Ishita Gupta: Turned Down Multiple Placements To Build A Startup — Founder Shares Why She Chose The Harder Path

A startup founder has shared how she turned down a job offer from niche global consulting firms after securing campus placement and instead chose to build her own food brand. In a social media post, Ishita Gupta, founder of Eat Atlas, said the decision felt like a mistake at the time but eventually shaped her entrepreneurial journey.

Gupta shared that even as she celebrated receiving the hard-earned job offers, her startup, Eat Atlas, had already taken off, forcing her to choose between the security of a corporate career and the uncertainty of entrepreneurship.

"Placements felt natural because that's what everyone was doing"

Gupta admitted that she initially sat for placements because it was the expected path.

"I was a very conventional person who believed in following a well-defined path. Placements felt natural because that's what everyone around me was doing. Masters' Union changed that by making entrepreneurship feel like a real possibility for the first time."

She said she nearly accepted the job offer but eventually decided to continue building Eat Atlas, a snack brand inspired by global cuisines including Korea, Bhutan and Sichuan.

Startup began as part of a venture Initiation Programme.

According to Gupta, her startup took shape during college Venture Initiation Program, where students are required to build a business idea from scratch and present it before investors. She said the programme connected her with people already working in the FMCG sector, helping her understand the challenges of launching a consumer brand.

₹5 lakh grant helped build the business

Gupta said her startup received an initial grant of ₹5 lakh under the Founder Fellowship programme. She explained that the money helped her build the early supply chain by covering expenses such as manufacturing, advance inventory payments and packaging.

Despite the support, she said the business took nearly two-and-a-half years before it could pay her a monthly income of ₹10,000-20,000. During that period, she was also repaying an education loan.

"Entrepreneurship doesn't reward you as soon as you start. It's lonely, and it takes resilience most people underestimate."

Kumar Mangalam Birla later backed the startup

After completing her course at Masters' Union, Gupta was given the opportunity to showcase Eat Atlas at BITS Pilani, where Kumar Mangalam Birla noticed the startup and invested ₹15 lakh.Gupta said that several months after graduating, She said the investment helped the business continue for another year. Eat Atlas is now available through Instamart, Amazon and its own website.

Message for those choosing between a job and a startup

Gupta said she shared her story for people facing a similar decision between accepting a secure job and pursuing an uncertain business idea.

"The founder fellowship programme isn't a magic solution. Your idea still has to work, and the downs still outnumber the ups for a long time. But it removes one very real obstacle, and sometimes that's enough to get you through the years before anything else does."

Gupta concluded that building a business requires patience and persistence, adding that entrepreneurs are not created overnight but through consistent effort despite uncertainty.