Starting up is never as glamorous as the headlines make it seem. Failures hit hard, often before success even shows up. That’s exactly what happened to Harsh Pokharna, IIT Kanpur graduate and now a known name in the startup space. Back in 2014, when he was just starting out, his first venture collapsed not because of a weak idea or bad execution—but because of something far more personal: fear.
Harsh and his team had built a clever app that automatically updated your phonebook whenever your friends or family changed their numbers. Simple, useful, and ahead of its time. Things were looking bright until they bumped into a group of so-called “big startup guys” who claimed they were building the same thing.
Instead of sticking to their guns, Harsh and his co-founders got cold feet. “They asked us to join them instead of competing, and guess what—we said yes,” Harsh admitted. It felt safer, but safety isn’t always the right choice in the startup world.
A few months into the partnership, the cracks showed. The other team’s product wasn’t as good, their speed was slow, and, as Harsh put it, “they weren’t the kind of people we wanted to work with.” By then, it was too late. The original idea had been abandoned, and their startup journey came to an abrupt end.
Looking back, Harsh realised the real failure wasn’t in the product, the competition, or even the execution. It was in not believing enough in themselves. “The first ingredient you need to succeed is self-belief. Without it, nothing really matters,” he said.
Internet reacts
Netizens were quick to pour in their admiration for Harsh Pokharna’s story. Many called his journey inspiring and full of valuable lessons. Some longtime followers said they had been tracking his updates on LinkedIn and found this post to be the motivation they had been seeking for their own journeys.
Others highlighted how his experience was a strong reminder that startups often fail not because of product flaws or competition, but due to a lack of self-belief. Several people admitted the story hit hard, pointing out how founders often overestimate rivals while underestimating themselves. For many, his honesty about fear and doubt became a much-needed reminder that self-belief isn’t just a mindset—it’s the fuel that keeps entrepreneurs going.
Harsh and his team had built a clever app that automatically updated your phonebook whenever your friends or family changed their numbers. Simple, useful, and ahead of its time. Things were looking bright until they bumped into a group of so-called “big startup guys” who claimed they were building the same thing.
Instead of sticking to their guns, Harsh and his co-founders got cold feet. “They asked us to join them instead of competing, and guess what—we said yes,” Harsh admitted. It felt safer, but safety isn’t always the right choice in the startup world.
A few months into the partnership, the cracks showed. The other team’s product wasn’t as good, their speed was slow, and, as Harsh put it, “they weren’t the kind of people we wanted to work with.” By then, it was too late. The original idea had been abandoned, and their startup journey came to an abrupt end.
Looking back, Harsh realised the real failure wasn’t in the product, the competition, or even the execution. It was in not believing enough in themselves. “The first ingredient you need to succeed is self-belief. Without it, nothing really matters,” he said.
Internet reacts
Netizens were quick to pour in their admiration for Harsh Pokharna’s story. Many called his journey inspiring and full of valuable lessons. Some longtime followers said they had been tracking his updates on LinkedIn and found this post to be the motivation they had been seeking for their own journeys.
Others highlighted how his experience was a strong reminder that startups often fail not because of product flaws or competition, but due to a lack of self-belief. Several people admitted the story hit hard, pointing out how founders often overestimate rivals while underestimating themselves. For many, his honesty about fear and doubt became a much-needed reminder that self-belief isn’t just a mindset—it’s the fuel that keeps entrepreneurs going.
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