A Leap of Faith

After a year of working at American Express (6 months as an intern and 6 months full-time), I realized it was time for a change. Don't get me wrong, Amex is an amazing company with a great culture, but the work ultimately comes down to the team you're in. Unfortunately, I wasn't doing what I loved – coding. As a passionate coder, it was frustrating to not be able to write code regularly.

Then, March 2020 happened. Covid-19 hit, and the nation went into lockdown. During that time, I created a side project – a real-time global visualization website for Covid-19 with advanced analytics. It was a great way to channel my coding energy. I also started actively looking for new opportunities, despite the uncertainty and risk.

I wanted to work in a fast-paced environment, where I could take ownership of building large products or features. Startups, especially those in the seed to series A stages, seemed like the perfect fit. I applied to 15 startups on AngelList (now Wellfound) and was thrilled to hear back from 11 and interview with 8 (thanks to the Amex brand on my resume!). I received job offers from 3 startups and was wait-listed by 1.

Of course, I knew the risks were high – 90% of startups fail, after all. But I was willing to take that risk because it's a high-risk, high-reward game. After careful consideration, I decided to join Vested. I loved the idea, and the founders impressed me even more. I binge-watched YC videos to make an informed decision.

Getting the job offers was the easy part. The real challenge was breaking the news to my parents. I was leaving a stable job to join an early-stage startup in the middle of a pandemic, when thousands of people were getting laid off. It took me 2-3 days to muster the courage to tell my dad. At first, he thought I was joking, but when I told him I'd already put in my resignation at Amex, he realized I was serious. For the next few days, many people told me I was making a huge mistake by leaving such a stable job.

Fast forward four years, and I can confidently say that joining Vested was one of the best decisions I've made in my life. These four years have been an incredible journey, filled with challenging problems to solve and innovative software to build.

One of the most significant projects I worked on at Vested was tackling the complex issue of remittances for US Stocks Investing in India. In 2020, most banks had offline processes for transferring funds from INR bank accounts to US brokerage accounts, requiring users to physically visit banks. In 2021, I led the architecture and engineering for Vested Direct, a solution that streamlined this process, making it online and fast (completing INR-USD transfers in as little as 6-10 hours). This was a massive and intricate project, but the sense of accomplishment was immense.

In 2022, we took it a step further by launching Instant Funding, a game-changing feature that credited funds to brokerage accounts instantly, as soon as the payment was completed. This was a first-of-its-kind innovation in India. Unfortunately, due to RBI regulations, we had to discontinue Vested Direct in 2023. Although it was a setback, it didn't slow us down.

I then led the engineering efforts for INR Bonds, an offering under India Alternative Assets by Vested. Throughout my time at Vested, I was fortunate to work alongside incredibly talented individuals who inspired and motivated me to grow.

During these four years, I was promoted twice, from Software Engineer to Senior Software Engineer and then to Engineering Manager. I'm grateful for the opportunities Vested provided, which have shaped me into the professional I am today.

After an incredible four-year journey at Vested, I've decided to move on and join Wedbush. I'm thrilled about this new chapter and the opportunities that lie ahead.