Gagan Biyani

“I learned how my childhood had led me to be comfortable with confrontation and insensitive to those with less power. I came across as mean-spirited and condescending.”

“It felt like the world had ended when I was fired, but it actually opened the door for my next opportunity.”

“If you were laid off, fired or rejected, ask yourself: what did I do to contribute to this situation? What can I do better next time?”

“I was a taskmaster: hyperdirect and critical without finesse. I'd practically yell at people when frustrated and thought that was acceptable because that's what my idols did - Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg.”

“I was just 21 when I met Eren Bali and Oktay Caglar at Founder Institute, the largest pre-seed startup accelerator. There were over 40 business cofounders looking for technical partners.”

“I learned way more in four years at Sprig than four years at Udemy or UC Berkeley.”

“I left Udemy on good terms; I didn't cause trouble. It paid off; I kept a good reputation and Udemy treats me well.”

“Nobody talks about failure in Silicon Valley, yet 90% of startups fail.”

“There are thousands of experts, creators, and practitioners around the world who have valuable knowledge to share but aren't traditional professors.”

“As an entrepreneur the way I look at it is if I build a great business, and if Im building a business that fills a consumer need then it doesnt actually matter what the economic world looks like.”

“You always lose a job for a reason.”

“The food industry has forced people in-between two choices, either quality food that tastes great and takes a lot of work to make or convenient food thats very, very cheap and bad for you.”