Ankur Bansal, a postgraduate from IIT Bombay, co-founded an EdTech startup aiming to help students thrive and prepare for a career in chartered accounting.

Ankur Bansal is a co-founder of an EdTech venture that works in the CA space. He is also a postgraduate from IIT Bombay and a part-time worker.

Ankur comes from Bari in Dholpur, Rajasthan. He completed his graduation and post-graduation in mechanical engineering from IIT Bombay. His father sent him out for studies when he was a teenager, as he belonged to a small town. Living on his own made him aware of his surroundings and strong enough to handle different situations. He learned how to make the most of life situations and people. These learnings helped him start his venture and embark on his entrepreneurial journey.

After finishing his studies, he wanted to work in a consumer-centric product and service industry, but he was not sure about the technical aspect. He wondered, “How do I get technology involved?” Therefore, he worked in other jobs while exploring different areas to work on. He came across a venture that operated from a rental space. He also gave home tuition and guided many kids academically. Currently, he is associated with Step Fly, an EdTech venture that helps students prepare for CA exams. He has two people in his team who are qualified, resourceful, and skilled. Ankur handles most of the technical part of the venture.

Ankur believes that being an entrepreneur gives him a sense of ownership and helps him get out of his comfort zone. His priority for the last twelve years has been to get out of his comfort zone. This has helped him acquire the right skill set to lead a startup.

Ankur defines success as sharing his ideas or motivating someone to do better. He believes that if he can help someone progress at least one step further toward their goals, he has achieved success. He feels that mistakes are inevitable and teach us something valuable. He recalls an incident when his development scheme failed during his hostel days. He was held accountable for a major monetary loss, but he also learned something valuable from it. He also mentions that one of his products failed to give the desired results after investing his time and energy in it. However, he learned from the glitches and launched another product feature that worked well. Thus, he advocates the importance of trying, as mistakes will happen all the time.

Ankur is inspired by Elon Musk’s ideology: “Now is the time to take risks.” He says that he is unsure of the future of his startup, but he is working hard and taking all the necessary risks to succeed in the present.

Ankur advises that there is no traditional way of learning about entrepreneurship through books, courses, or scientific methods. One must find seasoned resources to learn entrepreneurship. However, he recommends Y Combinator, a startup school that is a prestigious place to study and learn. He advises that all one needs is a year of good functioning for the company to kickstart. In his opinion, not keeping the fear of failure but taking risks and learning from them is the right way to pursue entrepreneurship.

Ankur likes to go out, spend some time with nature, or travel when he has free time. It helps him recharge, refresh, and regain perspective to deal with life and situations.

Ankur says that if he had a chance, he would want to relive his time with his grandmother. He loves her dearly and misses her presence. She was his source of love and wisdom, and he treasures the memories they made together. Akshay believes that reliving those moments would bring him immense joy and comfort, allowing him to feel close to his grandmother again.