Shakti Mani Tripathi, a former Amazon employee, has opened up about the challenges he faced after quitting his high-paying job to pursue entrepreneurship. Currently serving as the co-founder and CTO of Reflecc, an AI-based platform designed to automate business workflows, Tripathi's journey has been anything but smooth.
In a now-viral post on social media platform X, Tripathi recounted his rough year since leaving his lucrative Rs 1 crore position at Amazon, where he contributed to the development of the Amazon Pay Later app. “2024 is a wild year for me. I left a Rs.1 crore job at Amazon with no backup because of the desire to finally 'start up',” he shared.
After leaving Amazon, Tripathi launched his first startup Hoobahoo AI in 2024. However, his startup ran into immediate challenges, including rejection from Y Combinator and failed pitches to over 30 venture capitalists, leading to high customer acquisition that ultimately led to its closure. expenses and adequate funds.
Undeterred, Tripathi and his co-founder, Kunal Ranjan, set out to develop a B2B SaaS product aimed at tracking engineering productivity metrics. This idea was abandoned after realizing the complexities of effectively measuring the productivity of software engineers. They later tried to create Codermon AI, an AI tool for developers, but ultimately decided to pivot due to market saturation.
Aiming to build an AI agent for procurement, the duo next explored opportunities in the supply chain sector. However, they soon recognized their lack of experience in this area, leading to a further shift in focus.
Tripathi's persistence led to the founding of Reflecc AI, where he and his team built a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) in seven days. They engaged with over 50 potential customers and industry experts to validate their concept, resulting in three letters of intent (LOIs) from interested parties. Although it placed in the top 10% of Y Combinator applications, they were ultimately rejected once again.
Reflecting on their journey, Tripathi acknowledged the need for a more focused approach and directed them towards developing an AI digital marketer. He expressed confidence that 2025 would not force him to abandon his entrepreneurial ambitions and return to a corporate role.
Tripathi's candid post has resonated with many, reaching over 77,000 users on X, where many commenters shared their own experiences of failure and offered words of encouragement.
One user commented, “That's a lot in one year! Normal startup journey though, mine was the same in 2023. However I gave up and joined another startup. Hope you can keep up the good fight.” 
Happy to exchange notes sometime!”
Another user wished him luck and said, “You can only take such risks in business in the early years of your career… So keep going… I wish you the best!!!”