Too ‘founder-y' to hire, not corporate enough to fit in: Former startup owner's candid job hunt post strikes a chord on Reddit
It's a story that doesn't get much attention, TED talks, or VC applause—but one that's becoming increasingly common. A
Reddit post
on r/StartUpIndia from a former Indian
startup founder
has opened the floodgates of empathy and brutal truth about the aftermath of a
failed entrepreneurial journey
. After building a health-focused food and beverage product with two friends—bootstrapping, multitasking, and learning everything from scratch—he now finds himself lost in a job market that doesn't know where to place him.
'We Built, We Burned, Now What?'
The post reads like a quiet elegy to a dream that once soared. The founder speaks of wearing every possible hat—from marketing and finance to customer support and design. No AI tools then, just endless Google searches and YouTube tutorials. Despite the hustle, the venture hit a ceiling—unable to scale, with no funds left to pump in. His partners stepped away, and the founder reluctantly began job hunting, only to be met with silence or, worse, rejection for being 'overqualified,' 'too founder-y,' or 'not domain-specific enough.'
The Dilemma of the 'Misfit'
He's not asking for a CXO role. Just a chance to contribute—to bring the value of lived, practical experience into structured setups. But the corporate world, as netizens pointed out, often sees people like him as unsafe bets. 'They want people who can innovate within their control,' one user wrote, echoing a harsh truth. In a system that prizes predictability over potential, founders are sometimes viewed with suspicion.
Netizens Share Brutal Truths and Hope
The post has garnered strong, supportive reactions from fellow Redditors and professionals. One suggested looking into startups within the same industry. Another spoke about the Indian corporate system's rigidity when it comes to reabsorbing former entrepreneurs. 'You, my friend, will have to search harder,' they wrote. Yet another comment advised the path of an
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
(EiR), using past mistakes as fuel for new guidance.
There's also a silver lining. As one commenter noted, 'Take one skill you truly own… and share it.' Whether through learning platforms, consultancy, or new ventures, those hard-earned insights don't need to die quietly. They can be repurposed and rebranded. Because in this era of AI-led disruption and rapid change, real experience still holds immense, if underappreciated, power.
The Bottom Line
Not all founder stories end with acquisition, IPOs, or Forbes covers. Some end in silence, in resumes ignored, in doors half-open. But these quiet chapters deserve to be told—because they are real, raw, and deeply human. And perhaps, like the Redditor in question, others floating in the 'in-between' will find solace in knowing they're not alone.
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