Startup Originals Team
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal recently shared a heart-warming story that captured widespread attention on social media – the rise of a fourth-year design student who once worked as a Blinkit picker and is now set to join Zomato’s design team. The journey has been widely celebrated as a powerful example of resilience, hard work and opportunity.
Early Struggles & How It Started
The student, Atharv Singh, was pursuing a design degree and facing significant financial challenges. With no parental support for college fees, rent and other expenses, Atharv struggled to make ends meet. During this difficult period, an Instagram advertisement for Blinkit hiring brought him his first breakthrough. He joined a Blinkit “dark store” – a dedicated online order fulfillment centre, and worked as a picker, manually collecting items to fulfil rapid-delivery orders.
Turning Point: Hard Work Leads to Opportunity
Atharv worked at Blinkit for about four months, juggling his gig work alongside his academic responsibilities. The experience helped him stabilise his finances and continue his education. In his message shared by Deepinder Goyal, Atharv explained that “life really comes full circle,” reflecting on how far he had come from struggling to earn anything to now preparing to join the design team at Zomato, the very company led by Goyal.
Goyal’s Reaction & Public Response
Deepinder Goyal reposted Atharv’s message on LinkedIn/X, noting that “stories like this make all of it absolutely worth it,” referring to the broader ecosystem of opportunities, platforms and companies that facilitate such transformative journeys.
The post went viral quickly, with netizens praising Atharv’s dedication and Goyal’s decision to spotlight the story. Many commenters emphasised how inspiring it was to see someone overcome adversity and seize the opportunities available, while others noted that Atharv’s experience could motivate many other young people facing similar hardships.
What This Story Symbolises
• Resilience and determination: Atharv’s journey shows how persistence and taking initiative – even through gig work – can open doors to unexpected opportunities.
• Opportunity ecosystem: Rapid-delivery gigs like Blinkit often act as entry points for young people seeking to support themselves while studying or building a career.
• Recognition of grit: Acknowledgement from industry leaders like Goyal helps highlight common but underreported stories of upward mobility within India’s dynamic startup and tech sectors.
Conclusion: Hard Work Meets Opportunity
From packing orders at a Blinkit dark store to landing a design role at Zomato, Atharv Singh’s journey exemplifies how resilience, learning on the job, and seizing opportunities, no matter how humble the start, can lead to remarkable outcomes. Shared and validated by a high-profile leader like Deepinder Goyal, this story resonates as both inspiration and encouragement for students and young professionals across India.
