IIT, IIM, 80%+ Growth & Still Lost? Paramdeep Singh's Journey to Startup Clarity & AI
Shorthills AI President & Co-founder Paramdeep Singh on navigating IIT/IIM ambiguity, building EduPristine (80%+ YoY growth), and finding purpose in the founder journey.
It's a path many aspiring Indian founders dream of: degrees from IIT Delhi and IIM Indore, followed by high-profile corporate jobs. But what if, even after ticking all the conventional boxes, you still feel lost? What if the real journey only begins when you abandon the script?
This was the reality for Paramdeep Singh, President & Co-founder of Generative AI firm Shorthills AI. His recent conversation on the Inner Journeys podcast revealed a remarkably candid story – not just of building successful ventures, but of a decade-long struggle with ambiguity before finding true alignment in the entrepreneurial grind. His journey offers invaluable lessons for every founder, investor, and builder in the Indian startup ecosystem.
Check out the video of the conversation here or read on for insights.
The "Push Model": Early Life and Engineering Pressure
Paramdeep's early life, marked by frequent relocations due to his father's government job (changing maybe 7 or 8 schools!), instilled adaptability but also led him down a path chosen for him, not by him.
"My parents wanted me to be an engineer. I don't know what I wanted to be. It was mostly a push model rather than a pull model."
Despite excelling academically enough to crack the notoriously tough IIT entrance exam ("I generally attribute it to luck," he humbly notes), he describes his crucial school years (11th and 12th) as "uneasy." He wasn't passionate about Math or Physics; he was simply good at them, pushed by well-meaning parents and teachers. This disconnect between external expectation and internal drive created a persistent ambiguity.
The IIT-IIM Paradox: Freedom, Failure & Lingering Confusion
IIT Delhi offered a stark contrast – freedom.
"It's a place of freedom, I would say, after school especially. You're allowed to do whatever you want to do."
However, this newfound freedom initially led to a "mess" in his first year, where he flunked courses and admits he "misused that flexibility." It took a wake-up call after seeing poor results for him to realize he had to study, this time driven by internal realization, not external pressure. He found balance, made lifelong friends ("You are what your friends are," he reflects), but the core question of 'what next?' remained.
Even deciding to pursue an MBA from IIM Indore wasn't born from burning ambition.
"Just because of confusion, it's easy to take a decision that everybody thinks is right."
Despite securing the top CGPA at IIM, the fundamental ambiguity persisted.
Corporate Detours: Searching for the Right Fit
Paramdeep's post-MBA journey saw him cycle through prestigious roles – consulting at IBM and Accenture, even a stint in investment banking at Standard Chartered STCI Capital Markets. While the work was often challenging (he particularly enjoyed the problem-solving at Accenture), the feeling of misalignment lingered.
He felt like he was implementing systems rather than creating them, a step back from his engineering roots. Investment banking, with its "cut-throat life," was something he quickly realized he "hated." An offer from Microsoft in the US was almost accepted, only derailed by the practical (and humorous) realization of his inability to handle the DIY life abroad, particularly cooking!
The Leap: Founding EduPristine & Finding Flow
The turning point came around the time of his marriage. After years of trying different paths, clarity emerged. He enjoyed problem-solving and wanted to be in the driver's seat, owning challenges end-to-end. The long-dormant desire to be an entrepreneur finally surfaced.
In 2008, alongside friends from IIM, he co-founded EduPristine. The contrast with his corporate life was stark.
"When I started at EduPristine, life was very different. We would travel in a normal second class. It was very difficult to get appointments. But I still loved that."
Despite the initial hardships – bootstrapping with no salary, staying as a paying guest post-marriage, facing rejection – the underlying "why" had shifted. He was finally playing his own game.
This newfound alignment fueled incredible success. EduPristine became a market leader in the EdTech space, achieving over 80% year-on-year growth for more than 10 years. They raised funds from notable angel investors like Dr. Mark Mobius and eventually secured VC funding from Axel Partners. In 2018, after a strategic investment two years prior, the company was acquired by US-listed Adtalem (NYSE: ATGE), providing a successful exit for the founders.
The Next Chapter: Shorthills AI
After exiting EduPristine, Paramdeep teamed up with his co-founder to launch Shorthills AI in 2018. The goals were clear: leverage their technology background, build for the global market (starting with the US), and initially focus on high-impact data engineering and AI services rather than a product-first approach, allowing for profitability from day one.
He acknowledges the unique challenges in the Generative AI space, emphasizing the critical importance of data quality ("The foundation of any AI model is the data it learns from") and the need for responsible development and indigenous models for India ("Having our own language model would give us the ability to control the overall outcome").
Actionable Wisdom for Indian Founders
Paramdeep's journey is rich with insights applicable to anyone building in India today:
💡 Embrace the Struggle, Ditch the Cribbing: "Till you find [what you want to do], you should keep struggling. There's no point cribbing about what you're doing and not trying to figure out what you should be doing... I decided I would not crib, but I would solve for what I wanted to do."
💡 Understand Process vs. Outcome Ambiguity: Once you find work aligned with your 'why', the uncertainty of results becomes far less troubling than the uncertainty of what you should be doing. Focus on enjoying the process.
💡 The Entrepreneurial Trade-off: "Entrepreneurship: You enjoy 100 days fighting for something... If it doesn't happen, you move on. The other way is 30 days of disappointment for 1 day of salary." Choose the struggle you prefer.
🤝 Never Start Alone: "If you cannot convince even a single person to be with you to run that venture, it's going to be difficult. That support system is an absolute must." Co-founders provide validation and resilience.
⏳ Value Your Time & Relationships: "Spend time wisely... it's not coming back... Friends, family, they're a big support system. Don't take them lightly." Build genuine connections without ulterior motives.
Paramdeep Singh's story isn't just about building successful companies; it's about the messy, non-linear, human journey of finding your place. It’s a powerful reminder for the Indian startup ecosystem that success rarely follows a straight line, and the most rewarding paths are often those we carve ourselves, fueled by persistence, self-discovery, and the courage to keep searching until we find what truly makes us come alive.
Listen now!
Other ways to listen:
Until next time,
Your Host,
Divakar Vijayasarathy