TIE-NJ Gala Highlights: Anjan Lahiri in Conversation with Vinit Bharara

At the 2024 TiE NJ GALA held of June 1, 2024, held at Zimerli Museum, one of the highlights was the enlightening dialogue between Anjan Lahiri, CEO of Navikenz and Chairman of the Advisory Board of TiE-NJ, and 2024 TiE-NJ Excelsior Awardee, Vinit Bharara, the founder of Diapers.com and Mojo.com. The discussion a treasure trove of wisdom and inspiration, touching on many topic central to entrepreneurship and self-development. Here are the highlights of the conversation:?

"Gifts are given to you, not earned by your own effort, whereas choices that you make with those gifts are what matters and what you should be proud of. This is what I learned from my brother."

Q: Do you feel SAD or HAPPY when exiting a startup

"It is an emotional experience. Yet, the startup and its mission are bigger than you. So you must feel proud as it is a moment of celebration and a confirmation of your achievement."

Q: Purpose after exiting a startup

"It’s not about YOU. It’s about your Mission, and the mission continues regardless of who the new owners are”

Q: Should Friends and Families be involved in a Startup

"Startup is like a battlefield; you need people whom you trust by your side. The chances of success are greatly enhanced with friends and family by your side."

Q: How important is a passion for an entrepreneur

"Passion helps but a more practical approach is to focus on what you are great at and focus on being the best at it over time. That you help make you valuable for others and can become the foundation of your success. It also will make you and build a community of people you like to work with."

Q: How to Balance Self-Confidence and Self-Doubt

"Extreme success early in life gives extreme self-confidence- which is essential to try something new and stay the course.? But to continue to improve, you must have self-doubt to balance that. It’s a Yin and Yang that helps you grow."

Q: What is the most critical learning you got from your brother, Preet Bharara

Vinit quoted his ex-boss, Jeff Bezos: "Gifts are given to you, not earned by your own effort, whereas choices that you make with those gifts are what matters and what you should be proud of. This is what I learned from my brother."

The session ended with a standing ovation from the capacity crowd as Vinit was presented with the 2024 TIE NJ Excelsior Awards as a mark of respect to his parents, brother, wife, and son. Thank you to Anjan and Vinit for this gem of a conversation that was invaluable for the members of TIE-NJ.

Reflecting on the conversation, Dr. Suresh Kumar, President of TIE-NJ, said, “Given the reputation of Anjan and Vinit, I knew that the conversation was going to be awesome. Yet the depth of the insights and the inputs from Vinit’s family exceeded my high expectations. What a great way to celebrate the elevation of TIE-NJ to Category A status!”?

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