It began like some other workday at a quiet café in Nagpur. Then a second look modified every part.

A younger founder, engaged on his laptop computer at a C7 café, all of a sudden realised the person seated close by was Ritesh Agarwal, the founder and CEO of Indian hospitality large OYO. What adopted was a spontaneous pitch that has now caught the eye of India’s startup neighborhood.

Based on a detailed Reddit post shared by a consumer named “rohit_raut5,” the founder stated he was initially surprised.

“For a second, I simply stared. Then I spotted he was about to depart.”

Confronted with a split-second determination, he had two choices. “Let him stroll out and remorse it endlessly, or shoot your shot.” He selected the second.

As Agarwal acquired as much as go away, the founder approached him with no ready pitch or formal introduction.

“No rehearsed pitch, no formalities,” he wrote. “Simply straight up.”

“Hello Ritesh, I’m constructing a personalised AI studying platform for teenagers. We’re primarily based right here in Nagpur and have early customers. Would love to attach with you for mentorship on scaling this globally.”

The response shocked him. “You’re constructing this from Nagpur? That’s actually good,” Agarwal stated, in keeping with the founder.

The 2 spoke briefly. The founder famous that Agarwal appeared genuinely happy to see somebody constructing from a smaller metropolis with world ambitions. They took {a photograph} collectively and exchanged a number of extra phrases earlier than parting methods.

The founder later within the submit mirrored on the encounter and stated that the expertise strengthened a number of classes.

“If I’d hesitated for 10 extra seconds, he’d have been gone,” he wrote. He added that Agarwal’s response confirmed that “founders from smaller cities constructing world merchandise remains to be uncommon sufficient to face out.”

He additionally emphasised the worth of taking initiative. “Shoot your shot. The worst that occurs is they are saying no or ignore you. The most effective that occurs is you get three minutes with somebody who’s constructed a $10 billion firm.”

Notably, the founder didn’t depend on a refined pitch deck.

“I didn’t have an ideal pitch deck or a rehearsed elevator pitch. I simply advised him what I’m constructing and why I need assistance.”

He stated this was not his first time approaching well-known founders, mentioning previous interactions with trade leaders akin to Uday Kotak, Nikhil Kamath, Nithin Kamath and Ashish Hemrajani.

“That confidence comes from simply doing it as soon as and realizing they’re human too.”

Nonetheless, the founder referred to as this encounter completely different.

“Random espresso store. No occasion. No crowd. Simply two folks speaking about startups in a metropolis that most individuals assume is just too small for these items.”

He additionally shared sensible recommendation for others who might discover themselves in an analogous scenario. Test if the particular person is in a rush, preserve the interplay brief, be clear about what you need, keep away from treating them like a star, and don’t hesitate to ask for a photograph.

“Take the rattling picture,” he wrote. “You’ll remorse it in case you don’t.”

Met Ritesh Agarwal (OYO CEO) at a random coffee shop in Nagpur. Here’s what happened when I pitched him.
by u/rohit_raut5 in indianstartups

The story, now extensively shared on-line, is being seen as a reminder that chance doesn’t all the time come scheduled. Generally, it’s sitting on the subsequent desk.