Foodasao Abhishek
2025-04-22
I have mixed feelings about Abhishek, our company’s CTO. Let me recall a few incidents. One day, while heading home, he offered me a ride since we were going the same way.
I got into his Audi Q5, and on the drive, we started talking about startups. I asked him about his experiences—what he had tried and which domains interested him. He mentioned that during his time at Infosys, he attempted a startup in the energy sector, but it didn’t work out.
After that, he experimented with a few other ideas while still employed. Eventually, he started multiple startups, one of which is where I now work as a software developer. Then, he asked me about my own startup aspirations.
I told him I’m drawn to sustainability or health tech, ideally involving physical products. I also shared that I had previously built a startup called Foodaspas—a mobile app aimed at democratizing marketing influence for restaurants and food bloggers.
How Foodaspas Worked:
The app had three user types:
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Consumers – Discover authentic food joints; earn coins for engagement, redeemable as restaurant discounts.
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Restaurants – Gain measurable insights on which influencer content drives customers.
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Influencers – Earn commissions based on actual customer interactions (e.g., 30% discount split: 10% to app, 10% to consumer, 10% to influencer). Abhishek gave solid advice: Before launching the app, validate the idea by pitching to restaurant owners first. See if they’d pay for influencer connections. I loved how he genuinely wanted to help—even though I’m his employee, he encouraged my independent growth. Two days later, he followed up: "Did you start?" I hadn’t.
I made excuses about time, but the truth was hesitation. Now, seven months later, I’m unsure whether to revive Foodaspas or pivot to other ideas. I have a few in mind but lack confidence to commit.
Reflection:
Abhishek’s humility and support are rare. He wants his team to grow, even if it means they might leave. But my self-doubt lingers—am I holding myself back?