Back on my blog, sharing the unfiltered highs, lows, and everything from my path as an entrepreneur. If you’ve been following along, you know I’ve touched on idea execution and problem solving, drawing from my time at IIT Guwahati and building ventures like Ammno. But today, let’s get even more real about the full story. I’ve founded five companies so far: Ammno (grocery delivery), Starckup (a community platform for entrepreneurs), HRNex (an HR platform for small and medium companies), Tryonfit (real-time try-ons for beauty products), and Zipnom (our IT powerhouse for digital transformation). Out of these, only Zipnom and HRNex are still thriving; the rest shut down due to inexperience, market challenges, funding nightmares, and those gut-wrenching personal failures that still keep me up at night. Looking back, these “failures” were my best teachers, especially when viewed through the lens of Lean Startup principles. Let me break it down for you, with raw insights from each venture, including the brutal funding struggles and my own missteps.
The Early Days: Ammno and the Funding Mirage
My entrepreneurial spark ignited with Ammno, a grocery delivery service aimed at making fresh produce accessible in urban India. Fresh out of IIT, I was buzzing with energy, picturing late-night coding sessions and dreams of disrupting the market like BigBasket. But reality hit hard: we scaled too fast without validating demand properly. Supply chain issues piled up, and competition was fierce.
Funding was my first big wake-up call. I bootstrapped initially with savings from odd jobs, but when I pitched to local angels, I bombed. My deck was all hype, no traction and zero users meant zero interest. One investor straight-up laughed at my projections, saying, “Kid, come back when you have real numbers.” That rejection stung, but it was my fault: inexperience led me to overlook building an MVP first. We burned through what little cash we had on inventory that rotted (literally), and the shutdown came after six months. Personal failure? I ignored advice from IIT mentors to test small, thinking I knew better.
Lesson: Ego is a startup killer. This ties straight into Lean’s “Validated Learning” Don’t chase funds without proof that your idea works.
Building Community: Starckup and the Pitching Pitfalls
Next up was Starckup, a platform to connect entrepreneurs for networking, mentorship, and collaboration. Inspired by my own struggles finding like-minded folks post-IIT, it seemed like a no-brainer. We launched with forums, events, and even a basic matching algorithm. Engagement started strong, but retention tanked. Users came for the hype but left when the value didn’t stick.
Funding challenges amplified the pain. I hit up accelerators and VCs in Hyderabad, but my inexperience showed: pitches rambled, financials were shaky, and I couldn’t answer basics like CAC (customer acquisition cost). One demo day ended in silence, no questions, just polite nods. We scraped by on friends and family rounds, but a market downturn dried up even that. The shutdown hit when we couldn’t pay server bills. On a personal note, I failed by not delegating; I micromanaged everything, leading to burnout and team friction. A developer quit mid-project because I second-guessed his code constantly. Lean’s “Build-Measure-Learn” loop could’ve helped: we measured metrics but didn’t pivot fast enough from broad networking to niche events. Takeaway? Funding loves data, not dreams and learn to let go.
Scaling HR: HRNex and What Worked Amid Struggles
HRNEX marked a shift in an HR platform tailored for SMEs, handling payroll, recruitment, and compliance with AI-driven insights. This one’s still going strong because I applied hard-learned lessons. We started lean: an MVP with core features tested on a small beta group of local businesses. Feedback loops were tight, we measured user adoption weekly and iterated on pain points like integration ease.
But even here, funding wasn’t easy. Early on, I faced rejections from banks for loans too risky for a solo founder with shutdowns on my resume. I pivoted to bootstrapping via freelance gigs, then landed a small grant from a government startup scheme after months of paperwork.
Personal anecdote: I once drove 200 km for a pitch, only to have the investor cancel last minute due to “schedule conflicts.” It felt like a punch, but it taught resilience. Lean’s “Validated Learning” was key we didn’t assume, we asked, “Does this solve your real HR headaches?” It did, and data-driven pivots (like adding mobile access) attracted clients. Experience from prior failures helped me build a resilient team and secure steady revenue. HRNex shows that funding follows traction, not the other way around.
Innovation in Beauty: Tryonfit and the VC Ghosting Saga
Tryonfit was an ambitious real-time virtual try-on for beauty products, using AR to let users “wear” makeup or skincare virtually. Born from spotting e-commerce gaps during the pandemic, we prototyped quickly with tools like Unity. Early demos wowed, but scaling AR across devices was a nightmare, and monetisation (partnerships with brands) fell flat amid market saturation.
Funding woes were epic here. I cold-emailed dozens of VCs, got a few meetings, but most ghosted after due diligence revealed our tech bugs. One fund promised a term sheet, then backed out over “competitive risks” turns out, a bigger player launched something similar. We shutdown after exhausting personal savings; I even sold my laptop to cover last payroll. Personal failure hit hard: I overpromised to the team about funding timelines, leading to morale crashes when it didn’t materialize. I learned the hard way about underpromising and overdelivering. This venture screamed for Lean’s “Innovation Accounting” tracking actionable metrics like conversion rates from try-ons to purchases. We pivoted once (from broad beauty to niche skincare), but inexperience in AR and poor timing sealed it.
Reminder: VCs fund teams and traction, not just tech.
The Current Chapter: Zipnom and Sustained Growth Through Grit
Finally, Zipnom, my fifth venture, offering end-to-end IT services like app development, AI/ML, cloud, cybersecurity, and more. It’s thriving alongside HRNex because I’ve internalised Lean fully. From day one, we validated with client interviews, built MVPs for services, and used feedback loops to refine offerings. Problems? We solve them with structured approaches, like SWOT analyses during integrations.
Funding still challenged us bootstrapped for the first year, then secured a small angel round after proving revenue with early clients. But rejections persisted; one investor said, “Too many past shutdowns prove sustainability.” Personal story: During a low point, I questioned quitting entrepreneurship altogether, staring at empty bank accounts post-Tryonfit. What pulled me through? Reflecting on failures as fuel. Experience from the shutdowns taught me grit: lack of market fit in Ammno, poor retention in Starckup, tech overreach in Tryonfit—all informed Zipnom’s agile setup. We’re not just surviving; we’re growing by staying customer-obsessed and funding-smart.
Failure and Funding: Your Startup Rite of Passage
Looking at all five, the shutdowns stung, but they weren’t defeats; they were masterclasses in Lean Startup and life. Principles like validated learning and pivoting turned my inexperience, funding battles, and personal flops (like ego-driven decisions and burnout) into expertise. Funding isn’t a golden ticket; it’s earned through grit and data. If you’re grinding through your own ventures, remember: every rejection and failure refines your edge. Start lean, measure everything, adapt without ego, and treat funding as a milestone, not the goal.
What’s your biggest startup funding horror story or personal failure lesson? Drop it in the commentslet’s learn together. Subscribe for more from my journey.
Keep hustling,
Dilip Singh
