Harsh Pokharna left Flipkart to earn tonnes of money as an entrepreneur—then reality hit him; this is his story

Harsh Pokharna, the CEO and co-founder of the payments startup, OkCredit, has been in the news for his recent, and honest, reflection on his entrepreneurial journey. Pokharna, in a candid social media post, highlighted the challenges he faced before finding success.

The Bengaluru-based entrepreneur, who once worked at Flipkart, revealed that his initial attempts at launching a startup were met with failure, pushing him to the brink of financial instability.

Most importantly, Pokharna revealed that in the beginning, the lure of being an entrepreneur was overwhelming, which is what made him leave Flipkart so that he can start something of his own. What added to the allure was also the overall startup culture and the rapid fundraising successes which founders, including him, experienced.

However, he soon realised that the path to building a thriving company was far from straightforward. Over the span of two years, he experimented with three different business ideas, none of which took off. As his savings dwindled, he had to turn to freelancing to stay afloat.

His breakthrough came when he co-founded OkCredit in 2017, Pokharna revealed. OkCredit, which is backed by global venture capitalist firms like Tiger Global, is a digital bookkeeping platform aimed at simplifying financial transactions for small businesses. In late October, the startup reported its financials according to which its annual revenue surged 72% to ₹14.3 crore for the year ending March 31, up from ₹8.3 crore the previous year, driven by strong growth in advertisements, subscription income, and service fees.

Pokharna, who co-founded OkCredit along with fellow entrepreneurs Gaurav Kumar and Aditya Prasad, wrote on his Instagram account that when he looks back at his eight-year-long journey with the company, there is an important lesson he has imbibed: entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint.

“Startups are not a shortcut to wealth. They demand patience, persistence, and a genuine passion for solving real-world problems. If you're in it just for the money, disappointment is inevitable,” he wrote in his post.

His reflections resonated with many aspiring entrepreneurs, who took to the comments section to share their own struggles and to seek advice.

One individual pointed out the difficulty of finding mentorship without financial constraints, while another expressed gratitude for the motivation Pokharna's story provided. “Failure is part of the game. Resilience matters. Your journey is inspiring,” wrote a commenter.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Pokharna holds a B.Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur. Before venturing into the startup world, he worked as a graduate trainee at Flipkart for eight months.

Through his journey, Pokharna has emerged as a voice of experience in India’s startup ecosystem, reminding aspiring founders that success is built over years of hard work and perseverance.