‘They said I was not Hinduja, Tata, Birla, Ambani’: Rajeev Chandrasekhar reveals story behind India’s 1st tech unicorn

Former Union Minister and entrepreneur Rajeev Chandrasekhar has looked back on one of the biggest risks of his early career: leaving Intel at 27 to pursue entrepreneurship and build one of India's early wireless cellular networks.

In a post on X on Monday, Chandrasekhar recalled facing scepticism from people around him as he attempted to enter India's emerging telecom industry in 1991.

‘I was told I would not succeed’

Chandrasekhar said his decision to leave a corporate career was met with doubts, including from family members.

"Most, including in my family, told me not to do it,” he wrote.

He recalled being told that he did not come from the kind of established business family associated with India's biggest industrial houses.

"They said I was not Hinduja, Tata or Birla, or an Ambani," he wrote, adding that he was told he needed to get used to hearing “no”.

According to Chandrasekhar, India's telecom sector was particularly challenging for a young startup, with Delhi offering a difficult environment in which to pursue licences and business opportunities.

Building with Indian talent

Despite the resistance, Chandrasekhar said he remained focused on creating a large cellular network by drawing on Indian expertise.

“I was just a 27-year-old entrepreneur building one of India’s largest cellular networks, working with Indian talent from the defence and telecom sectors and not relying on expensive expats.”

His account highlights his emphasis on using Indian engineering and technical talent at a time when the country's telecom industry was still taking shape.

Why he brought Neil Armstrong to Mumbai

Chandrasekhar also recalled turning to an extraordinary figure to motivate his young team: Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon.

He invited Armstrong to Mumbai to speak to the team about his experiences and the challenges involved in pursuing complex engineering projects.

"To inspire my team and myself to embrace complex engineering and massive risks, I invited Neil Armstrong to Mumbai to share his experiences as the first man to ever walk on the moon."

“It was an unforgettable experience that left us deeply inspired,” Chandrasekhar wrote.

A photograph shared with the post shows Chandrasekhar with Armstrong, who appears to have signed a personal message on the photograph.

'Even the Moon is within reach'

Chandrasekhar said his team subsequently went on to build what he described as “India’s first tech unicorn”.

He connected that experience to a career that later took him across sectors including semiconductors, technology and media.

Addressing younger entrepreneurs, he said the experience had reinforced the importance of focus and having a determined team.

"To young India, remember: with the right focus and a relentless team, even the Moon is within reach," he wrote.

‘Keep building’

Reflecting on his career decades after making that first entrepreneurial leap, Chandrasekhar said that the process of building continues to motivate him.

"Many years on - I have done many things in life from semicon to media. Being a builder and being amongst real trailblazers is what keeps me inspired!"

He ended the post with a message to aspiring entrepreneurs: “Keep building!”