When a start-up shuts down, most people talk about the failure of the business idea, but rarely about what happens to the founder afterwards. Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Shyam Achuthan recently opened up about this often-ignored side of failure, recalling the messy legal, financial, and emotional struggles that came after he closed his first venture in 2012. His candid post struck a chord because it highlights that the hardest part isn’t always accepting failure—it’s surviving what follows.
Shyam revealed that even though he was eager to move forward in his career, he wasn’t welcomed at many MNCs and funded start-ups. Not because of a lack of capability, but because he still officially held directorship of his now-defunct company. Closing it wasn’t easy either—there were loans, pending payments, and other responsibilities that had to be tied up properly to safeguard his credibility.
Luckily, he found a fresh start in the role of an engineer in another start-up. Shyam says this opportunity helped him rebuild his career and also gave him perspective on what “failure” truly means. In his words, shutting down a venture lingers far beyond the business—it carries into legal, financial, and social realities that follow a founder long after the doors close.
Reflecting on that tough phase, Shyam admitted that while we often glorify the idea of “celebrating failure,” the reality is much more complicated. It takes courage to navigate life when a venture collapses, and even years later, he admits fear still creeps in whenever he faces cash flow issues in business. He also emphasised the importance of founders supporting one another and called on the ecosystem to find better ways to embrace those who tried, failed, and still want to contribute meaningfully.