Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Vikram Pai’s story is that of resilience, failures and eventual victory. Founder and CEO of ReferRush, Pai refused to give up even after facing five failed businesses, financial losses of Rs 2 crore and a personal health crisis. His dedication has now been reaped fruits with a grant from WTFund, an initiative headed by Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath.
In a LinkedIn post, he shared his detailed six-year struggle, which was filled with business failures, financial distress and even losing trust from family and friends.
“Half of my body got paralyzed. I went down to my last Rs 4,000 and was not able to pay my co-founder,” he wrote. “Everyone told me to quit. Even my grandma questioned me. I was called delusional. Dad said I was ‘playing business’. Aunties gossiping about my career. My mom lost belief. My best friend betrayed me. I cried,” Pai shared.
WTFund Grant led to growth
ReferRush, an ecommerce referral sales platform was among nine businesses that was chosen from more than 2,400 applicants which had applied for WTFund grant. The startup which has taken four months to earn Rs 1 lakh in revenue for customers in initial months, now makes Rs 1.5 lakh per day. Pai attributed the significance of funding but stressed that perseverance and self-belief played the biggest role in his journey.
“But I always believed. I always had food and a home. That’s all I needed. Today @referrush was selected as one of 9 out of 2400+ companies for the @TheWTFund grant…We’re profitable. And we’re just getting started. The first five years aren’t where you win. It’s where you get good. Grateful for my parents. For Rohan. For this opportunity. For this life. Never give up. Believe in yourself,” Pai wrote in the now-viral post.