Rejected by IIT, Hired by Microsoft, Built Lenskart: Peyush Bansal's Inspiring Success Story

Lenskart co-founder Peyush Bansal

Peyush Bansal's story began not with a grand success but with a rejection. He had prepared for the prestigious IIT entrance exam during his school days in Delhi, but he couldn't secure a seat. However, he refused to let that setback define him. After much persuasion, his parents agreed to send him to Canada to pursue engineering.

Landing in Canada was a cultural shock. He realized that his previous definition of hard work was about to change. With no home and limited funds, he embraced every challenge. Alongside a rigorous engineering course, he worked as a receptionist, often clocking 18 to 20 hours a day. It was during this period, he later reflected, that he truly learned the value of relentless effort.

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A turning point came in his college computer lab. Watching a senior write software code fascinated him. He found it incredibly "cool" and asked to be taught. The senior handed him a thick book on Visual Basic Plus. Every night, after college and his receptionist job, Peyush would pour over that book. His curiosity soon turned into a passion. He started creating his own codes and showing them to his senior, who was so impressed that he offered Peyush a coding job, replacing his role as receptionist. What began as a part-time gig quickly became a full-fledged engagement.

This hands-on experience in both studies and work sharpened his understanding of consumer needs. He applied for an internship at Microsoft. The first year brought rejection, but he used that feedback to prepare even more thoroughly. The following year, he was selected.

His three-month internship at Microsoft felt like a dream. He worked alongside some of the brightest minds and even got the rare opportunity to visit Bill Gates' house. For someone who had grown up using Microsoft software on his father's computer, it was a profound moment.

After graduation, he secured a job at Microsoft’s Seattle office. It was here that a crucial lesson was ingrained in him: problems should be viewed from the customer's perspective, not just a business one. His team spent nearly half their time interacting with users to understand their core issues before devising solutions. He also realized that everyone around him seemed smarter, a fact that motivated him to constantly improve. He started to feel a deeper calling as he wanted to change the world, not just build a product. So, in 2008, he made the sudden decision to quit his coveted job and return to India.

His return was met with mixed emotions. His parents were happy to have him back but worried about his abrupt career shift. He had some savings and a lot of passion, but no concrete idea. He converted his car garage into an office and started working on solving housing problems for college students. He had no business plan, but he held onto one principle from Microsoft: if you stay focused on the customer, the business will build itself.

During this time, he met a like-minded graduate from BITS Mesra who joined him as a co-founder, fueling his passion further. Soon, a staggering statistic caught his attention. Nearly half of India's population needed glasses, but very few wore them. He saw a massive problem he could solve. It was then that he met another future co-founder, Sumit, who quit his job to join the mission.

In 2011, Lenskart was born. Investors approached them on their own. Instead of lengthy negotiations, the team simply got to work. For over a decade, their mission remained the same — to identify and solve new customer problems every day.

Their biggest strength, he believed, was their mindset. They were unafraid of failure and had nothing to lose. They dreamed of making eyewear accessible to every Indian, a dream that later expanded to a global scale, aiming to bridge the gap for the 4.3 billion people worldwide who need glasses.

His biggest lesson was that the focus must always remain on the problem. Does it truly exist, and can it be solved at scale? If the answer is yes, the business will build itself. This was the core of his philosophy