My Tryst with Entrepreneurship at Ashoka: Freelancing to Starting-up

I met Hitesh, my Ashoka batchmate, in Bangalore while interning at Vogo. Thanks to him, I learned about Ashoka and decided to apply. Fortunately, I got in.

I joined the 2021 cohort, and the orientation day was overwhelming, making me realize that Ashoka would be a place of immense opportunities. I always wanted to start my own business, become independent, and build something that could grow on its own—while making money, of course. My first entrepreneurial venture at Ashoka was selling pizzas during the APL. I made 16k in profits in just two days. My friends and I were shocked—16k in two days was incredible!

At the end of my first year, I landed a summer internship at the Alumni Relations Office. It provided me with a steady income and an opportunity to contribute to the Ashoka community.

I also started a startup called Qro with Gurkirat Singh, a travel company connecting students as tour guides with travellers. This venture taught me a lot. I didn’t know much about building a business, let alone a startup, but I was willing to take risks, try everything, fail, and learn. Unfortunately, COVID-19 hit, and the lockdowns halted our business. We had a good excuse for our failure.

During Qro, we did everything ourselves due to a lack of funds, and I handled the tech side of the business. I learned how to build a website and all its functionalities, taking three months to create the entire platform using Wix. I taught myself everything through Google and YouTube.

After Qro failed, I realized I had acquired a valuable skill—building Wix websites. So, I listed a gig on Fiverr. To my surprise, I got a gig the very next day for $50! I completed the task in a week and made my first online income.

This was just the beginning. I decided to pay my own tuition fees. I requested Ashoka University to allow me to pay in instalments, and they agreed. The fees were around 10 lakhs, and I was allowed to pay approximately 1 lakh per month for ten months.

Balancing studies, internships, TAships, RAships, and freelancing, I managed to make roughly a lakh a month and pay my fees. I even found time for fun! The supportive environment at Ashoka made it all possible.

After graduating, I went on multiple solo trips, travelled extensively, and met many people. With a clear goal of building an autonomous organization, I founded Wix Freaks. At Wix Freaks, we help businesses scale with custom solutions tailored to their needs. We build beautiful websites, efficient processes, and timeless branding and logos. I have a fantastic team of 12 people, and we’re just getting started! We serve clients in over 17 countries and have completed thousands of websites.

Many of my teammates are also Ashokans. It’s a great place to hire from because the culture and environment foster well-rounded individuals. I have interns and full-time employees, and Ashoka’s CDO has been instrumental in the hiring process. The alumni network is also amazing!

Even though I did not take any Entrepreneurship courses, the CFE has always been supportive. The reason we started Qro, which eventually led me to start Wix Freaks, was because of ‘Startup Ashoka’. Gurkirat and I met for the first time at Startup Ashoka, and that’s when we clicked on the idea. He had the initial concept, and I’m grateful he chose to build it with me. So, thanks to CFE and Startup Ashoka for creating an environment that motivates you to start up!

My journey at Ashoka was a rollercoaster, and I’m glad it was like this. The internship at ARO, making friends during the RAship, teaching juniors as a TA, and also having the time to work on my own venture would not have been similar at any other university. I am grateful for the friends, peers, network, and colleagues I have made along the way.