You know that feeling when life takes you somewhere completely unexpected, but somehow it all makes perfect sense? That’s exactly how I feel about my journey to the Kalaari Fellowship.
I was born raised and transferred, which means my childhood was basically a grand tour of India – eight different schools across six different states. While most kids had a hometown, I had a collection of them. Each move meant adapting to new faces, new accents, and new ways of life. “Change is the only constant” was engraved in me from day 1.
Mumbai was where things finally stuck. I landed at NMIMS to study economics, thinking I had my life figured out. The natural next step? A job at a Financial Research Institution, where I could put all those economics theories to work. Except… something felt off. I wanted to be where the action was.
Yes, the masks because I graduated in the thick of Covid 19
Enter Zomato. I traded my desk job for the streets of Mumbai – and I mean that literally. Some days involved walking entire neighbourhoods, going door-to-door to understand how restaurants thought about growth and what their customers wanted. I was having real conversations with restaurant owners, learning their pain points, and showing them how Zomato could help them scale. Sure, I faced more rejections than I can count but each “no” just made my pitch stronger.
When I got a role upgrade to Zomato’s HQ in Gurgaon, it felt like levelling up in a game. I started working with early-stage food tech startups. I had the opportunity to work directly with founders who were scaling their brands nationally. I thrived on the freedom to work across multiple functions – from strategy and growth to P&L and product. Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful to Zomato for throwing me into the deep end so early in my career.
My Last day at Zomato
Learning is what I value most in life, and I didn’t want to be limited to food tech. The jump to venture capital wasn’t so much a careful career move as it was following my curiosity. The Kalaari Fellowship application was an intense 6-month process, but Kalaari offered more than just a new role – it was a chance for me to be part of an organization which consistently was a first believer in category defining startups from ecommerce to gaming.
Onboarding week activities
And now that I’m here, it’s nothing like I expected – it’s way better. There’s no hiding behind hierarchy or passing the buck. For instance, when you’re working on a report, you’re not just writing it; you’re designing it, distribution plans, and making sure it reaches the right people. It’s like running your own mini-startup within Kalaari.
Even if I am hosting an Internal event like Onam, the approach remains “Full-stack”.
The most rewarding part of my role? Working with founders. These are people who bet everything on their vision and execute relentlessly. While our discussions start with business models and market sizes, they quickly evolve into something bigger – like using AI to tackle previously unsolvable problems or building for a future where a billion Indians can transact on a single network through ONDC. Being even a small part of these ambitious journeys is genuinely inspiring.
Lunch with Harsh Jain, Co-Founder & CEO Dream 11
Like it is with most things in life, the best part about all of this are the people. The fellows, partners, and everyone at Kalaari have created something special here. We often use #KalaariFamily, and it’s more than just a hashtag – it’s how we operate. The culture here is built on trust and mutual support, making the office feel less like a workplace and more like a second home.
I am always eager to talk about new ideas and if you happen to be building in AI, please reach out to me at gautam@kalaari.com
