Success Story: This IITian Failed 17 Times Before Building A ₹40,000 Crore Giant

Ankush Sachdeva was not the typical IIT Kanpur graduate who walked straight into a high-paying corporate job. Born with a fascination for technology and problem-solving, he pursued computer science at IIT Kanpur, where his curiosity often led him to experiment with new ideas. While his peers celebrated lucrative placements, Ankush was busy tinkering with startup concepts, many of which never saw the light of day. (Image: Instagram)

In fact, he faced 17 consecutive failures. From study platforms to local service apps, his early ventures collapsed one after another. Friends joked about his persistence, but Ankush treated each setback as a lesson. He believed failure wasn’t the end; it was data, insight, and preparation for something bigger. (Image: Instagram)

That “something bigger” emerged in 2015. Alongside fellow IIT Kanpur alumni Farid Ahsan and Bhanu Singh, Ankush identified a massive gap in India’s digital landscape. The internet was spreading rapidly into small towns and villages, yet most platforms catered only to English-speaking urban users. Millions of Indians were online, but they lacked a social space that spoke their language and reflected their culture. (Image: X)

This realization gave birth to ShareChat. Unlike global platforms that simply translated English interfaces, ShareChat was designed from scratch for India’s heartland. It embraced regional humour, local news, folk culture, and everyday conversations in native tongues. Starting with Hindi, it expanded to 15 Indian languages, including Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, and Malayalam. (Image: Instagram)

The impact was transformative. ShareChat became a digital community hub where a farmer in Punjab could share his thoughts, a homemaker in Madhya Pradesh could run a recipe channel, and a poet in Assam could find an audience. By 2021, the platform had attracted over 160 million active users, proving that India’s linguistic diversity was not a barrier but a strength. (Image: File Pic)

The success translated into staggering numbers. By 2022, ShareChat’s valuation had soared to ₹40,000 crore (around $5 billion), making it one of India’s most valuable social media startups. Ankush also expanded the ecosystem by launching Moj, a short-video app that became a popular alternative to TikTok after its ban in India. His achievements earned him recognition as one of the youngest entrepreneurs on the Hurun India Under-35 list. (Image: Canva)

Ankush Sachdeva’s story is not just about building a billion-dollar company. It is about grit, patience, and the courage to keep going when the world says “no.” His journey shows that true innovation often comes from listening to the voices that others ignore and building something that finally gives them a platform. (Image: File Pic)