“There’s so much noise in the world,” Sengupta notified CNBC Make It. “Just sit yourself down and meditate.” This may not sound like a boardroom battle cry, but Sengupta calls it his superpower. And science seems to agree.
From Google to Grounding
Before founding Arta in 2021—a fintech firm now backed by over $92 million in funding from investors including Sequoia Capital India and Google CEO Sundar Pichai—Sengupta spent 15 years at Google. He assisted launch ChromeOS and Google Pay, which now has more than 150 million utilizers across 30 countries. His professional history reads like a tech investor’s dream, but even he admits the leap from a stable tech giant to the fragile world of startups was jarring.
“There are days where you feel 100%, and there are days where you’re like, ‘Oh my God, what did I just do?’” he declared. “A startup is one of those places where it’s very simple for you to obtain completely drawn in—to the detriment of yourself, your family, your health, and your mental health.”
His antidote? Five to ten minutes of quiet. Every day. “I wish three years back, somebody had sat me down and declared: ‘Dude… just meditate.’”
Backed by Brain Science
It turns out Sengupta’s seemingly simple advice has serious scientific merit. A new study from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, as reported by Neuroscience News, found that just 30 days of guided mindfulness meditation significantly boosted people’s ability to focus, regardless of age. Using cutting-edge eye-tracking technology, researchers observed quicker reaction times, improved focus, and reduced distractibility in participants—benefits that held steady across young, middle-aged, and older adults. According to postdoctoral researcher Andy Jeesu Kim, “Mindfulness isn’t just about feeling more relaxed — it can literally alter the way your brain handles attention.” The findings reinforce what many leaders are now discovering: mental clarity is not just a personal luxury but a professional asset. With better attentional control linked to the brain’s locus coeruleus–noradrenaline system — a part critical to arousal, memory, and avoiding cognitive decline — the impact of mindfulness reaches far beyond the present.
iStockA study from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology found that just 30 days of guided mindfulness meditation significantly boosted people’s ability to focus, regardless of age. (Image: iStock)
Why Founders Need Focus More Than Ever
For founders navigating product launches, investor pitches, and existential dread, the capacity to filter signal from noise might be the difference between resilience and burnout. Sengupta utilizes cycling as a physical and meditative escape, “one of the only times where no one can reach me,” he declared.
In an era where the startup hustle is often romanticized, Sengupta’s honesty and the emerging science around mindfulness offer a timely reminder: inner stillness can be a founder’s sharpest edge.
“Ultimately,” he declares, “it’s about how you confront the ups and downs of life.”
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