Shakti Mani Tripathi, a former Amazon employee, recently shared his tumultuous journey as a tech entrepreneur in Bengaluru. In a viral post on social media platform X, Tripathi opened up about the challenges he faced after leaving his ₹1 crore job to pursue his startup dream. “2024 has been a wild year for me.
I left my ₹1 crore job without any backup, driven by the urge to finally ‘start up’,” Tripathi wrote. His first venture, Hoobahoo AI, launched in 2024 but faced immediate setbacks. Tripathi and his team pitched to over 30 venture capitalists but failed to secure funding.
They also faced rejection from Y Combinator. Despite gaining early traction with around 3,000 users in just three weeks, Hoobahoo AI had to shut down due to high customer acquisition costs and lack of funds. Undeterred, Tripathi found a co-founder through Y Combinator and started building Reflecc AI.
However, their journey was marked by several pivots as they explored various niches, from measuring engineering productivity metrics to developing AI agents for developers and the supply chain industry. Currently, Reflecc AI focuses on automating business and operational workflows.
Journey through startup struggles
The team built a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) in seven days, conducted over 50 market interviews, and secured three letters of intent. Despite making it to the top 10% of Y Combinator applications, they faced rejection once again. Tripathi acknowledged the need for a more focused approach and decided to pivot towards developing an AI Digital Marketer.
He expressed hope that 2025 would not force him to abandon his entrepreneurial aspirations and return to a corporate role. “Tried a lot, failed a lot, but most importantly, learned a lot!” Tripathi shared. “I hope 2025 doesn’t force me to quit my journey and return to being an employee…once again.
2025, please be kind…”
Tripathi’s candid post resonated with many, reaching over 77,000 users on X. Fellow entrepreneurs and supporters shared their own experiences and offered words of encouragement. One user commented, “That’s a lot in one year! Typical founder journey though.
My 2023 was similar. I did give up, however, and joined another startup myself. Hopefully, you can keep fighting the good fight – happy to exchange notes sometime!”
As Tripathi continues to navigate the challenges of the startup world, his story serves as an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs who are willing to take risks and pursue their dreams.
