Indian Startup Success Stories: How Rejection Fueled Their Rise

In the ever-evolving landscape of the Indian startup ecosystem, success often follows a trail of rejection. Some of the most inspiring Indian startup success stories aren’t about overnight unicorns but about individuals who chose resilience over regret.

Two such founders — Ragini Das and Ankit Aggarwal — turned their lowest professional moments into defining milestones. One faced rejection from Google, only to return years later to lead its startup arm. The other was fired from his remote U.S. job but went on to build a platform empowering India’s booming creator economy.

Together, their journeys redefine what it means to rise after a fall — and why startup resilience in India is often its greatest competitive advantage.

Ragini Das: From Google’s “No” to Leading Google for Startups India

In 2013, Ragini Das, a Business Administration graduate from Lancaster University, UK, interviewed for her dream role at Google. She didn’t make it past the final round — a crushing disappointment for a young professional eager to make her mark.

Instead of giving up, Ragini joined Zomato, one of India’s fastest-growing startups. Over six transformative years, she worked across key roles — from Key Account Manager to Area Sales Manager — and was part of the founding team that launched Zomato Gold across ten international markets, including Australia, Indonesia, and Qatar.

The experience taught her not just how to sell, but how to build and lead. In 2020, she co-founded Leap.club — a professional network designed to help women entrepreneurs and professionals connect, mentor, and grow together. Leap.club quickly became a movement, offering curated events, mentorship programs, and community support for thousands of women across India.

Though the platform wound down operations in mid-2025, Ragini didn’t see it as failure. “Every experience builds you,” she said later. “Sometimes the end of one journey is just the start of another.”

Just months later, destiny came full circle. In August 2025, Ragini was appointed Head of Google for Startups India, twelve years after her initial rejection. In her new role, she leads Google India’s startup accelerator, helping founders connect with the right people, products, and practices to grow. She also chairs the Women in Startups Committee at FICCI, championing visibility and capital access for women-led ventures.

Ragini’s journey from rejection to leadership has become one of the most inspiring Delhi startup news stories of 2025 — proof that the universe rewards persistence, not perfection.

Ankit Aggarwal: Fired in Silence, Rebuilt in Stealth

While Ragini’s path ran through global boardrooms, Ankit Aggarwal’s began in quiet isolation.

In 2021, Ankit was working remotely for a U.S.-based tech company when he was abruptly fired. The shock was deep — but he chose silence over self-pity. Without even telling his family, he decided to rebuild from scratch.

That same year, he co-founded Do Your Thng (DYT) — a creator-first platform built to help micro-influencers and independent creators monetize their work. His goal was simple yet ambitious: to democratize opportunities in the creator economy in India.

The early months were unforgiving — no revenue, sleepless nights, countless rejections. But Ankit persisted, convinced that the universe favors consistency. By 2023, Ankit Aggarwal’s Do Your Thng had crossed ₹50,000 in monthly revenue, proving that small wins pave the road to lasting success.

Today, DYT partners with major brands and serves thousands of creators, standing as a testament to grit and self-belief. Ankit’s story is a reminder that in India’s fast-moving digital economy, the next big idea may be born not in a boardroom, but in a moment of quiet resolve.

When “No” Becomes the Turning Point

Whether it’s Ragini’s return to Google for Startups India or Ankit’s rise through Do Your Thng, both founders reveal the same core truth: rejection is not the end — it’s the redirection.

In a country home to over 80,000 startups, their stories illuminate the spirit of startup resilience in India — a culture that thrives on persistence, experimentation, and second chances.

• For aspiring founders: your first “no” might be the seed of your biggest “yes.”
• For corporates: great talent often blooms outside traditional career paths.
• For India: innovation isn’t just happening in metros — it’s emerging from small towns, home offices, and even rejected résumés.

Resilience Redefined: The Faces Behind the Founders

As India cements its place as one of the world’s most vibrant startup hubs, stories like Ragini’s and Ankit’s remind us that success doesn’t always start with opportunity — sometimes, it starts with adversity.

They represent the best of startup resilience in India: visionaries who turned personal loss into collective gain, and in doing so, redefined what it means to build in the world’s youngest startup nation.

Ragini Das, now leading Google for Startups India, continues to empower founders and advocate for women in leadership. Ankit Aggarwal, through Do Your Thng (DYT), is shaping the future of the creator economy in India, helping everyday creators turn passion into profession.

Their journeys share one lesson: the road to success rarely runs straight — but with courage and conviction, it always moves forward.