‘5 failed businesses, 2 Crores lost, half my body paralysed. They called me Elon Musk’; Bengaluru founder thanks Nikhil Kamath for funding.

Vikram Pai, Bengaluru-based startup founder and CEO of ReferRush, an e-commerce referral sales platform, shared his journey filled with hardship and expressed gratitude for receiving a grant through the Nikhil Kamath-led grant programme, WTFund. 

Vikram’s 6-year long battle 

Sharing the excruciating details of his 6-year long entrepreneurial journey, Pai reveals the number of hoops he had to jump through before attaining success. His post read, 

“6 years. 5 failed businesses. 2 crores earned and lost.

They called me Elon Musk. Half my body got paralyzed.

I went down to my last 4k and couldn’t pay the co-founders' salary. He had responsibilities.

Everyone told me to quit. Even my grandma questioned me. I was called delusional. Dad said I was ‘playing business’. Aunties gossiping about my career. My mom lost belief. 

My best friend betrayed me. I cried.

But I always believed. I always had food and a home. That’s all I needed.” 

- Vikram Pai, CEO & Founder, ReferRush in his X post

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Thanking Nikhil Kamath & WTFund Selection 

Pai shared that ReferRush was one of just nine businesses chosen from over 2,400 candidates for the WTFund grant. He highlighted the company's achievement, saying:

"It took us four months to generate ₹1 lakh for our customers. Today, we’re generating ₹1.5 lakh a day. We’re profitable. And we’re just getting started."

- Vikram Pai on his X Post 

Pai expressed his gratitude to WTFund, a grant initiative founded by Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath after his startup was selected for the funding program. 

"The first five years aren’t where you win. It’s where you get good. Grateful for my parents. For Rohan. For this opportunity. For this life. Never give up. Believe in yourself. Every e-commerce brand in the world will use @ReferRush. We are inevitable.

A big thanks to @harnidhish @Suchetkm @nikhilkamathcio @TheWTFund Arshia Vivek and Piyush." he said. 

Check out Vikram's X post. 

6 years. 5 failed businesses. 2 crores earned and lost.

They called me Elon Musk. Half my body got paralyzed.

I went down to my last 4k and couldn’t pay co-founders salary. Here’s the screenshot before I sent him 36k for the month. He had responsibilities.

Everyone told me to… pic.twitter.com/umaZQ0QBaw

— Vikram Pai (@vpai100) February 13, 2025

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