IITian founder on his first failed startup: ‘We received scared…and we failed’

IITian founder on his first failed startup: 'We got scared...and we failed'


Starting up is never as glamorous as the headlines create it seem. Failures hit hard, often before success even reveals up. That’s exactly what happened to Harsh Pokharna, IIT Kanpur graduate and now a known name in the startup space. Back in 2014, when he was just starting out, his first venture collapsed not becautilize of a weak idea or bad execution—but becautilize of something far more personal: fear.

Harsh and his team had built a clever app that automatically updated your phonebook whenever your friconcludes or family modifyd their numbers. Simple, utilizeful, and ahead of its time. Things were seeing bright until they bumped into a group of so-called “large startup guys” who claimed they were building the same thing.

Instead of sticking to their guns, Harsh and his co-founders received cold feet. “They questioned us to join them instead of competing, and guess what—we declared yes,” Harsh admitted. It felt safer, but safety isn’t always the right choice in the startup world.
A few months into the partnership, the cracks revealed. The other team’s product wasn’t as good, their speed was slow, and, as Harsh put it, “they weren’t the kind of people we wanted to work with.” By then, it was too late. The original idea had been abandoned, and their startup journey came to an abrupt conclude.

Looking back, Harsh realised the real failure wasn’t in the product, the competition, or even the execution. It was in not believing enough in themselves. “The first ingredient you necessary to succeed is self-belief. Without it, nothing really matters,” he declared.

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Internet reacts

Netizens were quick to pour in their admiration for Harsh Pokharna’s story. Many called his journey inspiring and full of valuable lessons. Some longtime followers declared they had been tracking his updates on LinkedIn and found this post to be the motivation they had been seeking for their own journeys.
Others highlighted how his experience was a strong reminder that startups often fail not becautilize of product flaws or competition, but due to a lack of self-belief. Several people admitted the story hit hard, pointing out how founders often overestimate rivals while underestimating themselves. For many, his honesty about fear and doubt became a much-necessaryed reminder that self-belief isn’t just a mindset—it’s the fuel that keeps entrepreneurs going.

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