After two failed startups and lost savings, the founder’s wife sold her jewelry to support his dream. See viral post | Today’s news

Startup success stories often focus on funding rounds, valuations and growth milestones. But for College Vidya co-founder and COO Rohit Gupta, the turning point came long before investors got involved.

In a LinkedIn post shared on Tuesday, Gupta recounted a deeply personal chapter in his entrepreneurial journey, revealing how his wife sold her wedding jewelery to help him reboot after years of setbacks. Describing her as his “first investor”, he said her faith in him came at a time when he had run out of options.

“No one would fund the idea”

College Vidya was founded in 2019 by brothers Rohit Gupta and Mayank Gupta, who were later joined by Sarthak Garg. The company has since grown into a major educational consulting platform, reporting annual revenue of $7.69 million for the financial year ending March 2025.

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But according to Gupta, the road to building the business was far from smooth.

“After two failed startups. And my dad’s retirement money is gone. Loan agents were putting notices on our door. I was sleeping in the office because there was nowhere else to go,” he wrote.

Before launching College Vidya, the Gupta brothers built a computer training network that ran more than 40 centers. The business eventually went out of business. According to a report by Inc42, Rohit Gupta later worked as a student guidance counselor where interactions with students highlighted a gap in educational guidance, which eventually inspired the idea of ​​College Vidya.

When he started working on the new venture, Gupta said he struggled to find financial backing.

“No one would finance the idea. I had already knocked on every door I knew,” he wrote.

The ₹17 Lakh that changed everything

With investors unwilling to back the business, Gupta turned to the one person he hadn’t yet approached—his wife.

“She took off her wedding jewellery, all of it, and told me to sell it and start over. ₹17 million. That became the first money for College Vidya,” said Gupta.

According to the entrepreneur, it is ₹17 million raised from the sale of jewelry became the seed capital that helped launch the company.

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“Funding comes from someone who had faith”

Gupta said he shares this story not to seek sympathy, but to remind budding entrepreneurs that faith often precedes investment.

“I’m not sharing this out of pity. I’m sharing this because people assume funding comes from investors. Mine comes from someone who had faith instead,” he wrote.

Reflecting on the company’s journey, Gupta said what started with four founders has grown into a much larger organization.

“We started with four co-founders. Today there are almost 750 of us,” he wrote.

He added that despite the growth of the company, the memory of his wife’s gesture remains unforgettable.

“It came back many times over. But I will never forget the jewelry,” Gupta said.

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The Internet Responds

The post caught the attention of LinkedIn users, many of whom praised the role that trust and persistence played in the company’s journey.

“It takes a big man to talk about such stories!” one user wrote.

Another commented: “A truly inspiring and empowering story! It shows the true potential one can achieve if they are motivated enough and don’t lose hope!”

A third user highlighted the personal risk involved, writing: “This is what real risk looks like. Not valuation, not dilution, someone putting their personal safety behind your vision. Congratulations on building a company that deserves that trust.”

“Success takes everything. You put in every bit of effort, savings, there are days when your mental health suffers and your body is exhausted. But after a long and hard struggle, it pays off. You finally achieve what you’ve been working for,” another user commented.

A fifth user wrote: “Awesome start, will shed light on many startups changing the mindset of supporting a business idea into a scalable business model.”