For most of my founder journey, I got rejections. Now I sit on the other side, and I’m the one giving rejections to others. And it’s painful. Not because it’s part of the job but because I know what that rejection feels like.
Becoming a VC was never a career goal. I loved building and scraping things together. There is always a weird pleasure in that messy, glorious founder's life.
But it was one of those catchups with Nithin, when he told me- “Let’s build something that is not like a typical VC fund.” And that was my source to regain my founder high and honestly I’m still figuring this out.
Some days, I feel like a tourist in VC. Other days, I feel like I’m helping create something from scratch. That paradox somehow lives in me every day. I told Nithin the same- I’d rather be known for what I build than what I fund. That’s why my bio still says entrepreneur and not VC. Somehow I still can’t fully relate to that title.
Nithin’s trust to build something that doesn’t exist gave me permission to see Rainmatter by Zerodha differently. Not just a fund but a place we’re building with founders at the center. Even the ones we don’t invest in. This feels like being an investor with a founder’s soul.
I’ve started to realize my role now is to be useful. To cheer for entrepreneurs and to show up sometimes with capital, but often just with time, empathy, and perspective. Sometimes it's reminding someone that their health matters more than their next funding round. And sometimes, it's okay with not having a perfect answer.
All I know is- I still want to build. Even if what I’m building now isn’t a product. It’s an ecosystem. And that’s enough for today.
I'm writing all of this, first for my own mental clarity. And also to be honest with all the founders who reach out to me, and the other people who ask me for career advice.
I don’t have a grand vision of what this role should be. It’s evolving. Slowly. And maybe that’s the point. Not every journey needs a playbook.
You may be a founder, someone working in a startup or building things at a large company. If you’re confused about your career, it's ok.
I still don’t have all the answers yet. I’m still becoming.
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