Yesterday, I was invited to give a Keynote address in front of 100 people at the Taj Mahal Mumbai - 30 founders, investors from Peak XV Partners, Lightbox, Zerodha, and more. I asked one simple question to founders as I open: “𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟗𝟎 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤?” Almost 50% founders had their hand went up. That’s not a warning sign. That’s what being a true founder feels like. The message I left everyone with was as follows: The version of your company that actually changes the world is probably NOT the version in your deck right now. That’s not a warning. That’s a promise. Because the pivot is not a detour from the plan. 𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚: “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒗𝒐𝒕 𝑰𝑺 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏.” Zypp didn’t start as Zypp. We launched cycles. Didn’t work. Pivoted to scooters. Failed 5 more times. One day I finally asked myself the question I’d been avoiding: “𝐀𝐦 𝐈 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞?” Here’s what I’ve learned since then: A pivot doesn’t feel like a strategy when you’re living it. It feels like failure with a new name. But there’s a difference between changing your product and abandoning your mission. Your product is not your purpose. To every founder in that Taj Mahal room yesterday and here and every one reading this - You noticed a crack in the world which others didn’t see. That noticing of crack is rare. That noticing is everything. Don’t let the wobble make you forget why you started. TechnoServe Ajay Menon Sandro Stephen #StartupIndia #FounderLife #Zypp #KaashSeAkash #Sustainability
The doubt isn't the signal, it's usually the process of getting closer to what actually works. In most cases, the eventual outcome is shaped less by the original idea and more by how consistency it's refined. Akash Gupta
It was so inspiring to listen to your journey, Akash Gupta! Thank you for choosing to spend your Thursday morning with our community comprising Green Startup Founders, Investors, Corporates, Ecosystem partners and Team Greenr :)
The strongest founders don’t avoid doubt, they use it to refine direction.
That line hits — a pivot feels like failure when you’re in it. From the outside, it looks strategic. From the inside, it feels like everything isn’t working. Also love the distinction between product and purpose. Most people give up on the mission when the first version of the product doesn’t land. But that “crack you noticed” is the real asset. Everything else can change.
Strategic pivots are not a sign of failure, but a necessary evolution that ensures a founder's mission remains resilient even as the product adapts to reality.
A powerful founder truth: doubt is not a sign you’re failing .it’s often a sign you’re building something real. The original idea is rarely the final one, because markets teach what decks cannot. Great founders stay flexible on product, but stubborn on mission; they pivot the path without abandoning the purpose.
The distinction between product and purpose is key, most pivots fail when people change both at the same time
Absolutely. What founders think they’re building and what they’re actually managing are often very different things. Recognising that early is what creates stronger, more resilient businesses.
Loved the idea that the version changing the world might not be in the deck yet. Building something meaningful is rarely a straight line.
The version of your company that changes the world is rarely the one in the original deck the pivot isn't failure, it's just the mission finding its real shape.