Born in 1987 in Bangalore, Varun Agarwal struggled with traditional education and faced multiple failures.
Success Story: A college degree doesn’t matter if you are committed to your vision and passion. Many college dropouts including Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Jack Dorsey have become millionaires and billionaires after founding their own companies. One such Indian entrepreneur is Varun Agarwal. His story captures an interesting rags-to-riches journey that demonstrates the power of following one’s passion and overcoming challenges.
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Born in 1987 in Bangalore, Varun Agarwal struggled with traditional education and faced multiple failures. His academic journey was far from smooth. However, he had a fascination with entrepreneurship. Undeterred by his setbacks, Agarwal pursued his passion for filmmaking. He dropped out of engineering college and co-founded ‘Alma Mater’, an online store for customized merchandise for educational institutions, along with his friend Rohn Malhotra at the age of 22 in 2009.
As per Varun’s LinkedIn profile, “Within 3 years. the company grew from 0 to a Million Dollars in revenue being funded by the Indian Angel Network Twice. The company worked with over 3000 schools/colleges across 200 different cities and towns.”
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With determination and innovative marketing strategies, Agarwal successfully grew Alma Mater into a thriving business. The venture gained popularity among students and alumni, establishing him as a successful entrepreneur.
Agarwal’s entrepreneurial success led to various other ventures, including founding Reticular, a social media and content agency, and being involved in the production of films and documentaries.
In addition to his entrepreneurial pursuits, Agarwal is also a bestselling author. His book “How I Braved Anu Aunty and Co-Founded a Million Dollar Company” chronicles his journey and serves as an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs. The novel sold over 5,00,000 copies and is now being made into a Bollywood Film by Nitesh Tiwari (Director of Dangal) and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur.
Varun Agarwal’s story showcases the importance of resilience, following one’s passion, and embracing unconventional paths to success. His journey is a reminder that failures can be stepping stones towards achieving remarkable achievements.
