'Never Sit Down': After Ashneer Grover Said 'Tu Baith Ja’ In 2022, This Young Founder Made It To Y Combinator - Watch Viral Success Video
Entrepreneur Rounak Adhikary has gone viral after sharing how Ashneer Grover once dismissed his public startup pitch with “Tu baith jaa yaar.” Four years later, Adhikary’s startup ProjectX has been selected for Y Combinator Spring 2026. His comeback video crossed 10 million views, with many praising his persistence and journey from rejection to global recognition.
A short but brutal dismissal from entrepreneur Ashneer Grover has unexpectedly become part of one of India’s most talked-about startup comeback stories.
Rounak Adhikary, founder and CEO of ProjectX, is now going viral after revealing how he went from being laughed off during a public interaction with Grover to earning a place in Y Combinator, one of the world’s most prestigious startup accelerators.
The viral moment that started it all
Adhikary recently shared a throwback clip from 2022 showing him attending a public event where Ashneer Grover was speaking. During the session, the young entrepreneur tried to introduce his startup idea and asked for an opportunity to pitch.
“You want to pitch? Tu baith jaa yaar,” Grover responded, cutting him off in front of the audience.
The remark triggered laughter from the crowd, but Adhikary appears to have used the moment as motivation instead of discouragement.
In his now-viral social media video, he paired the old clip with visuals from his recent time in the United States, including startup fellowships, networking sessions, and updates about his company’s growth journey.
“Baith gaya bhai,” he captioned the post, referencing the old interaction with a sarcastic twist.
The video exploded online, crossing nearly 10 million views within a day and attracting thousands of reactions from users praising his persistence and resilience.
ProjectX selected for Y Combinator’s spring 2026 batch
The biggest milestone in Adhikary’s journey came when ProjectX secured a place in Y Combinator’s Spring 2026 cohort. The accelerator is globally recognised for backing some of the world’s biggest technology companies, including Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, and Reddit.
ProjectX has been gaining attention for its ambitious vision in cloud computing and operating systems. Its flagship product, Infinity, is described as a cloud-based operating system capable of running applications independently through virtual environments.
According to the startup, Infinity allows users to access Windows and Linux sessions simultaneously through a browser while running GPU-intensive applications remotely. The platform is designed to eliminate hardware limitations by moving computing power to the cloud.
Building a startup at 19
Adhikary reportedly began working on ProjectX when he was just 19 years old while studying at Lovely Professional University.
His goal was to address the “digital divide” by creating a system that would allow users with low-end devices to access high-performance computing without expensive hardware.
The startup soon began attracting institutional support. In its early stages, ProjectX reportedly received ₹10 lakh in backing from India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Electronics and IT.
The company also joined startup initiatives run by major technology firms, securing grants and cloud credits through Microsoft for Startups and AWS Activate programmes. Those resources reportedly helped the team continue product development during its early growth phase.
The internet quickly rallied behind Adhikary’s story, with many users calling it a perfect example of turning public rejection into fuel for success.
The viral clip has also reignited conversations around startup culture, mentorship, and how young founders are often judged in the early stages of their journey.
RECENT STORIES
-
-
-
-
-