Rejected by Stanford University,17-year-old entrepreneur bags $10,000 grant on same day

Aaryan Singh Kushwah shared his Stanford University rejection letter on X. (Images: @aaryankushwahh/X)

At just 17, Aaryan Singh Kushwah is proving that success doesn’t always depend on a college acceptance letter. In a post that struck a chord on social media, the teen entrepreneur revealed a mix of disappointment and triumph—being rejected by Stanford University while celebrating major milestones for his startups, 9Onine and SapienIQ a couple of days ago. Among his achievements, Aaryan announced crossing 220,000 total users, achieving a 2-million-impression day, and securing a $10,000 emergent grant.

“Bittersweet day—rejected from Stanford, hit 220K total users, hit our first 2 million impression day, $10K emergent grant got approved,” he wrote. “Tough loss but gotta come back stronger. Grateful I had the opportunity to apply, grateful I felt badly about the loss. All in God's glory,” Kushwah wrote.

bittersweet dayrejected from Stanford, hit 220k total users, hit our first 2 million impression day, $10k emergent grant got approved.tough loss but gotta come back stronger.grateful I had the opportunity to apply, grateful I felt badly about the loss.all in God's glory. pic.twitter.com/R5nQfhZipJ aaryan (@aaryankushwahh) December 14, 2024

One user wrote, "Crazy! God's got a plan for you, man. Don't lose momentum, keep on going." Another added, "Failure teaches you a better lesson than any university can."

Others highlighted alternative paths, suggesting Aaryan consider opportunities like Y Combinator or the Thiel Fellowship, calling them more selective and potentially impactful than Stanford.

While rejection from prestigious institutions can be a tough pill to swallow, Aaryan’s achievements reflect resilience. Many commenters celebrated his ability to focus on the positives amidst the setback, with one saying, "Congrats on the 2 million impressions and 220K users, Aaryan! Keep going..."

Many encouraged him to apply next year again as his entrepreneurial journey gains momentum.

"Application process is overwhelming and rejections can hit you hard but the process teaches you a lot. Try again next year. I am sure you will make it," a user wrote.