This Bengaluru man quit Rs 10000000 job to build a startup and then…
Bengaluru: Shakti Mani Tripathi is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Reflecc, an Artificial Intelligence tool designed to automate the business and operational workflows of organisations.
Shakti Mani is based out of Bengaluru. He left his high-paying Amazon job to start his business. On December 30, he posted on X the experiences he had and the setbacks he faced during his career journey.
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
Tripathi started 2024 with a bold move as he left his high paying job at Amazon to pursue his passion for building a startup.
” Left my ₹1 crore job at Amazon without any backup, out of an urge to finally ‘start up’”.
He initiated with Hoobahoo AI, aimed at automating business workflows with an AI agent. Within no time, he got the grip of the market and attracted around 3,000 users within just three weeks. However, despite pitching to over 30 venture capitalists, including top firms like Elevation Capital and IQ, Tripathi struggled to secure funding. As a result, Hoobahoo AI was shut down due to high customer acquisition costs and lack of funds.
Not the one to give up, Tripathi treaded and moved ahead and met his new co-founder, Kunal, through YC’s co-founder matching programme, and the duo began working on a B2B SaaS product aimed at monitoring engineering productivity.
After realising the complexities in measuring software engineers’ productivity, Tripathi decided to move out and focused on building Codermon AI, an AI agent for developers’ ad-hoc tasks. However, the crowded market led to yet another change in profile as he moved to the supply chain industry and attempted to develop an AI agent for procurement. But recognising the lack of experience in the sector, he pivoted once more, leading to the creation of Reflecc AI, an AI tool aimed at automating business and operational workflows.
Despite overcoming multiple hurdles, including being rejected by Y Combinator (YC) twice, Tripathi managed to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for Reflecc AI in just seven days. He interviewed over 50 prospects, cracked three Letters of Intent (LOIs), and worked with an agency, all while continuously refining his focus to hone in on a specific domain.
Reflecting on the rollercoaster journey, Tripathi said, ”I hope 2025 doesn’t force me to quit my entrepreneurial journey and return to being an employee once again. 2025, please be kind.”
Shakti Mani Tripathi’s resolve to continue building and learning from every setback, his social media post has struck a chord with aspiring entrepreneurs, providing them valuable lessons.