Don't miss the bus to your entrepreneurial dreams

It took a rude reality check for Phanindra Sama, founder of redBus, to venture out into launching his startup

- Nitin Babel & Prateek Roy Chowdhury

'The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. Fear of the unknown is our greatest fear.' —Joseph Campbell

For a satellite to leave Earth, it needs the initial escape velocity. For many entrepreneurs, that 'escape velocity' is a 'life event' that wakes them from their slumber. One such story is that of Phanindra Sama.

'I was an accidental entrepreneur,' says Phanindra, founder of redBus, a travel startup that was destined to reach epic milestones. Born in Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh, Phani (as he is normally referred to) was always a bright star in academics. He was a state ranker in school and distinction holder from BITS Pilani. He was well-respected in his family circles, and everyone knew he would achieve something great one day.

His schoolteacher challenged him to get a district rank and his principal a state rank. He set for himself a dream of making a microchip in one year that he could carry in his wallet, which landed him the highest campus package among his friends when he joined the prestigious BITS Pilani.