations for 2025 and his resolve to persist in the entrepreneurial journey despite the challenges: “I hope 2025 doesn’t force me to quit my entrepreneurial journey and return to being an employee… once again. ” His post has garnered over 70,000 views, with many individuals providing support and sharing their own experiences of failure and resilience.
