XLRI Jamshedpur graduates, freshers like Rahul and Mehul, have made bold moves in reshaping India's AI tech. These young professionals are declining high-paying job offers from global tech giants like Quicksell and Zomato to start their companies, which will make a legacy in the AI sector. The growing trend supports innovation, entrepreneurship, and taking the road less travelled.
Rahul and Mehul, both with entrepreneurial backgrounds, started their Philonet.ai journey 18 months ago while simultaneously pursuing their MBA at XLRI. Mehul, a Dean's Merit List student who had already cleared the CFA, was working at the XLRI Incubation Centre. Their collective experience created a product that has achieved over 3,000 organic sign-ups and over 1,000 monthly active users, which gained over 4.75 stars on the Play Store. With the funding they are receiving, they will soon be known globally. Their startup Philonet.ai has raised $1 crore of funding.
Another such example is Unikon.ai, a platform co-founded by XLRI graduate Palash Arneja, which empowers founders and students in their entrepreneurial journeys by providing access to valuable insights and guidance, something that is much needed when there isn't enough information. The platform aims to promote entrepreneurship and support emerging talents in the startup ecosystem, a help that is appreciated by the people seeking out a different path.
According to industry experts, this phase of graduates choosing their paths is a turning point in India's technological development. "Founder-first thinking is becoming more popular," Bengaluru-based early-stage investor Ananya Deshmukh stated. "The real breakthroughs happen when they choose control over comfort."
These accounts of XLRI graduates pursuing entrepreneurship in the AI industry are becoming a part of a larger trend toward creativity and independence. Choosing difference over comfort is not easy, but rewarding in the long term. In addition to changing the technology environment, their choices of turning down high-paying job offers in favor of founding startups encourage a new generation of professionals to think differently, because a small change helps innovate the whole country.
