From PhD dropout to CEO, how Ankur Warikoo found his calling

Ankur Warikoo stepped down as Nearbuy CEO after the company broke even. (Photo: Humans of Bombay/Facebook)

Life took a turn for former Nearbuy boss Ankur Warikoo when he decided to quit his PhD in the United States and returned home. His family was in debt; he had given up his lifelong dream to become a scientist and he needed a job.

At the time, a Rs 15,000 salary at a corporate training firm was more than what Warikoo could ask for.

An MBA was next and three years of working as a consultant led Warikoo to the start-up world.

The pay-cut was huge but his wife supported him. He worked at two start-ups before Nearbuy happened. The lifestyle app that offered best deals to users was a hit but after the company broke even, Warikooo stepped down as CEO. He had given the company four years.

In an inspiring post shared on the social media handles of Humans of Bombay, Ankur Warikooo’s story resonated with many. Several throwback photos from Warikoo's early days in the US were also shared in the post.

He talks about how being homesick made everything in his American dream of going to Mars feel ‘robotic’. And how it was a massive shock for his middle class family see Warikooo ditch his fully-funded PhD only to come back home. “It’ll be the worst decision of your life,” his family had warned him.

But he never lost hope, Warikooo says. “Kuch na kuch kar hi lunga (will do something or the other),” a 22-year-old Warikooo had thought on his homecoming.

But his real challenge was the pandemic. The lockdown came soon after he stepped down as the Nearbuy CEO.

“I took a 3 month break and as luck would have it, the world went into a lockdown! At 39, I was jobless with 2 kids and staring at just 5 months worth of savings in the bank. I remember, my wife and I chalked out a ‘worst case scenario’ wherein if nothing worked out, we’d sell our house and move to the mountains. It was nice knowing that I always had my family’s support, but I was still responsible for them. And so, as the ‘What next?’ question haunted me, I decided to make use of the knowledge I had acquired over the years and got into content creation,” the post says.

Warikooo’s transition to content creation from a full-time CEO suited him really well, he says.

He gets to spend time with his family, he has written a book and he is doing things for himself like meditating and reading.

He is also working on another start-up, the post says.

“The thing is, bahut bhaag liya life mein, ab there is no rush! I’m okay doing things as per my own clock. So, if you were to ask me the question, ‘Where do you see yourself five years from now?’ My answer is I don't know. And that’s fine by me!,” Warikooo concludes the post saying that at 41, he now has full control of his life.